Alaska Air’s Virgin bid seen facing concerns near deadline
Alaska Air Group and Virgin America pleaded their case for their US$2.6b merger to top Justice Department officials last week, according to people familiar with the matter, an indication that negotiations are in their final stages over whether the govt allows the deal to proceed. The airlines met with antitrust division chief Renata Hesse and other officials conducting the review to address govt concerns that the combination could hurt competition, said one of the people. Such top-level meetings usually signal that the antitrust division has worries about a merger that could lead to a lawsuit to block it. Time is running short for the govt to act. The airlines have agreed not to close until Sept 30, effectively setting a deadline for the Justice Department to give a nod to the deal or seek to block it. <br/>
https://portal.staralliance.com/cms/news/hot-topics/2016-09-23/unaligned/alaska-air2019s-virgin-bid-seen-facing-concerns-near-deadline
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Alaska Air’s Virgin bid seen facing concerns near deadline
Alaska Air Group and Virgin America pleaded their case for their US$2.6b merger to top Justice Department officials last week, according to people familiar with the matter, an indication that negotiations are in their final stages over whether the govt allows the deal to proceed. The airlines met with antitrust division chief Renata Hesse and other officials conducting the review to address govt concerns that the combination could hurt competition, said one of the people. Such top-level meetings usually signal that the antitrust division has worries about a merger that could lead to a lawsuit to block it. Time is running short for the govt to act. The airlines have agreed not to close until Sept 30, effectively setting a deadline for the Justice Department to give a nod to the deal or seek to block it. <br/>
