Breaking News: The Justice Department sued to stop JetBlue Airways from buying Spirit Airlines, arguing that the $3.8 billion deal would reduce competition and raise fares. https://t.co/2sS1N2Ldn5

— The New York Times (@nytimes) March 7, 2023

In the suit, the Justice Department said that by absorbing Spirit, JetBlue would eliminate a disruptive force that has kept fares low across the country. The merger would also give JetBlue an outsized hold on dozens of routes, the department’s antitrust division said.

The lawsuit is the latest example of the department’s aggressive approach to enforcing antitrust law under President Biden, suing to prevent mergers and challenging practices it considers anti-competitive across a variety of industries.

[Interesting. Conservatives should take more aggressive stances against corporate consolidation, given that increased concentration of economic power inevitably leads to increased concentration of political power — in ways that disfavor conservative policies and principles. It’ll be interesting to see whether the Biden administration can sustain this suit; it would be better if Congress passed more stringent statutes and regulations guarding against over-consolidation. — Ed]