Delta Air Lines and Northwest Airlines shareholders gave the go-ahead Thursday to a combination that would create the world's biggest carrier, deciding that in their volatile industry they like their chances better together than on their own.

The stock-swap deal announced April 14 still requires Justice Department approval. One other potential hurdle is a federal lawsuit seeking to block the deal that is set for trial Nov. 5 in San Francisco.

Delta Chief Executive Richard Anderson, who will keep his position after the combination, would not discuss the lawsuit, but he indicated the carrier maintains its goal of completing the deal by the end of the year.

At a Delta meeting near Atlanta, 99 percent of shares voted were in favor of issuing new stock as part of the transaction. Earlier in the day, at a meeting in New York, 98 percent of Northwest shares voted were in favor of Delta acquiring Northwest.

The deal was not trumpeted by everyone, however. A few retired Delta pilots complained current employees will get equity when the deal is completed, but retired pilots won't.

Northwest shareholders will get 1.25 shares of Delta stock for each share they own if the combination is completed. That values Northwest at roughly $2.8 billion, based on Delta's current stock price and the 277 million Northwest shares outstanding or still to be issued as part of its bankruptcy reorganization plan. That's about $800 million less than the value when the deal was announced.

The combined airline would be called Delta and keep its Atlanta headquarters. Northwest would become a wholly owned subsidiary of Delta during the integration process.