The U.S. Department of Justice would settle a suit blocking the American Airlines-US Airways merger if the carriers agree to "divestures of facilities at key constrained airports," said attorney general Eric Holder,

according to Reuters. Holder said he hoped a deal would be done by Nov. 25, the trial date for the antitrust hearing. When DOJ in August announced the suit, Bill Baer, assistant attorney general for its Antitrust Division, said, "If anyone wants to come to us and propose a settlement, we are always prepared to listen, but our view, looking at the evidence before us, is that the right outcome is a full-stop injunction." If DOJ now is willing to alter its view and allow the merger to proceed with certain conditions and concessions, slot divestitures at Washington Reagan National Airport likely would be in the mix.