One way or another, these airlines will cease to exist. Some of their more than 65,000 jobs, planes, gates and other assets ultimately will be scooped up by stronger airlines. In the last two decades, airline deregulation overall has lowered fares and increased flying options for many Americans. But those benefits have been uneven and, in a distressing number of fortress hub cities, there is virtually no competition. Passengers in those cities are captives of the dominant airline, which can charge pretty much what it wants and offer shoddy service to boot.
Customers have no options.
The real obstacles to more competition are no secret. The air-traffic system and airport construction have not kept pace with the growth of air travel. There aren't enough gates and runways. Furthermore, air traffic at many of the nation's busiest airports is at saturation level. These deals now are inextricably linked because the American purchase of US Air assets will occur only after United is cleared to buy US Air.