January 11, 2024
The Department of Justice is telling the Massachusetts federal judge overseeing its case against the JetBlue and Spirit Airlines merger that he should take guidance from the Southern District of New York's recent ruling in the IQVIA merger case, which held that even in fast-changing markets the current state of competition has relevance.
December 14, 2023
The AFL-CIO's flight attendants' union on Wednesday sought to back JetBlue's planned $3.8 billion purchase of Spirit Airlines against a U.S. Department of Justice merger challenge, telling a Massachusetts federal judge the deal will bolster competition against the Big Four airlines and will, in particular, bolster labor conditions.
December 05, 2023
While hearing closing arguments in a monthlong bench trial, a Massachusetts federal judge weighed Tuesday whether he could strike a balance between permanently barring a proposed $3.8 billion merger between JetBlue Airways Corp. and Spirit Airlines and letting the deal go through as is.
November 28, 2023
A United Airlines executive testified Tuesday in the government's challenge to JetBlue's $3.8 billion purchase of Spirit Airlines that his airline intends to "aggressively" compete for the most price-sensitive customers as it expands its fleet with bigger aircraft capable of offering more seats for its bare-bones, basic economy offering.
November 21, 2023
Budget airlines would need to grow at a never-before-seen pace in order to replace Spirit Airlines if it is bought by JetBlue Airways Corp., a Massachusetts federal judge heard during a bench trial Tuesday as the government rested its case aimed at stopping the $3.8 billion deal.
November 14, 2023
The CEO of Frontier Airlines, Barry Biffle, testified in Boston federal court Tuesday that JetBlue Airways Corp.'s proposed $3.8 billion acquisition of Spirit Airlines would spark a "frenzy" of activity by other low-cost carriers, which would rush to fill the void if Spirit were no more.
November 07, 2023
Spirit Airlines doesn't have a plan to end a three-year streak of financial losses while remaining a stand-alone ultra-low-cost airline, its board chair testified Tuesday in defense of a proposed $3.8 billion merger with JetBlue Airways Corp.
November 06, 2023
The CEO of JetBlue Airways Corp. testified in an antitrust trial Monday that its proposed $3.8 billion purchase of Spirit Airlines is needed to hang in with huge legacy carriers that have cornered the market through structural advantages and similar mergers of their own.
November 03, 2023
JetBlue Airways Corp.'s CEO told a federal judge Friday that he was impressed by Spirit Airlines' service when he flew the low-cost carrier his company now hopes to purchase, as government attorneys seeking to stop the merger tried to show JetBlue viewed its rival as a threat.
November 01, 2023
Spirit Airlines' chief executive officer testified Wednesday that the low-cost carrier feared JetBlue's Northeast regional partnership with American Airlines would "cloud the regulatory process" for their proposed $3.8 billion merger designed to create a viable competitor to the industry's dominant "Big Four" airlines.