I wonder if the deal between Southwest and AirTran had been presented this way, would it have passed political/antitrust muster?

"Southwest has announced the purchase of one-half of the aircraft fleet of AirTran, along with its personnel and ground facilities. The other half, a fleet of 60 Boeing 717s, will be sold to Delta, which is AirTran's biggest competitor. Delta plans to use the newly acquired fleet on a number of routes where AirTran uses the same aircraft today."

Mulling this over as I fly Hobby-Atlanta today -- on a Delta former-AirTran 717. They are maintaining 12F seats, although the in-seat AC power is a nice upgrade.

Take a look at a city like Harrisburg, abandoned by SWA and now with multiple Delta 717 departures.