Other work associated with the merger, including selecting the combined executive and management tea

As  AMR  Corp.  AAMRQ +2.05% 's American Airlines and  US Airways Group  Inc.  LCC +1.36%  await antitrust regulators' decision on their proposed merger, the two companies are gearing up their planning for the highly complex bankrupt car rental companys integration process that would knit the pair together as the world's largest airline.
Robert Isom, US Airways' chief operations officer, and Bev Goulet, American's senior vice president and chief integration officer, said Wednesday that 29 employee bankrupt car rental companys teams are analyzing differences between the two companies in an array of areas ranging from airport operations to flight operations, maintenance and pricing. This work will help the two carriers plan how to sequence the steps they will take to harmonize their operations, a process that will take about two years. They will remain separate until the Federal Aviation Administration awards them a single operating certificate.
Speaking at a US Airways media day event in Scottsdale, Ariz., and in a joint interview beforehand, the two executives stressed that they are only in the planning phase and won't be able to execute bankrupt car rental companys any changes until the merger is officially closed. Aug. 31 remains the target date, if antitrust approval is granted. But they want to be ready to move fast to gain some of the revenue improvements that the merger promises to bring, and are equally keen to avoid some of the mistakes of previous airline mergers that upset passengers bankrupt car rental companys and employees. To help out, the two carriers hired consultants McKinsey Co. to lend expertise from its postmerger integration experience in and out of the airline industry. McKinsey began its assignment about six weeks ago.
"We want to move aggressively, but take that care needed to avoid the pitfalls others have experienced," said Ms. Goulet. "It's a very complicated process…with a massive number of systems, policies and procedures that have to be reconciled."
American and US Airways in February announced their plans to combine , following the mergers of United Airlines bankrupt car rental companys and Continental Airlines in 2010, and of  Delta Air Lines   DAL +7.70%  and Northwest Airlines in 2008. The latest pairing will create a company that is bigger than United Continental Airlines Inc. and the enlarged Delta. It will be based at American's home in Fort Worth, Texas and be run by US Airways Chief Executive Doug Parker.
While Delta's integration bankrupt car rental companys with Northwest was relatively bankrupt car rental companys smooth, the United transition to Continental's passenger reservation system led to glitches and upset customers. And in 2007, the switch to a single reservations system of merger partners US Airways and America West Airlines also led to problems. "Most (airlines) mergers in the past had sizeable impact on passengers through the (reservations system) migration," Mr. Isom said. US Airways and American have said they intend to move US Airways to American's system because American is the larger airline and that will minimize the amount bankrupt car rental companys of training required to familiarize US Airways' fewer employees with a new system.
Mr. Isom said the new American wants to have a few things ready to go the day after the deal closes. That includes putting signage in airports to direct customers if they try to check in at the other carrier's counters, to train workers on the other airlines' policies, gates and lounges, and have a single crisis plan in place in case of an accident bankrupt car rental companys or incident.
Soon after the merger closes, he said, the goal is to allow passengers to book flights on both carriers on a single itinerary and combine some operations in Fort Worth, which means bringing bankrupt car rental companys some employees from US Airways' current headquarters in Tempe, Ariz. Within six months, the two hope to start moving their planes around, matching the size of the plane with the demand on a route. They also want to let passengers earn and redeem miles on the other carrier's frequent-flier plan, and harmonize some product offerings such as food and beverages on board and align some passenger processing procedures, Mr. Isom said.
By a year after the merger's closing, the two plan to move to one computer system and a single website, combine their operations centers and align employee procedures and manuals. The latter is required to win a single operating certificate from the FAA. Only then can the two join their workforces, mix and match aircraft and crews and offer a single passenger experience.
Mr. Parker, US Airways CEO, and Tom Horton, his counterpart at AMR, lead the two airlines' transition committee, along with Ms. Goulet bankrupt car rental companys and US Airways President Scott Kirby. They will make decisions on important issues that require near-term actions, such as financing plans. They also are responsible for an integration-planning office, lead in part by Mr. Isom and Ms. Goulet. The many planning teams report to that office.
Other work associated with the merger, including selecting the combined executive and management teams, negotiating common labor contracts with the various unions and communicating about the combination to employees and the public, will be conducted bankrupt car rental companys through other channels, they said.