What Southwest-Air Tran Merger Means

Fares and fees. They’re what air travelers watch, and Southwest Airlines’ plan to acquire fellow low-fare airline AirTran has consumers and industry watchers buzzing about how the planned merger will affect the price of travel. AirTran will be absorbed by Southwest and adopt Southwest’s policies, according to details of the $1.4 billion deal announced Monday.

“We have open seating, we have no plans to change that. We don’t charge for bags, we have no plans to change that. We have single-class service, we have no plans to change that,” said Gary Kelly, Southwest’s chairman of the board, president and CEO.

So, it’s a win for AirTran customers.

“It’s good news for AirTran passengers … in general because Southwest has better service than AirTran and lower fees,” said George Hobica, founder of Airfarewatchdog.com.

Consumer advocate Clark Howard sees the acquisition as a positive development for air travelers nationwide.

Read the full CNN article here.

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