American Airlines has asked a United States Court of
Appeals to overturn the original May decision that dissolved the Northeast
Alliance with JetBlue Airways.
Sort of.
In the complicated world of legal jurisprudence, American
is not looking to get back into business with JetBlue. Instead, it wants the original decision overturned so that it doesn't prevent any future collaborations.
American and JetBlue entered into the partnership to
better compete in the Boston and New York markets, but U.S.
District Judge Leo Sorokin agreed with the Department of Justice, which sued
the airlines over anti-competitive laws and dissolved the partnership.
Sorokin's
decision was too broad and prevents American from working in the future with
other airlines, American argued.
In a
brief filed in court, American admitted that its Northeast Alliance with
JetBlue is over, but any future collaborations with other airlines are in peril
due to the original decision "because they usually have a pro-competitive
rationale."
"If
left unchecked, the district court's decision will discourage fruitful and
lawful collaboration that benefits consumers through increased output,
decreased prices, and improved product quality," lawyers for American
Airlines wrote.
The
DOJ and JetBlue did not comment.
The
Justice Department and six states sued over the Northeast Alliance, which
allowed American and JetBlue to coordinate schedules and to share revenue.?
The
DOJ is also suing to block a proposed merger between JetBlue and Spirit
Airlines based on antitrust concerns.
The
original ruling in the Northeast Alliance case bans both airlines from
collaborating with others for 10 years without notifying the Department of
Justice.
This
is at least the second
attempt by American to appeal the original ruling.
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