Legal
American-JetBlue Alliance Not Justified, US Argues as Trial Closes
- Government’s lawyers say Northeast Alliance harms consumers
- Boston judge intends to hold another hearing before ruling
JetBlue Airways Corp. aircraft at Ronald Reagan National Airport in Arlington, Virginia.
Photographer: Stefani Reynolds/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
The partnership between American Airlines Group Inc. and JetBlue Airways Corp. has “absolutely no justification,” US Justice Department lawyers told a federal judge Friday in closing arguments for the agency’s antitrust suit against the airlines.
The government is seeking to dissolve the Northeast Alliance, a partnership formed between American and JetBlue in 2020 to share routes, bookings and passengers in airports in Boston and New York City. Judge Leo T. Sorokin in Boston has heard evidence since late September and is expected to issue a decision next year on whether to break up the alliance.