WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A federal judge on Friday set a tentative November 25 trial date in the U.S. government challenge to an American Airlines merger with U.S. Airways (>> US Airways Group Inc).

The U.S. Justice Department had asked U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly for a March trial. The airlines had been pushing for November because holding a deal together for months puts a strain on the parties. The judge announced the date for a bench trial in open court.

(Reporting by David Ingram; Editing by Howard Goller and Kevin Drawbaugh)

Stocks treated in this article : US Airways Group Inc, AMR Corporation