A US judge had granted the request for speedy trial of American Airlines and US Airways last Friday. The two companies intend to undergo a merger deal that would form the biggest airline company in the world. The trial would tackle issues about the said merger and if would be allowed to pursue the deal or not.

US District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly said that the trial for the merger against the US Justice Department and a number of states would start on Monday, November 25.

The trial date was months earlier than the Justice Department had hoped. On the other hand, it was close to what the airlines wanted as they said waiting for a long period for the trial to start would put the deal at risk. The government had hoped to block the USD11 billion merger.

In a joint statement the airlines said, "We are confident in our case and eager to get to court. We are pleased to have a trial date that will enable us to resolve this litigation in a reasonable time frame."