A key step in the merger between American Airlines and US Airways is scheduled for Saturday

If all goes well, American Airlines passengers won't realize that the Fort Worth-based airlines took a key and potentially tricky step on Saturday in its merger with US Airways. The combination of American Airlines and US Airways to create the world's largest carrier was announced in 2013, but the process takes several steps and won't be completed for at least another year or longer. On Saturday, the airplanes and pilots for US Airways will be moved over to the scheduling system of American Airlines. The system is used to determine which planes and which pilots fly each route and to schedules vacations, fill vacancies and arrange pay cycles, among other administrative tasks. To avoid the glitches that plagued previous mergers, American Airlines scheduled the switch for one of the slowest flying times of the year.