JetBlue Airways could raise airfares on certain routes by up to 40% if its planned merger with Spirit Airlines is approved, according to internal estimates inadvertently revealed in court filings.
Lawyers representing a group of travelers filed documents earlier this week, but an error, first reported by legal news site Law360, meant that redacted information could be viewed if pasted into a new document. “We are confident that our merger with Spirit will give a much-needed boost to airline competitions in the U.S. and result in more low fares and higher-quality service for customers,” a spokesperson for the company said.While the botched filing doesn’t look great for JetBlue, or for consumers, the airline will at least get the chance to explain how the plans to raise fares are being taken out of context, as it puts forward its case when the DOJ’s lawsuit comes to trial in October.