STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
Let's take off as we begin NPR's business news.
OK. More than 5500 flights were canceled starting on Friday when airlines started making plans in anticipation of the massive snowstorm that crippled parts of the Northeast. Airlines say they are now operating at close-to-normal schedules. Only about 20 cancellations are expected today. Airlines, of course, moved quickly to cancel flights ahead of severe weather because they don't want crews and planes stuck in one part of the country. And they also face fines if passengers are stuck on a plane for more than three hours.
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After a merger plan that has seemed at times stuck, it appears American Airlines and US Airways could make it official this week. That combination would create the nation's largest airline. The deal has to be approved by a bankruptcy judge in New York. Federal regulators also need to sign off on the merger. But when, and I guess if all that happens, the new company would take the name American Airlines.
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