- David Stempler, President, Air Travelers Association
Reuters (5/24)

- Sen. Strom Thurmond
Senate Judiciary Antitrust Sub-committee (6/14)

"Contrary to some media speculation that harm to consumers and competition may result, this merger will be exceedingly beneficial to the traveling public and the U.S. economy and the citizens of North Carolina."

-Sen. Jesse Helms
USA Today (6/15)

"To consumers, I want you to know we've heard your concerns about the price of flying out of Charlotte. But I think having two major international hubs in the Southeast, one in Atlanta, and now one in Charlotte, will bring some answers to your concerns."

- North Carolina Gov. Jim Hunt
Statement reprinted in the Business Journal of Charlotte (6/23)

"This merger is good for the employees of US Airways, good for Charlotte, good for the Carolinas and good for the nation."

- Rep. Sue Myrick (former mayor of Charlotte)
USA Today (6/19)

"I started out (before the hearings) thinking this may be a good deal. But I've come to the conclusion that this is an extremely good deal for Pittsburgh, Western Pennsylvania and the mid-Atlantic region."

- Rep. Bud Shuster
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (7/18)

"The merger is a godsend."

- Rep. Bud Shuster
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (7/21)

"United Airlines, under community pressure, has come a long way in assuring Pittsburgh that it will have the same level of jobs and service under the new arrangement. With those promises in hand and with 5,000 maintenance and 6,700 other jobs hanging in the balance, Pittsburghers need to stand solid behind the merger."

- Editorial, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (8/28)

"The United US Airways DC Air deal looks like one that will be good for West Virginia. And quite frankly, since West Virginia shares rural backgrounds with many other states, I think it's going to be good for other small communities and other states now served by US Airways."

- Sen. Jay Rockefeller
Hearing Before the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation (6/21)

"This move makes United, the world's biggest airline, a bigger player in the Washington market, which is very good for the area. The more air traffic that can be connected in the Washington area, the more spinoff business there is."

- Stephen Fuller, George Mason University
Washington Post (5/25)

"(Regarding the merger)…It's all good news."

- Louis Miller, Executive Director, Hillsborough County Aviation Authority
St. Petersburg Times (5/31)

"After closely examining numerous possible scenarios concerning the future of the airline industry, it is clear that low-cost upstarts like JetBlue and well-established carriers such as Southwest Airlines will continue to thrive and expand even if various merger scenarios occur."

- Darryl Jenkins, George Washington University
Airports (8/29)

"Doom-and-gloom predictions about the future of the industry are almost certainly wrong because the marketplace is so diverse - and the state of competition so healthy - that there are few scenarios that would result in less competition for passengers over the next five to 10 years."

- Darryl Jenkins, George Washington University
Fort Worth Star-Telegram (8/25)

"Consumers will save money (post merger) because it costs less to complete a trip using a single airline that it does to use multiple carriers. As current interline passengers become online passengers on the merged airline, their fares will fall."

- Jan Brueckner, University of Illinois
Airline Financial News (10/9)

"We've long been proponents of consolidation in the U.S. airline industry based on economic grounds, and further we do not believe that consolidation is anti-consumer."