Another Antitrust FAIL: Government "Protected" Airline Competition by Killing an Airline (Maybe Two) | 1765

This episode of Good Morning Liberty dissects the collapse of Spirit Airlines, blaming both political extremes for the airline's demise. The hosts argue that the Biden administration's DOJ, under Pete Buttigieg and Elizabeth Warren, blocked JetBlue's $3.8 billion merger with Spirit in 2023, citing antitrust concerns—despite the merger being seen as a lifeline that would have saved 17,000 jobs and created a stronger fifth major airline. The hosts highlight that Spirit’s CEO admitted the merger was likely to be blocked by the DOJ, making the deal effectively dead from the start. They counter the left’s narrative that consolidation harms consumers by showing that airfare has dropped 40% since deregulation, and that the market choice reflects consumer preference, not corporate control. They also mock Robert Reich’s viral video criticizing airline consolidation while simultaneously defending the very merger he opposed, calling it a hypocrisy. The hosts emphasize that government overreach in antitrust enforcement—especially when it prevents mergers that could strengthen competition—has real-world consequences, including job losses and canceled trips. They conclude that the real threat to consumers isn’t consolidation, but government interference that kills competition by preventing necessary market adjustments.