Originally Posted by
rsteinmetz70112
I doubt even DoJ could make much of a case that Southwest with nearly 700 planes would affect the market much by buying an airline with 21.
Not a function of the number of aircraft, but extent to which merger will reduce competition or service, particularly to smaller communities. There is a fair amount of overlap in route maps, the AA/US DOJ settlement required divestiture of gates at specific airports, promise not to eliminate current hubs for a period of time, etc.
Congress, general public believe the 4 major airlines (which includes WN) are gouging the public, further acquisitions will play in to this narrative.