Spirit and Eastern File Complaints against B6..Double Down Routing

JetBlue Airways has dismissed claims that it is coordinating flights and routes beyond what is allowed under its Northeast alliance with American Airlines as “baseless.”
In a filing with the US Transportation Department (DOT), the New York-based carrier has hit back at complaints made by Spirit Airlines and Eastern Airlines earlier this month, saying it should “not be penalized for unfounded allegations.”
The spat comes after JetBlue requested to shift seven frequencies between Fort Lauderdale (FLL) and Quito (UIO) to service between New York John F Kennedy (JFK) and Guayaquil (GYE) from June. The move would increase the JFK-GYE route to double-daily.
American is also seeking to adjust its flights to Ecuador by moving its 7X-weekly services to UIO and GYE from Dallas Fort Worth (DFW) to Miami (MIA). The transfer will increase both MIA-UIO and MIA-GYE to 3X-daily.
Spirit alleged that the timing of JetBlue’s proposed change “suggests that the two carriers are coordinating outside the scope” of their new Northeast alliance, adding that the moves “raise obvious questions of either explicit or tacit coordination.”
Eastern—which is the only nonstop competitor in the JFK-GYE market—also said the transfer request “undermines competitive and public interest considerations to the detriment of the traveling public.”