Judge OKs DOJ Lawsuit Against AA, JetBlue

A U.S. federal choose on Thursday allowed the U.S. Division of Justice’s antitrust go well with in opposition to American Airways and JetBlue Airways to proceed, in keeping with Reuters, with a trial date of Sept. 26.

The Justice Division final yr filed suit against the carriers, calling their “Northeast Alliance” partnership anticompetitive and a “de facto merger.

DOJ filed the lawsuit within the District of Massachusetts, with a number of state attorneys basic signing on to it, and Choose Leo Sorokin authorised the go well with Thursday. American and JetBlue had requested the courtroom to dismiss the suit.

First announced in July 2020, the carriers’ alliance consists of codesharing on home and worldwide flights primarily within the Northeast United States. The U.S. Division of Transportation in January 2021 approved the alliance with some concessions, together with airport slot divestitures. The Justice Division, nonetheless, filed go well with in September, saying the alliance would result in much less competitors and better fares.

The carriers have vowed to combat to keep up the alliance. JetBlue individually is attempting to acquire Spirit Airlines; each Spirit and rival suitor Frontier Airways have cited the Justice Division’s lawsuit over the Northeast Alliance as proof {that a} JetBlue-Spirit tie-up would not cross antitrust muster.