Alaska Airlines Poised For A Transformative Merger With Hawaiian Airlines After DOJ’s Powerful Approval, Eyes DOT’s Final Nod

Tuesday, August 20, 2024 Alaska Airlines ‘ $1.9B merger with Hawaiian Airlines clears U.S.

Department of Justice review, now awaiting final approval from the U.S. Department of Transportation.

Alaska Airlines announced that its proposed acquisition of Hawaiian Airlines has received clearance from the U.S. Justice Department, as the antitrust review period concluded without any legal action to block the $1.

9 billion merger. This comes eight months after the initial announcement of the agreement between the two airlines. The next step for the merger is to obtain approval from the U.

S. Transportation Department, though the timeline for this process remains uncertain. If completed, this merger would mark the most significant consolidation in the U.

S. airline industry since Alaska Airlines’ merger with Virgin America eight years ago. “The time period for the U.

S. Department of Justice to complete its regulatory investigation of the proposed combination of Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines under the [Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements] Act has expired,” Alaska Airlines said in a statement . “This is a significant milestone in the process to join our airlines.

” This development follows the U.S. Department of Justice’s success earlier this year in blocking JetBlue Airways’ acquisition of Spirit Airlines through a court ruling in January.

Additionally, last year, the DOJ secured a victory in a lawsuit that dissolved a partnership between JetBlue and American .