The airports dominated by American Airlines and US Airways say they’ll be hurt if the carriers can’t merge.
The airports want to file a friend-of-the-court statement supporting the merger, which is the subject of a trial scheduled to start Nov. 25 in U.S. district court in Washington.
The request was filed Monday by Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, Charlotte Douglas International Airport, Phoenix Sky Harbor International and Philadelphia, which operates of Philadelphia International Airport.
The U.S. Justice Department sued in August to block the merger, saying that the deal would limit competition and drive up consumer prices.
The airports said if they’re allowed to file a brief, they’ll show that blocking the merger would hurt domestic and international competition “to the detriment of the traveling public and labor, as well as to airports and their local communities.”
