31.   The DOJ has now been ceded antitrust authority over airline mergers from the Department of Transportation.

32.   The deal is the first proposed airline merger since the September terrorist attacks sent the industry into its worst downturn in history.

33.   The discussions are being closely watched by Wall Street analysts, who say any big airline merger will probably bring about even more consolidation within the industry.

34.   The two most salient issues before the Bush administration in the antitrust field are the Microsoft case and the raft of proposed airline mergers.

35.   There has not been a major airline merger in more than a decade.

36.   These would probably be among the most immediate effects if the latest round of proposed airline mergers comes to pass.

37.   These would probably be among the most immediate effects if the latest round of proposed airline mergers are completed.

38.   This is particularly true for US Airways, which is the product of a series of airline mergers that were followed by complicated combinations of seniority lists.

39.   Delays in the review process for what would be the largest-ever airline merger have prompted increasing speculation by industry experts that the deal will fall through.

40.   Days of Capitol Hill hearings on the proposed marriage of United Airlines and US Airways have yielded few defenders of the largest airline merger ever.