JetBlue to End American Alliance to Focus on Spirit Merger Approval

Key Points

• JetBlue will focus on the Spirit merger, ending its alliance with American Airlines after a court ruling.
• The Northeast Alliance included codeshare agreements and shared routes, which will be unwound in the coming months.
• The JetBlue-Spirit merger faces regulatory challenges, but has support from Florida and a major flight attendants union.

Summary

JetBlue has decided not to appeal a court ruling that its Northeast Alliance with American Airlines violated antitrust laws, choosing instead to focus on its merger with Spirit Airlines. The unwinding of the alliance, which involved codeshare partnerships and shared resources in major northeastern U.S. airports, will take place over the coming months. Despite the alliance's end, JetBlue's proposed merger with Spirit faces scrutiny from the U.S. Justice Department, though it has garnered support from the state of Florida and the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA.