Lawmakers are to examine competition within the US airline industry during a hearing later this month, prompted by the collapse of Spirit Airlines in May 2026.
The Subcommittee on the Administrative State, Regulatory Reform, and Antitrust will hold the hearing, named ‘The 30,000 Foot View: Competition and Regulation in the U.S. Airline Industry’, on June 24, 2026.
According to Reuters, the hearing will likely encompass a wide range of views, with Republican subcommittee members focusing on airline competition rules brought in during the Biden administration.
There are also sure to be discussions on courts rejecting a merger between Spirit Airlines and JetBlue in 2024.
On January 16, 2024, a federal judge blocked JetBlue’s $3.8 billion takeover of the ultra-low-cost airline. It was successfully argued by the US Department of Justice that customers who rely on Spirit’s cheaper fares “would likely be harmed” by the merger and it would lessen competition.
When JetBlue and Spirit Airlines agreed to terminate their July 2022 merger agreement, both airlines cited “current regulatory obstacles” that would not allow them to finalize the transaction in a “timely fashion under the merger agreement”.
According to Reuters, Airlines for America CEO Chris Sununu is expected to give evidence. Airlines for America is the trade association for the leading US airlines (both passenger and cargo carriers).