Biden administration moving toward blocking JetBlue-Spirit merger, Politico reports

The US Department of Justice is likely to sue to block a pending $3.8b merger between JetBlue Airways and Spirit Airlines, Politico reported on Friday, citing five people with knowledge of the matter. The DoJ could file a suit as soon as March, according to the report, which added that people in the department's anti-trust division have competing opinions about whether to bring a case. "We continue to work through the regulatory process to demonstrate how this merger will increase competition in the airline industry," JetBlue said in an emailed statement. Spirit did not respond to a Reuters request for comment, while the DoJ declined to comment. Earlier this week, JetBlue officials answered questions and gave depositions as the DoJ pressed on with its anti-trust review. On Feb. 8, Spirit Airlines said it expects US anti-trust regulators to decide whether to allow the low-cost carrier to proceed with the merger in the "next 30 days or so". JetBlue prevailed in a months-long bidding war for Spirit Airlines after the ultra-low-cost carrier accepted its offer in late July. Since then, Spirit shares are down about 20%, while those of JetBlue have fallen marginally.<br/>