American, U.S. Airways Offer EU Concessions for Merger

U.S. Airways Group (NYSE:LCC) and AMR Corp's American Airlines have offered concessions to European Union antitrust regulators to win approval for their planned $11 billion merger to create the world's largest airline.

The European Commission said on Wednesday that it would decide by August 6 whether to clear the deal. It did not provide details of the airlines' proposal, in line with its usual policy.

Airlines typically offer to cede airport slots or open up their frequent-flyer programs to rivals to ease regulatory concerns that their mergers may harm competition.

U.S. regulators are also examining the proposed deal. US Airways shareholders last week gave the green light to the deal, which marks the fourth major tie-up in the U.S. airline industry in the last five years.