HispanicBusiness

US Airways and American Airlines on Monday named two executives who will head a transition team to combine the two airlines' route networks, labor forces, and computer and reservation systems.

US Airways president Scott Kirby and American's chief restructuring officer Bev Goulet will develop joint plans "so that we are prepared to begin integration immediately" when the merger becomes final sometime between July 1 and Sept. 30, the airlines announced Monday.

Kirby played a key role in shaping the revenue and cost benefits of a merger, and negotiated with American and US Airways unions, which led to labor support for the $11 billion deal announced Feb. 14. Goulet engineered the $2 billion in restructuring savings for American during its Chapter 11 bankruptcy and negotiated the splits for US Airways shareholders and American creditors.

US Airways chief executive officer Doug Parker and American CEO Tom Horton said they will chair the transition committee, made up of senior leaders from both airlines.

US Airways and American will continue to operate independently until the combined company, to be called American and based in Fort Worth, Texas, wins bankruptcy court and antitrust regulatory approval. It will take at least 18 months, after the merger closes, to combine US Airways and American into one company, which would be the largest airline in the world based on passenger traffic.