U.S. Regulators Sue to Block JetBlue-Spirit Deal
DOJ alleges $3.8B merger would increase prices, reduce competition
By Matt Neistein
Published March 7, 2023
Read Time: 2 mins
For the second time in three years, the U.S. Department of Justice has sued JetBlue Airways, filing a complaint Tuesday in Boston to block the airline’s proposed $3.8 billion acquisition of Spirit Airlines.
The move did not come as a surprise, as legal experts and industry observers expected federal regulators to take a very close look at the merger before it was even formally accepted by Spirit shareholders.
The offer, approved in October, would create the nation’s fifth-largest airline and came after months of contentious bidding against Frontier Airlines, which announced plans to merge with Spirit in early 202