Washington --- Richard Anderson, the chief executive of Delta Air Lines, will face questioning today about reported merger talks with United Airlines when he testifies before Congress, congressional aides said.
U.S. Rep. Lynn Westmoreland (R-Ga.), whose district includes the highest concentration of Delta employees in the state, wants Anderson to confirm a statement Delta issued Wednesday saying that there are no merger talks under way with United, Westmoreland's spokesman, Brian Robinson, said Wednesday evening.
"We have real concerns about [Delta's] headquarters being moved out to Chicago" where United is based, Robinson said.
Anderson is listed as a witness at a 10 a.m. hearing of the Aviation Subcommittee of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, to discuss holiday travel preparations by airlines and airports.
Committee staff members confirmed Wednesday afternoon that Anderson was expected to attend.
In its statement, Atlanta-based Delta said, "there have been no talks with United regarding any type of consolidation transaction and there are no such ongoing discussions." United also issued a statement calling the report of talks "wholly inaccurate."
Today's House hearing is the third in a series by the Aviation Subcommittee on airline consumer protection.
On Monday, the Air Transport Association, the trade group representing the major airlines, said it expected 4 percent more travelers over the Thanksgiving holiday than last year and warned passengers that airport lines could be longer than usual.
A spokesman for U.S. Rep. Jerry Costello (D-Ill.), chairman of the subcommittee, said Wednesday evening that the focus of the hearing would be on the holiday travel preparations, but acknowledged that the topic of a Delta-United merger "could come up."
