The Biden administration is letting Alaska Airlines buy Hawaiian Air after meeting certain terms
The Biden administration is letting Alaska Airlines buy Hawaiian Airlines
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.The Biden administration is letting Alaska Airlines complete its $1 billion purchase of Hawaiian Airlines after the carriers agreed to certain conditions, including maintaining maintain current service on routes between Hawaii and the mainland U.S. where they don’t have much competition.
Transportation Department officials said Tuesday that no obstacles remain to the airlines closing their $1 billion deal and beginning to merge, although some final approvals are still pending.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said the airlines made promises to protect travelers, including upholding the value of frequent-flyer rewards.
The decision to clear the way for the airlines to close their merger stands in contrast to the administration's adamant opposition to previous airline deals. The Justice Department successfully sued to block JetBlue's attempt to buy Spirit Airlines.
The Justice Department could still challenge the Alaska-Hawaiian deal, but that appears unlikely.