Shippers are crying foul that the proposed merger between US carriers Delta and Northwest will lead to higher rates and fewer choices, a position echoed by Congressman James Oberstar.
Mr Oberstar, who is the chairman of the House Transportation Committee, said he is opposed to the planned combination of Delta and Northwest airlines.
"At the end of the process, we may be left with an industry of three network airlines, which will have the ability to undermine the consumer benefits of deregulation," he said in a letter to the US Department of Justice (DoJ), reports Massachusetts based Logistics Management.
Tom Mathers, a spokesman for the National Customs Brokers and Forwarders Association (NCBFAA) in Washington DC, said that freight forwarders have also raised concerns about the planned tie up.
"While we have not taken an official position on the matter, we certainly feel that such a merger will result in less cargo capacity and fewer choices for shippers," Mr Mathers was cited as saying in the report.
Mr Oberstar is calling on the DoJ to conduct "the most intensive review" of all elements of the deal, including its impact on other carriers.
"These problems will be exacerbated by additional mergers, which are likely to be triggered by approval of the Delta/Northwest merger," he said.
For its part, one of the largest shippers associations in the US is adopting a "wait-and-see" attitude, the report added.
"We are hopeful that no matter what happens with this development, our members will still have enough capacity and service to meet their needs," said Richard Macomber, chairman of the air cargo committee for the National Industrial Transportation League.
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