Lights out for Spirit Airlines is a reminder of what happens when government blocks private-sector solutions. The decision to stop the JetBlue-Spirit merger wasn’t just a regulatory action. It was a choice about winners and losers.
Competition matters. But so does allowing markets to adapt. Preventing a merger that might have strengthened a struggling airline didn’t preserve competition, it removed a potential path forward. The outcome affects real people: 17,000 Spirit employees, vendors, partners and customers who relied on the airline.
Public officials should be accountable when interventions contribute to outcomes such as this. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and the Biden Justice Department helped shape this outcome.
When government decides who wins and loses, everyone eventually loses. If policymakers want to maintain public trust, they should explain these decisions and their consequences.
