Spirit, Southwest reiterate concerns about JetBlue-American partnership

Spirit Airlines and Southwest have “serious competitive concerns” about the planned strategic partnership between JetBlue Airways and American Airlines. Miramar, Florida-based Spirit on 7 January filed a complaint with the Department of Transportation, asking the agency to take a closer look at the plan, and ensure there are no anti-competitive measures within it that should be prohibited. Southwest says in an 11 January letter to the DOT that it joins Spirit in these reservations about the venture. Spirit’s complaint was not immediately available. “Spirit’s complaint mirrors Southwest’s concerns about the partnership, which are especially acute at slot-controlled airports that both American and JetBlue serve, particularly Ronald Reagan Washington National airport (DCA) and New York La Guardia airport (LGA),” Southwest writes. “The competitive issues … are magnified by the fact that JetBlue acquired the great majority of its DCA and LGA slots via government-mandated slot divestitures based on JetBlue’s role as an independent low-cost carrier (LCC) that would exert competitive discipline against dominant legacy airlines at those airports.” The airline adds that if American and JetBlue begin to coordinate their services, this “would obviously no longer be considered an independent LCC providing competitive discipline to American or other legacy carriers”.<br/>