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Airline Mergers: American, British and Iberia Finally Make a Deal

American Airlines, British Airways, Iberia, Finnair and Royal Jordanian have formally announced their intent to merge, and they've put together a website to hype the tie-up. The spin-tastically named MoreTravelChoices.com even goes so far as to ask passengers to write to the Department of Transportation asking regulators to approve the deal.

The "joint business agreement" the five airlines have signed will have them cooperating on flights between North America and Europe. They also plan to expand their code sharing so you can earn even more increasingly worthless frequent flier miles. Though the agreement is being called a merger, all five carriers will remain legally separate and maintain their own identities--at least for now.

The deal still needs to be approved by the US government, which might be concerned not just with competition but also rules on foreign ownership of airlines. Predictably, Virgin Atlantic is opposed to the deal.

Related Stories:
· MoreTravelChoices.com [Official Site]
· Airline Mergers coverage [Jaunted]