United Airlines and Continental Airlines hope to create a network that can compete for long-haul, high-volume business travel, said airline bosses.
According to Reuters, United Airline's CEO Glenn Tilton and Continental's CEO Jeff Smisek told a US Senate antitrust subcommittee the long-haul network would be the driving force behind what would be the world's largest airline.
The pair added that the airlines would be better placed to succeed together than alone in today's hyper-competitive environment.
Competition and customers wouldn't be harmed by the merger of United and Continental airlines, argued the airline chiefs.
But senators were worried about the impact the merger would have on jobs, especially at Continental's hub in Houston, as the new airline, to be called United, will be based in Chicago.
United Airlines' CEO Smisek, who will run the merged company, said some people would lose their jobs through the merger, but there are no plans for large-scale redundancies. The combined workforce will be made up of nearly 90,000 employees.