AviationGeeks.com - Low-fare king Southwest to buy AirTran for $1.4 billion

Southwest Airlines said Monday that it will buy smaller rival AirTran for $1.4 billion, creating the most expansive network of any low-cost carrier in the U.S. and giving the feisty airline a chance to grab business travelers in the nation's busiest markets.

If the merger is approved by regulators, Southwest, which already carries more domestic fliers than any other U.S. airline, will for the first time go head to head with Delta on its home turf at Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International, the busiest passenger airport in the world. It will gain access to Reagan Washington National Airport and capture increased share at Boston Logan and New York LaGuardia.

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