Government Approves Delta and Northwest Merger

The U.S Justice Department approved a merger between Delta and Northwest Airlines today, the final regulatory hurdle that creates one of the world's largest airlines.  Although the merger was announced several months ago, airline execs had to convince the government the merger would not cause substantial harm to consumers, such as significantly lessening the competition. And that they did. 

The merged airlines will combine flight schedules and loyalty programs over the next two years. According to a Delta press release, for customers, it will be business as usual during the process - as changes will be "thoughtfully" rolled out.