American Air Hits Kerkorian on Bid for TWA

American Airlines, fearful that it might get shut out of London’s Heathrow Airport, Tuesday urged the Department of Transportation to reject Beverly Hills financier Kirk Kerkorian’s efforts to buy Trans World Airlines.

American called Kerkorian’s interest in the ailing carrier a “feeble attempt to derail” its own proposal to buy TWA’s London routes. “The Department should reject Mr. Kerkorian’s irresponsible request that it shoot dice with the public interest,” American said in documents filed with the agency.

The filing also urged an “immediate” approval of American’s deal with TWA. In March, the agency gave tentative approval for the sale of three of the six London routes that American had agreed to buy for $445 million.

Donald J. Carty, American’s executive vice president of finance and planning, said Tuesday he hoped American would ultimately be allowed to buy all of the routes, then spin off the routes the government has rejected. In this way, he said, American would get its correct value for the $445-million.

In a separate filing, TWA repeated statements that it would be forced to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy court protection if the route sale to American was not approved “immediately’.’

The TWA and American filings were in response to a business plan for operating TWA that Kerkorian’s Tracinda Corp. filed late Friday.