Southwest Airlines, on Monday announced that it will acquire AirTran Holdings Inc along with AirTran Airways. What do travelers benefit from this merger or is it important for them to know more about this merger?

With the completion of the merger the new unit formed will follow the footsteps of Southwest regarding customer services as per the statement made by Southwest.

The airlines went of to say further that it would retain its policy of not charging for a first time or second time checked bag. On the contrary AirTran charges twenty dollars for the first checked bag and twenty five dollars for the second checked one.

The company further added saying that it won't charge anything from passengers who change their reservations after a purchase of the same. The company moreover will not assign seats and at present passengers get their seats according to their order of checking in.

AirTran at present allow passengers to purchase seat assignments and the prices depend on the seat. It also charges seventy five dollars if passengers change their reserve seat after four hours of booking the same.

Under this acquisition Southwest will make its presence felt largely in major centers like Baltimore, Boston and New York. It can also add its service in Mexico as well as the Caribbean islands. It will have a total fleet of six hundred and eighty five aircraft from its existing five hundred and forty one planes.

All the planes will sport the logo of Southwest. Brad Hawkins, a spokes person of Southwest stated that all these will happen over time. Passengers should note that to take advantages of the changes that would be brought in by Southwest, might take another two years time.

Both the firms are waiting to get approval of the acquisition from the Department of Justice and other agencies which might take some time.