US bid to kill American-JetBlue partnership goes to judge

By DAVID KOENIG
AP Airlines Writer

The government and two major airlines are giving starkly contrasting views about the impact of an alliance between the airlines. Closing arguments were held Friday in federal district court in the government’s lawsuit to break up a partnership between American Airlines and JetBlue. The partnership lets the airlines coordinate schedules and share revenue on many routes to and from New York and Boston. The government says it’ll reduce competition and cost consumers hundreds of millions of dollars a year in higher fares. The airlines say it’s already leading to new routes without raising prices. The case is an important test of the Biden administration’s aggressive enforcement of antitrust laws.