Attorney General Bonta Issues Statement on JetBlue’s Decision to Abandon Anticompetitive Profit-Sharing Venture

OAKLAND – California Attorney General Rob Bonta issued the following statement today in response to JetBlue’s decision to terminate the Northeast Alliance, an anticompetitive joint venture with American Airlines that threatened competition in an industry already experiencing the negative impacts of market consolidation. On May 19, 2023, Attorney General Bonta, along with the U.S. Department of Justice and a bipartisan coalition of states, secured a decision blocking the two airlines from continuing and from further implementing the Northeast Alliance.

“No matter how JetBlue and American Airlines tried to spin it, the Northeast Alliance benefitted only their bottom line. Consumers were merely an afterthought,” said Attorney General Bonta. “We need more, not less, competition in the airline industry, so I welcome JetBlue’s decision to end its participation in the Northeast Alliance. As many families continue to feel the burden of inflation, I'm committed to vigorously enforcing state and federal antitrust laws to lower prices for consumers.”