
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: WEDNESDAY, April 17, 1991                   TAG: 9104170166
SECTION: BUSINESS                    PAGE: B-5   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE: WASHINGTON                                LENGTH: Short

AMERICAN DENOUNCES BID TO BUY TWA

American Airlines on Tuesday denounced a bid by billionaire investor Kirk Kerkorian to buy Trans World Airlines as an attempt to "steal the company at a bargain price."

In papers filed with the Transportation Department, American urged rejection of what it called Kerkorian's attempt to "enmesh the department in its hostile takeover scheme."

Instead, American called on the department to immediately approve its own offer to buy TWA's prized routes to London for $445 million, thus giving the financially troubled airline an infusion of much-needed cash.

Meanwhile, a bipartisan group of senior House and Senate members urged Transportation Secretary Samuel Skinner to give Kerkorian and his Tracinda Corp. a chance to demonstrate they can "save this airline and the competition it provides."

Tracinda and TWA's pilots, flight attendants and engineer unions have expressed interest in buying TWA for an undisclosed price.

- Associated Press

by CNB