PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — U.S. Airways has been reporting solid quarterly earnings, but word of a possible merger is buzzing in Wall Street circles.

In a Wednesday conference call, the CEO of U.S. Airways Group confirmed his company is investigating a possible merger with American Airlines.

Dick Wright, of Bethel Park, has logged many miles on flights out of Pittsburgh, and while American and U.S. Air serve many of the cities where he needs to go, he has reservations about a merger.

“It’s bad in a way that I hate to see monopolies, but it’s good if they give us better service because right now it’s rather chaotic,” said Wright, “but I hate to see too many mergers because we’ll be down to just one, like British Air, one airline.”

There was a time, not too long ago at Pittsburgh International Airport, when the entire board would have been filled, and probably 90 percent of them would have been flights on U.S. Air.

“Sometimes, I have noticed that that window has narrowed up somewhat,” said Kathy Arnoto, of Canfield, Ohio. “It’s a shame that they are not like it used to be.”

If the merger happens, it would be further consolidation of two major domestic carriers, but many passengers say that means little to unless the ticket price is right.

“Basically, it’s the price rates,” said MycKenzie Russell, of Orlando, Fla. “We just go online and look at the cheapest ones we can find honestly. Some of the ones we haven’t heard of, we don’t pick, but the ones that we have been on before.”

Rumblings of a merger heated up after the parent company of American Airlines filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection back in November. Whether it happens is still up in the air.

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