JetBlue CEO Blasts Big U.S. Airlines for Wielding 'Anti-Consumer Power'
Skift Take
These are fighting words from JetBlue CEO Robin Hayes, who does not like the tight control the largest U.S. airlines have over domestic and international markets.
JetBlue Airways CEO Robin Hayes on Monday criticized United, American and Delta airlines for opposing the three-largest Gulf carriers as they expand in the United States, calling the situation "...the perfect illustration of how we see mega-carriers trying to use their muscle and deep pockets to limit competition."
"The Big 3 act like it’s the end of the world," Hayes told the Aero Club of Washington, according to a transcript of his remarks. "Make no mistake, this battle is
not about the U.S. airline industry against airlines from the Middle East. We believe it’s three mega-U.S. airlines who favor protectionism over competition."
Hayes' remarks came during a broader speech in which he argued United, American, Delta, and Southwest airlines hold a "startling concentration of power" over the nation's skies.
The four control about 80 percent of domestic market share — enough, Hayes said, to make it tough for JetBlue to expand into congested airports, such as Los Angeles and Atlanta. JetBlue is the sixth-largest U.S. airline, well behind the Big Four and slightly smaller than Alaska Airlines.
"It’s clearly
