US Airways, which is mulling a bid for bankrupt American Airlines, has hired Ogilvy Government Relations for federal aviation, commerce and judiciary matters.

CEO Doug Parker told the March 27 Wall Street Journal that consolidation is needed to strengthen the airlines business.

He merged American West Airlines with US Airways in 2005, made an unsuccessful hostile bid for Delta and discussed a merger with United Airlines before it married Continental Airlines.

Tempe-based US Airways registered $13B in revenues last year and earned $71M. American yesterday told a bankruptcy judge that it lost $619M in February; $375M of that amount was Chapter 11-related.

OGR chair Wayne Berman, former assistant secretary for policy at George Bush I’s Commerce Dept. who merged Berman Enterprises into Ogilvy in `04, and CEO Drew Maloney, ex-aide to former Republican Whip Tom Delay, are leading the US Airways effort.