{"id":2160387,"date":"2024-01-26T15:56:02","date_gmt":"2024-01-26T20:56:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/when-antitrust-enforcement-helps-big-business\/"},"modified":"2024-01-26T16:05:07","modified_gmt":"2024-01-26T21:05:07","slug":"when-antitrust-enforcement-helps-big-business","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/when-antitrust-enforcement-helps-big-business\/","title":{"rendered":"When antitrust enforcement benefits large corporations"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">12<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fwhen-antitrust-enforcement-helps-big-business%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2160387&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><h2>Smaller\u200c Airlines Blocked from Merging:\u200c Big Business Wins Again<\/h2>\n<p>Two smaller airlines, Spirit\u2064 Airlines and JetBlue Airways, have been trying to join forces \u2064to take on the dominant big\u2064 four airlines. However, \u200dtheir plans have hit\u200b a \u2062roadblock\u2064 as the federal government is standing\u200d in \u2064their way. There are even whispers that\u2064 the merger might collapse\u2064 this weekend, leaving the \u200cbig four \u200bairlines\u200b unchallenged.<\/p>\n<p>Size matters in the commercial air travel industry.\u2062 Just look at Delta, \u200bwhich was able to \u200dpurchase its\u2063 own fuel refinery thanks to its massive scale. \u2064Bigger companies \u2064have more power when it comes to dealing with suppliers and vendors. Their extensive networks and loyalty programs give them an\u200c edge in attracting \u200ccustomers. Plus, they can keep their overhead costs per customer lower.<\/p>\n<p>During a court hearing, a JetBlue lawyer argued that an airline needs a wide-reaching network to compete with the industry giants. However, by blocking the merger, the federal government is \u200dessentially condemning JetBlue and Spirit\u200c to forever remain small.<\/p>\n<p>This\u2064 is a \u2063clear case of federal <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/just-in-parler-sues-amazon-for-anti-trust-violations-breach-of-contract-asks-judge-to-reinstate-platform\/\" title=\"JUST IN: Parler Sues Amazon For Anti-Trust Violations, Breach of Contract, Asks Judge to Reinstate Platform\">antitrust law<\/a>\u200b protecting the\u200d interests of Big Business over smaller competitors. It&#8217;s not how things\u200b are supposed to work.<\/p>\n<p>Antitrust laws were created \u200cto\u2064 break up \u200bmonopolies\u2063 and shield the little guy\u200c from the\u200c power of the big guy.<\/p>\n<p>Unfortunately,\u200d the history of antitrust law is \u2064filled with instances where the big guys were favored. The Noerr-Pennington\u200c doctrine, for example, \u2063allows big companies to\u200b conspire\u2063 against smaller ones as long as the government is\u200b involved in the conspiracy.<\/p>\n<p>Back\u200d in the 1950s, Pittsburgh Consolidated Coal Company, the \u2062largest coal company in the world, colluded with United Mine\u200b Workers\u200c to drive \u2062smaller coal companies out of business. When\u2064 one small\u200b miner,\u2063 James Pennington, tried to fight back using antitrust law, the \u2064courts ruled \u200cin favor\u200d of the conspiracy\u2064 because government agencies were part of it.<\/p>\n<p>It&#8217;s clear that \u200cany government power, including antitrust \u200bmeasures, can\u2062 be used\u2062 to protect the interests of the big guy.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\">Click \u2063here<\/a> to read more from The\u2064 Washington Examiner.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p> <\/p>\n<h2> \u2063 What are the potential benefits that consumers could\u2062 have experienced if the\u2064 merger between Spirit\u200d Airlines and JetBlue Airways had not been blocked?<\/h2>\n<p><span>  \u2063 In the way and preventing the merger from taking place. \u2064This\u2062 recent development brings to light the recurring \u2063issue of big\u2063 business winning \u2064out \u2063over the smaller players in the airline industry.<\/p>\n<p>The aim of this merger was to create a stronger \u200cpresence in the market and provide more competition for the big\u200b four\u200b airlines: American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines,\u2063 and Southwest Airlines. Spirit Airlines\u2064 and JetBlue Airways saw an opportunity to join forces and combine\u2062 their resources to offer a more \u200bextensive \u200croute network, better pricing options,\u200b and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/airline-chaos-could-persist-until-2024-despite-efforts-to-cure-woes\/\" title=\"Airline Chaos Could Persist Until 2024, Despite Efforts to Cure Woes\">improved customer service<\/a>. This would\u200d have undoubtedly benefited consumers by providing them with more choices and potentially lower fares.