61.   Council leaders said they expected the full body to approve the deal on Wednesday.

62.   Congress gave the authority to the Justice Department partly because of concerns that the Transportation Department was too willing to approve deals.

63.   Congress has approved trade deals with Vietnam and Jordan, and President Bush offered concessions to Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri during her September visit to Washington.

64.   Congress has not yet approved the deal.

65.   Consumer advocates said regulators were unlikely to approve the deal without major modifications.

66.   Customers in less populous areas, however, say they would bear the brunt of the hardship if the deal is approved.

67.   Details of the agreement Monday will not be revealed until the deal is approved by the four-member Federal Trade Commission, expected within two weeks.

68.   Directors approved the deal unanimously.

69.   Directors of both airlines unanimously approved the deal, according to separate but nearly identical announcements by the companies.

70.   Directors of both Kroger and Fred Meyer have approved the deal.