The Wall St Bankers are running the show here, and they love Doug.
The DOJ will approve this with backing from the FAA and DOT. Any type of buyout/merger with consolidation is good for the already congested airtraffic system on the East Coast. Everyone is lean and mean at this point in time, so I don't see anti-trust issues here as long as Doug presents a viable plan.....and he will....smart guy.
imp:
Delta creditors will love this as well as the senior execs at Delta who will get to walk away with their golden parachutes.
On the other hand the merger of these 2 airlines will wreak havoc with the reduction in fleet and pilot overlap.