WASHINGTON - Supporters of the merger of Delta and Northwest airlines are working both their inside and outside games, as company executives and labor union leaders head to Capitol Hill today to testify on how the deal would affect America's aviation industry.
The congressional hearing, the third on the merger, comes as Delta has reinforced its lobbying team with some of the best-known firms on Washington's K Street.
The merger also is getting help from advocacy groups, including from an unexpected quarter.
The Consumer Federation of America, which typically lobbies hard against big business, is preparing to endorse the merger plan at Wednesday's hearing. That will be held by the Senate Commerce Committee's aviation subcommittee, which includes Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn.
Mark Cooper, the federation's director of research, said he would be testifying in favor of the proposal to create the world's largest air carrier because the current condition of aviation is so dismal.
"If you think about the prospects of opposing the merger and saying we want to keep the industry the way it is -- well, it stinks," Cooper said. "The industry pleases no one. Consumers hate it, labor hates it, investors hate it."
Cooper said the merger proposal is "an admission of a fundamental failure" of the deregulation of airlines. He argued that Congress should not try to block the deal but should pass federal laws and rules to protect passengers' rights.
Advocacy groups with close ties to the business community and conservative causes also are jumping into the debate on behalf of the airlines.
