United said to be close to US Airways deal

Moving quickly after being left at the altar by Continental Airlines, United Airlines stepped up talks with US Airways and was moving toward an agreement Monday on joining forces to create what could be the world’s largest carrier.

UAL Corp.-owned United and US Airways Group Inc. were in advanced talks and were expected to be able to announce a deal within weeks, two people familiar with the negotiations said.

Representatives of both United and US Airways declined to comment on what they called rumors about a deal, which drove up US Airway’s stock more than 20% and sent UAL’s down slightly.