Comment Of Sen. Patrick Leahy, Ranking Member, Senate Judiciary Committee, On The Proposed Merger Of United and US Airways

May 25, 2000

“There should be and I believe there will be hearings on this merger by the Senate Judiciary Committee, and I also urge a close review by the Department of Justice.

“The question goes beyond what this merger would mean for a theoretical average passenger. What does it mean for individual cities and for rural communities? I have particular questions about its implications for Vermont. Burlington is not a one-horse town and it should not be a one-airline town either. I have long been concerned about the high price of tickets from Burlington, and only recently have we begun to make headway with that problem. We need to know whether this merger would make matters worse for communities where both airlines now have operations.”