American is Doing Great but US Airways Merger Still Needed, CEO Says

American Airlines is in a tough position, doing fine on its own yet saying it needs a merger with US Airways.

American announced on Wednesday two new Dallas-Asia routes, and on Thursday it reported a record quarterly profit, leading one to question whether American can't prosper all by itself.

Texas Congressman Marc Veasey, one of 68 Democrats who signed a letter to President Obama advocating for a merger, said Thursday that the Department of Justice should consider the impact on workers if the merger does not occur.

Veasey, whose Fort Worth district includes thousands of American workers, spoke at a rally last month, when unions at the two carriers blitzed Washington last month, staging a demonstration blocks from the Justice Department.

"I hope they are listening," he said, in an interview on Thursday. "Maybe someone at Justice may not have understood the impact (of stopping the merger) would have on union workers and on thousands of jobs. This is management and labor working together. Justice may not have had a good understanding that (its action) would create a duopoly."

Veasey said he would welcome a settlement, noting "That would be the easiest and best way to do it for workers and consumers."