JetBlue workers say online comments backing merger aren’t theirs

JetBlue Airways orchestrated a campaign to flood the government with thousands of online comments from employees in favor of the airline’s bid to merge with Spirit Airlines Inc. The campaign, which included a pre-written form in support of the merger, generated roughly 90% of the more than 10,000 comments on the Transportation Department’s public comment page. The comments are identical and are identified as coming from JetBlue and Spirit crew members who wrote that they believe the $3.8b merger will improve their lives, according to a Bloomberg News review of the database. More than a dozen JetBlue employees interviewed by Bloomberg said that they either didn’t consent to having their names used publicly or didn’t understand that the form would lead to a public comment in support of the merger. Some said they didn’t believe they had completed a form. “It would be out of character for me to make any public statement about impending business transactions by my employer,” said Jordan Onorato, a JetBlue employee, in a phone interview. He said he had no idea that his name was being used in support of the merger. A JetBlue spokeswoman said those who filled out an online form at the request of the company’s CE were informed how it would be used. Emily Martin, the spokeswoman, said the airline received an “overwhelmingly positive response” from crew members about the merger and set up a tool to drive comments toward the Transportation Department as well as the Justice Department. The two agencies have come out against the merger. It’s not uncommon for US airlines to ask employees to email or call members of Congress to lobby on behalf of a particular issue, sometimes providing suggested wording or forms that could be filled out. Carriers used such an effort to help secure $54b in federal aid during the pandemic. Tyesha Best, president of the Transport Workers Union local that represents 6,800 JetBlue flight attendants, said no one they had spoken with realized that a February email from JetBlue CEO Robin Hayes encouraging employees to support the transaction would lead to a public comment with the federal government. The union opposes the merger, saying that JetBlue hasn’t offered its workers enough information about how it will impact their jobs going forward.<br/>