	u s dot approves american amr aci acf pact the u s department of transportation dot said it gave final clearance to the proposed mln dlr uisition of aircal inc by american airlines inc the uisition is not likely to substantially lessen competition or to be inconsistent with the public interest the dot said in a statement aircal is a unit of aci holdings inc while american is a unit of amr corp the dot had given tentative approval to the merger plan feb american is the third largest u s airline in terms of revenue passenger miles while aircal a relatively small carrier that primarily serves west coast cities is the nation s th largest passenger carrier their merger would not alter american s third place ranking according to data compiled by aviation daily a leading industry trade magazine the combination would incrase american s share of the u s market to pct from its current pct the dot said the dot said the merger was unlikely to substantially reduce competition on the four routes on which both carriers provide either nonstop or single plane service at of the terminals served by both carriers the dot said it found no evidence that other carriers could not increase or begin service that competed with a merged american aircal concerning the th while entry may not be possible at the orange county airport in the near future dot found that the service provided at other airports in the los angeles area especially at the los angeles international airport will provide effective competition for orange county travelers in long haul markets the dot said the merger would give american control of pct of the authorized takeoff and landing slots at the orange county terminal where environmental concerns and a small terminal building limit future opportunities for expansion the dot said the air line pilots association filed comments opposing the merger but raised no new facts or arguments under the merger terms announced nov american will pay dlrs a share for the outstanding stock of aci holdings reuter 
