Dem Senator Raises Alarm On JetBlue/American Deal

Reuters reports:

Senator Richard Blumenthal, a Democrat who has been outspoken on antitrust issues, expressed concern to the Transportation Department on Friday that a partnership between American Airlines and JetBlue Airways would lead to higher airfares.

The airlines’ “Northeast Alliance” partnership was announced in July 2020 and approved by the Transportation Department six months later, shortly before the end of the Trump administration.

The codeshare agreement allows American and JetBlue to sell each other’s flights in their New York-area and Boston networks and link frequent flyer programs, in a move aimed at giving them more muscle to compete with United Airlines and Delta Air Lines in the U.S. Northeast.

Read the full article. Blumenthal is asking Transportation Sec. Pete Buttigieg to examine the deal as he believes it will lead to “anti-competitive coordination” (also known as price-fixing) at some hubs.