JetBlue Airways on Monday announced that it is abandoning its bid to purchase Spirit Airlines, after a judge blocked its plans to merge earlier this year.
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In a major win for the Biden administration — which has sought a string of actions intended to improve competition among airlines — U.S. District Judge William Young in Boston blocked JetBlue’s proposed $3.8 billion purchase of Spirit in January, arguing that customers who rely on Spirit’s bargain prices would be negatively affected by a merger.
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Antitrust enforcement advocates praised Young’s initial decision. William McGee, a senior fellow for aviation and travel at the American Economic Liberties Project, at the time said the ruling is “an enormous victory for travelers, workers and local communities” and said “airline executives and Wall Street are now on notice.”
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