Trial Over JetBlue-Spirit Deal Ends With U.S. Judge Mulling Options

A federal judge considering the U.S. Justice Department’s bid to block JetBlue Airways’ proposed $3.8 billion acquisition of Spirit Airlines raised the possibility on Tuesday of letting the deal proceed if JetBlue divests more assets as the antitrust trial wrapped up.

U.S. District Judge William Young told a JetBlue lawyer that he expected airline fares would rise if no-frills, ultra-low-cost Spirit no longer was around to “undercut everyone else” and drive down prices.

But the judge, who will decide the case in the non-jury trial in Boston, told both sides that he was having “trouble” with the Justice Department’s request for a permanent injunction blocking a deal in a “dynamic industry facing unique opportunities and challenges in the post-COVID environment.”

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