Travelers worried about the effects of a Northwest-Delta merger can stop fretting. The New York Times reported this morning that members of the Delta pilots association received a letter announcing that merger negotiations have been called off. It seems seniority issues among the thousands of pilots at both airlines were just too gnarly on both sides for the negotiations to continue. With the merger off the table, travel experts are speculating that the airlines will instead turn to other cost-saving measures, including service cuts and fare hikes (which Northwest did earlier this week).

Pilots’ Talks Apparently Fail in a Northwest-Delta Hookup