BREAKING NEWS is that the Federal Air Transportation Stabilization Board late on Friday approved a bid by US Airways and America West, the nation”s 7th and 8th largest airlines, to merge. However the deal still has to be cleared by the US Bankruptcy Court. Controversially, at least this side of the Atlantic, the Board was established after 9/11, the two carriers receiving US$1bn between them in loan guarantees. US Airways has a strong presence on the East Coast, in the Caribbean and across the Atlantic, while America West operations are defined by its name. American West would be the driving force behind the new US Airways.