RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) — North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein filed an antitrust lawsuit Friday to block JetBlue’s takeover of Spirit Airlines.
The lawsuit alleges that the deal would lower competition and could increase costs and harm reliability for fliers, a news release stated.
JetBlue has proposed a $3.8 billion hostile takeover of Spirit, which is the largest and fastest-growing budget airline. Both have multiple routes flying in and out of North Carolina, including two popular flights to Miami-Fort Lauderdale from Greensboro and Raleigh.
“People rely on budget airlines to afford to travel,” said Stein. “This merger could decrease competition in air travel, leading to fewer flight options and increased costs for travelers. A merger might benefit the airlines, but it could harm their customers. That’s why I’m asking the court to block this deal.”
In filing the complaint, Stein joins the U.S. Department of Justice and the attorneys general of Massachusetts, New York, the District of Columbia, Maryland, New Jersey, California, and Connecticut.
