The Department of Justice (DOJ) filed an antitrust lawsuit against JetBlue on Tuesday to prevent a planned merger with Spirit Airlines, Axios reported.
The $3.8 billion merger deal, which would make JetBlue the nation’s fifth-largest airline, was approved in October after a previous merger between Spirit and Frontier Airlines fell through, according to Axios. The DOJ is challenging the deal because it would “eliminate the unique competition that Spirit provides,” the complaint explains.
“Spirit’s ultra-low-cost business model has increased competition and brought low fares to hundreds of routes across the country, making it possible for more Americans—particularly the most cost conscious—to travel,” the complaint states, noting the merger could mean higher prices because of JetBlue’s plan to remove 10 to 15% of all seats from every Spirit plane.
In 2021, the DOJ sued JetBlue and American Airlines after the companies announced a planned consolidation of operations in Boston and New York. A federal court finished hearing arguments for the case in November.
The DOJ, JetBlue and Spirit Airlines did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org
A patient about to go blind had his brain tumor removed with the help of…
Over a dozen companies in the firearms industry asked the Supreme Court Wednesday to throw…
OpenAI released a sprawling report about how its artificial intelligence (AI) model went rogue and…
Proponents of “radical gender ideology” are more likely to “hold left-wing authoritarian beliefs and believe…
Nvidia’s revenue exploded over the past three years as the artificial intelligence (AI) boom transformed…
General Mills announced Wednesday that all of its cereals in the U.S. are now made…