Airline merger may move U.S. Airways from Tempe

August 08, 2012

A merger between U.S. Airways and American Airlines would likely see the airline's headquarters land in Dallas rather than Tempe. An expert analyzes what this could mean for the Valley's economy.

Robert Mittelstaedt, Dean of the W.P. Carey School of Business at ASU, says there’s no reason to get worried yet. He says U.S. Airways has proven it can be a great local corporate citizen without having their headquarters in Arizona.

Mittelstaedt says Tempe will still be a major hub if the airlines merge, and the Valley won’t lose a lot of business if the headquarters aren’t here. He says it’s certainly a weakness that there aren’t more corporate headquarters in the Valley, but Arizona has to continue working hard to become a more attractive to businesses.