CAE Officials: American, US Airways Merger Will Benefit Travelers

While the real impact of a potential $11 billion merger between American Airlines and US Airways on Columbia-area passengers is months away, airport officials say there will be positives. 

Kaela Harmon, spokeswoman for Columbia Metropolitan Airport, issued the following release on Thursday following news of the merger:

While American Airlines and US Airways sort out further details of their just announced $11 billion deal, Columbia Metropolitan Airport is beginning to anticipate how the merger could impact the local market.  Among the list of possibilities, there are a few things that could happen that airport official believe could really benefit CAE passengers.

1. Due to their frequent flyer program and daily non-stop flights to Washington, DC; US Airways has the second largest share of Columbia’s air travel market, falling just behind Delta Airlines.  The merger now creates the possibility of passengers being able to benefit from frequent flyer miles to even more non-stop destinations out of Columbia.
2. American Airlines has daily non-stop flights to Dallas which, historically, have been very successful, consistently flying at or near capacity.  With the merger now in place, passengers may larger aircraft flying between Columbia and Dallas. 
3. As the new American Airlines begins to define itself after the merger, Columbia Metropolitan Airport is in a better position to negotiate new route options.

It will likely be months before airports across the country, including CAE, begin to see a real direct impact from today’s announcement.  However, experts are already predicting that one thing travelers can rest easy about is that airfares are not likely to increase and when all is said and done this is likely to only be a boon to Columbia Metropolitan Airport and travelers throughout the Midlands.

For further details on the American Airlines/ US Airways Merger visit www.newAmericanarriving.com.