[Sambolin:] Welcome back. Fifteen minutes past the hour. We are following breaking news this morning. It is a shocking story involving the blade runner, Olympic and Paralympic track superstar Oscar Pistorius. He is at the police station in south Africa right now after his model girlfriend was shot and killed inside his home. Police are saying a 26-year-old man has been arrested. They are not confirming that it is Pistorius, although it is important to note that Pistorius is 26 years old. We are also finding out about previous incidents at his home of a domestic nature. Pistorius, who is a double amputee, reached the 400-meter semifinals in the London Games last year. He races with carbon blades because of a birth defect.
[Berman:] To New York now where first it was calorie counts on menus, then trans fats, then mega soft drinks. Now, Mayor Michael Bloomberg is out to ban Styrofoam food packaging in stores. It's actually not Styrofoam technically, it's plastic foam. He's looking to ban that in stores and food restaurants. Bloomberg will unveil the plan today in his final State of the City speech.
[Sambolin:] And, boy, did you feel that breeze? Look at this. A boxer has suspended for allegedly taking a dive 13 seconds into a fight against former NFL defensive end Ray Edwards. Look at this, the phantom upper cut misses his much smaller opponent Nick "Turbo Tax" Capes by about a foot. But he sells it, literally knocking himself off his own feet. Reports say "Turbo Tax"
[Berman:] That is insane, I'm sorry. It is nowhere near him.
[Sambolin:] I know. But it looked right. So, if you're far away.
[Berman:] Two miles away.
[Sambolin:] "Turbo Tax" was a last-minute replacement for a couple of no-show boxers. North Dakota's fight governing body is reviewing that right there. It won't take long to jump into a conclusion dare, I say, right?
[Berman:] Not a tough one to review. Everyone waking up to a huge business story, a massive deal in the airline industry. U.S. Airways and bankrupt American Airlines have agreed to a merger.
[Sambolin:] But what does it mean for you, the flier? Christine Romans has details in "Road Warriors".
[Christine Romans, Cnn Business Correspondent:] Because it's all about us in the end, isn't it? The goal is a more efficient, more profitable airline, but that's going to take some time. Airline mergers generally take a few years, so for now get ready for some logistical headaches. One analyst we talked to says the bigger the merger, the more problems there are. First, combining the computer systems isn't easy. So, there could be some reservation problems initially. We can look at one of the most recent mergers for a clue. United and Continental in January, 2012, the first month the government combined data of those carriers, it showed customer complaints shot up 198 percent. Most of the complaints are about flight problems, cancellations, delays and reservations and ticketing problems. These two airlines also have to combine their frequent flier programs. They're going to have to woo back business travelers that American lost with all of those canceled flights this fall because of a pilot sickout. Here's travel expert Mark Murphy on some of the benefits of the deal.
[Mark Murphy, Travel Expert:] This merger will provide the traveler with better connections. I think you're going to be in nine major hubs between the two carriers now with the merger. So you're going to be able to get where you want to go more efficiently and effectively.
[Romans:] All right. So those nine major hubs are all over the country giving people a lot of access. Look at where they are. Not a lot of overlap. Really the only overlap in Chicago and Phoenix. Because of that and because the economy is still weak, many travel experts are telling us that ticket prices probably won't go up. Now, we should also point out that sources close to the boards have told us that the boards have agreed there's a lot of work to do here. An announcement today likely and then we'll wait to se what the bankruptcy judge says and what federal regulators say about this big, big deal.
[Berman:] Usually changes need to be made before it's finalized but they manage to push it through.
[Romans:] That's right. Absolutely.
[Sambolin:] John pointed out perhaps they could double our miles. So
[Romans:] No details on your frequent flier plan but I will find out as soon as this deal is official.
[Sambolin:] We appreciate that. Thank you. All right. Nineteen minutes past the hour. Coming up, lots of folks watching the news of that Carnival cruise ship limping back to port today. Christine Romans is coming back to tell us what you need to know if you are holding tickets for a cruise.