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Alaska Air CEO: The Deal for Virgin America is Still on Despite Delay

Brian Sumers

Photo Credit: Alaska Airlines had hoped it would have Justice Department clearance by now for its proposed acquisition of Virgin America. But the deal has been delayed.  Alaska Airlines / Alaska Airlines

Skift Take

There's been some drama related to Alaska's proposed acquisition of Virgin America, but many industry insiders still expect the deal to get done. And Alaska executives remain publicly confident that they will get their prize. The big question is when.

Alaska Airlines remains confident it can close its proposed acquisition of Virgin America, but the carrier's CEO on Thursday acknowledged the deal has been delayed as U.S. regulators take a close look at whether it might harm consumers. "We were hoping to get this done a couple of weeks ago, and we are obviously not there quite yet," Alaska CEO Brad Tilden said on the carrier's third quarter earnings call. "The scope of the issues that remain with the Justice Department is manageable. But they are important matters, and we want to take the time that is necessary to work through them." Tilden did not say exactly what was holding up the deal. Initially, Alaska had promised

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