FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                    AT
TUESDAY, JANUARY 31, 1995                                    (202) 616-2771
                                                         TDD (202) 514-1888

              JUSTICE DEPARTMENT WILL FILE ANTITRUST SUIT AND
             PROPOSED SETTLEMENT IN SABRELINER/MIDCOAST MERGER

     WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The Department of Justice announced
today that it intends to file an antitrust suit and a proposed
settlement to remedy the likely harm to competition from a
proposed merger of the only two providers of aircraft fueling,
cleaning, deicing, and certain other terminal services at Lambert
International Airport in St. Louis, Missouri.
     The Department will file a civil antitrust complaint in U.S.
District Court in Washington, D.C., against Sabreliner
Corporation of St. Louis, which last November purchased Midcoast
Aviation Inc. from Trans World Airlines.  At the same time, the
parties also will file a proposed consent decree that requires
Sabreliner to divest its transient general aviation fueling
facilities at Lambert Field.  If approved by the court, the
consent decree would settle the suit.
     Anne K. Bingaman, Assistant Attorney General in charge of
the Antitrust Division, said, "Sabreliner's merger of its Lambert
Field facilities with those of Midcoast would create a monopoly
in the sale of jet fuel to transient general aviation customers
using the airport.  Unless this divesture is required, customers
using general aviation and other non-scheduled aircraft services
landing at Lambert Field will likely face higher fuel prices."
     These providers, called fixed base operators, supply
terminal services that are typically included in the price of jet
fuel sold to the general aviation customer.  Last year, general
aviation aircraft purchased around $1 billion of jet fuel from
FBOs nationwide. 
      The proposed consent decree would require Sabreliner to
divest either its transient general aviation fueling facilities
at Lambert, or, if necessary to attract a purchaser, its entire
FBO operation at Lambert. 
     Once the consent decree is filed with the court, public
comments on the decree are invited within the statutory 60-day
comment period.  At that time, interested persons may address
comments to Roger W. Fones, Chief, Transportation, Energy and
Agriculture Section, Antitrust Division, U.S. Department of
Justice, 555 4th St., N.W., Washington, D.C. 20001.
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