DALLAS — Four key members of Congress say that all airlines — not just low-fare carriers — should be able to bid on gates and landing rights that American Airlines and US Airways will give up after their merger.
The leaders of the House and Senate transportation committees say they’re worried that unless the big airlines can bid, service between Washington and some smaller cities may be lost.
The lawmakers made their concerns public Friday as consumer advocates prepared to ask a federal judge to force the airlines into deeper concessions in exchange for approving a merger that will create the world’s biggest airline.
The Justice Department sued to block the merger but settled this month after American and US Airways agreed to give up gates and landing rights at several big airports, notably Washington’s Reagan National Airport. Officials said those assets would go to low-cost airlines because the big, so-called legacy airlines — the biggest being United and Delta — had stifled competition.
