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U.S. and Plaintiff States v. American Airlines Group Inc. and JetBlue Airways Corp.

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A judge sided with the U.S. DOJ, ruling that American Airlines and JetBlue must undo their Northeast Alliance.

Retained by the U.S. Department of Justice

In July 2020, American Airlines Group Inc. (American) and JetBlue Airways Corp. (JetBlue) announced the formation of the Northeast Alliance. Under this agreement, American and JetBlue shared revenues, coordinated schedules, and sold tickets on each other’s flights into and out of Boston and New York.

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and several states sued in September 2021 to block the agreement, arguing that it was an anticompetitive merger in all but name. The DOJ retained Cornerstone Research to support an expert witness.

In May 2023, the court issued an unequivocal ruling in favor of the DOJ. In November 2024, the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit affirmed the lower court’s decision to block the agreement.

For more information, contact Bob Majure or Brad Howells. Other team members involved in this matter include Chris Bruegge, Nathaniel Hipsman, and Andrew Litten.