JetBlue-Spirit Merger Opponents Again Denied Attorneys’ Fees

Consumers who tried to stop a $3.8 billion merger between JetBlue Airways Corp. and Spirit Airlines Inc. aren’t entitled to $34 million in attorneys’ fees since they weren’t a prevailing party, a federal appeals court said Thursday.

The ruling comes as another blow to the plaintiffs in a consumer lawsuit filed in 2022 to block the merger they said would eliminate JetBlue’s main competitor, Spirit, and lead to higher airfares. The Department of Justice also sued in a separate case to block the merger, leading to the merger being ruled unlawful and permanently enjoined in the government’s suit. The airlines ...