Mergers & Acquisitions, Airlines | featured news

A judge on Wednesday approved AMR Corp's plan to merge with US Airways Group , a step toward creating the world's largest airline. AMR, parent of American Airlines and in bankruptcy since November 2011, must still construct a formal restructuring plan incorporating the merger that meets court and creditor approval before the airline can emerge from bankruptcy.

US Airways Group Inc and AMR Corp are nearing an $11 billion merger that would create the world's largest airline and could announce a deal within a week, after resolving key differences on valuation and management structure, people familiar with the matter said.

Delta Air Lines said it will buy almost half of Virgin Atlantic for $360 million as it seeks a bigger share of the lucrative New York-to-London travel market. Delta plans to form a joint venture with Virgin Atlantic, where the two airlines would share money from the flights operated under the partnership. In order to coordinate the schedules of the two airlines, they’ll need antitrust approval from U.S. and European regulators. Landing rights at London’s Heathrow Airport are limited.

Southwest Airlines will purchase AirTran Holdings for $1.04 billion in cash and stock in a deal that will allow Southwest to expand its presence in major East Coast markets.

Shareholders of United and Continental airlines voted Friday to approve a combination of their companies that would create the world's biggest airline and could have far-reaching effects on where they fly and how much they charge passengers.

United Airlines is buying Continental in a $3 billion-plus that would create the world's largest carrier with a commanding position in several top U.S. cities....

Continental Airlines and UAL are expected to announce Monday that they are merging to form the world's largest airline by traffic.

United Airlines and US Airways are in talks about combining into what would be the nation's second-biggest airline, a person with knowledge of the situation told The Associated Press on Wednesday....

Deutsche Lufthansa said it reached an agreement with Michael Bishop, the cofounder of British Midland Airways, to buy the airline in stages.