Expert predicts minor hurdles for Delta-Northwest merger

By Charles Edwards

Atlanta, ga – The campaign to sell the Delta-Northwest merger to the US Justice Department is in full swing.

Airline officials are confident, but some anti-trust experts say the deal isn't free of problems.

While announcing the merger in Atlanta, Delta CEO Richard Anderson said there are no competitive issues with the deal.

Anti-trust expert Michael Waxman agrees to a certain extent.

WAXMAN: If the Justice Department wants to go ahead and do a surface level analysis based on overlap then he's going to be right. But there's a whole bunch of things going on below the surface that require careful examination.

Now a professor at Marquette, Waxman was a senior attorney with Federal Trade Commission dealing with anti-trust issues. He says some of below the surface items include overlapping routes in cities such as Milwaukee. Waxman also says both airlines may have to free up gates in airports where both carriers have significant control.