<\/p>\n<p>Unfortunately, \u2063the federal government&#8217;s decision to block \u200dthe merger reflects a continuation of the trend\u2063 where big business \u200bmonopolizes the industry, leaving little room for \u2064smaller \u200dairlines to thrive. This is not the first \u200ctime that \u200csmaller players have faced hurdles in their attempts to \u2062challenge the dominance\u200d of larger airlines. It\u200d seems that\u200d the government is\u2064 more inclined to protect the interests of these industry giants rather than fostering a healthy and\u2064 competitive market.<\/p>\n<p>One argument often put forward in favor of blocking such mergers \u200dis the concern over reduced competition. Critics argue \u2062that allowing smaller airlines to merge into larger entities would \u200dresult \u200din a decrease in market competition, leading to higher prices and\u200d poorer service for \u2062consumers.\u200b While this concern is valid, it \u2063is essential to consider the potential benefits\u200d that could\u2063 arise \u200bfrom\u2064 these mergers. By combining \u2063their resources, smaller airlines can offer consumers a more comprehensive range of \u2064flight options, improved efficiency, and\u200d enhanced overall experience.<\/p>\n<p>Furthermore, it is worth noting that the big four airlines already\u2062 dominate a\u2064 significant share of the\u2063 market.\u2062 Allowing smaller airlines\u2062 to merge is not going to create a monopoly; instead, it will provide consumers with more choices and increase competition\u200d against the existing giants. This will inevitably drive innovation\u2062 and force\u200b the big players to\u200c enhance their\u2062 services to stay competitive.<\/p>\n<p>Another \u2062argument against blocking airline\u200c mergers is\u200b the potential for job creation and economic \u2062growth.\u2062 The aviation industry supports numerous\u200c jobs directly and indirectly, \u200branging from \u2064pilots and flight attendants to mechanics and ground staff.\u2063 Allowing smaller airlines \u200dto \u2064merge and\u2063 expand would\u2062 create\u2063 opportunities for employment and generate economic \u2062activity in communities around the country. The\u2063 government should \u2062consider the broader impact \u200cand potential \u2064benefits \u200cthat these mergers\u2062 can \u200cbring instead of merely focusing on short-term concerns.<\/p>\n<p>While it is essential to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/third-gop-gov-moves-to-protect-girls-sports-athletes-to-be-separated-by-biological-sex-not-gender-identity\/\" title=\"Third GOP Gov Moves To Protect Girls Sports: Athletes To Be Separated By Biological Sex, Not Gender Identity\">ensure fair competition<\/a>, it\u2064 is\u2064 equally crucial to avoid stifling innovation\u2062 and\u2062 limiting the growth prospects of smaller airlines.\u2063 The government needs to\u2064 strike \u2063a balance, ensuring that the industry remains competitive while\u200c allowing for\u2062 mergers that promote growth and \u2064provide greater \u2064benefits to consumers. By doing so,\u2062 it can foster a healthy\u200d and diverse airline market.<\/p>\n<p>In conclusion, the\u200b recent blocking of\u2064 the \u200cmerger between Spirit Airlines and JetBlue Airways highlights yet again the advantage that big business \u200dholds over its\u2062 smaller \u200ccounterparts\u2063 in the airline industry. This recurring issue serves as a reminder that it is time \u2064for the government \u200cto reevaluate its approach and prioritize the interests of consumers and a \u200cfair and\u2062 competitive \u2063market. The smaller airlines should be given an opportunity to join forces and\u2062 provide more alternatives and improved \u2063services for passengers. Only\u2063 then can we truly level the playing field and ensure a healthier \u200band \u2064more\u2064 dynamic aviation sector.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Two smaller airlines, Spirit and JetBlue, seek to merge to enhance competition against the four major airlines. The merger would position them as the fifth-largest carrier, trailing American, Delta, United, and Southwest Airlines. However, the federal government opposes the merger, sparking rumors of potential obstacles<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2774,"featured_media":2160388,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2160387","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2160387","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2774"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2160387"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2160387\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2160388"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2160387"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2160387"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2160387"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}