Delta and Northwest are talking about merging, but they must wait for their pilots to hammer out a deal on union seniority should they merge into one union. The merger, if approved, would create the biggest airline in the world.
STEVEN INSKEEP, host: NPR's business news starts with airline merger talks stuck on the tarmac.</s>STEVEN INSKEEP, host: Delta and Northwest are still talking about merging, but the companies are waiting for their pilots to come to an agreement on a labor issue. The two groups of pilots, 12,000 in all, need to hammer out a deal on union seniority should they merge into one union. Seniority determines which routes and which planes a pilot flies.</s>STEVEN INSKEEP, host: A lack of an agreement is delaying the companies' plans to present a proposal for a merger that would create the biggest airline in the world if regulators approve it.