US Airways (Phoenix Sky Harbor) will disappear as both a brand and an operating licence within 18 months of a planned merger with American Airlines (AA, Dallas/Fort Worth) closing, American's CEO, Tom Horton has said. The merger, however, is still subject to regulatory approval expected sometime after an August 15 hearing. Mr Horton went on the add that during the integration phase of the merger, US Airways will "likely" become an Oneworld affiliate member thereby allowing the carrier and oneworld to benefit from each other.