Local & State Headlines

Merger could lower fares

• A proposed airline merger announced Monday could take a while before it creates any local impact.

Joshua Brown

ALBANY — Southwest Georgia airline passengers will have a larger number of cities they can fly an all-Delta flight to, saving them on fares, if a proposed merger between Delta and Northwest Airlines is approved, a local airport official said Tuesday.

Delta and Northwest officials announced Monday a $3.6 billion acquisition of Northwest by Delta. The merger must still be approved by federal and foreign antitrust regulators and shareholders, according to a Web site set up for the merger by the airlines.

The airlines expect to complete the merger later this year, after which the two companies will begin reorganization, according to the Web site.

Southwest Georgia Regional Airport Director Yvette Aehle said Tuesday that the proposed merger would expand the coverage area for Delta airlines — which sets prices for Albany flights — thereby extending the number of destinations used by the merged company.

Because fares are lower for flights that do not require a flier to change airlines, the merger could result in more lower fares for fliers out of Albany, Aehle said.

“That’s the reason why airlines merge, because they don’t all fly the same places,” she said Tuesday, adding that Northwest has more flights to the northwest region of the country than Delta.

“It also opens up more of the Northwest. So yeah, there’s always going to be some good things from two large airlines merging.”

Aehle said she expected it would be at least a year after the merger was approved for Southwest Georgia fliers to see any changes at the airport.

“I don’t think the smaller markets will be affected by this initially because they have other issues (to deal with),” she said. “It (the merger) is going to create the largest airline in the world, they’ve got way larger fish to fry.

“It’s a long time from the time that somebody decides to take over a company to the time when all the details are worked out.”

“It’s not a done deal yet. People are talking about how it will affect everything when the feds haven’t even approved it,” Aehle said, adding that regulatory agencies may not see it as a boost to the industry.

“I think that’s going to be a huge obstacle. ... I’m not sure how the federal regulators are going to see this.”

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