CEO of JetBlue Calls Spirit Merger the Key to Taking on Larger Airlines

The CEO of JetBlue Airways testified in court on Monday that the company’s proposed $3.8 billion acquisition of Spirit Airlines is a critical part of his plan to turn the airline into a more significant competitor to the four largest U.S. air carriers.

JetBlue CEO Robin Hayes defended the deal being challenged by the U.S. Department of Justice in federal court in Boston, saying a merger was the only way to grow JetBlue into a long-term national challenger to the dominant airlines.

The Justice Department, along with Democratic state attorneys general from six states and the District of Columbia, sued in March to block the merger, which would combine the sixth and seventh largest U.S. airlines.

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