US judge throws out consumer lawsuit over Alaska Airlines, Hawaiian merger
By Mike Scarcella
Aug 13 (Reuters) -A U.S. judge has dismissed a lawsuit that sought to block Alaska Airlines’ plan to buy Hawaiian Airlines for $1.9 billion, a deal the consumer plaintiffs said would cut routes and raise prices.
Chief U.S. District Judge Derrick Watson in Hawaii in a Monday order said the airline passengers who brought the case had not shown they have legal standing to sue over the merger.
“They allege no personal connection to either airline that would plausibly establish a concrete or particularized harm,” Watson wrote in his order dismissing the lawsuit.
Alaska Airlines in a statement said it welcomed the decision, and said the merger will "expand benefits and choice for consumers."
An attorney for the plaintiffs did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The merger, announced last year, still faces U.S. regulatory review by the U.S. Justice Department. A spokesperson for the department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Last month, Alaska and Hawaiian said they were cooperating with the DOJ probe and had agreed to extend the review period until Aug. 15.
Eight airline passengers from Hawaii, California and other states sued to stop the Alaskan Airlines deal in April,arguing it would violate U.S. antitrust law.
Their lawsuit said “the current trend toward concentration, the lessening of competition and the tendency to create a monopoly in the airlines industry is unmatched, unparalleled, and dangerous.”
Alaska Airlines, the fifth-largest U.S. carrier, countered that the merger would give customers greater access to more travel destinations. It called the plaintiffs “serial litigants” who presented “boilerplate” claims.
Hawaiian Airlines was not a defendant in the lawsuit.
The case is Warren Yoshimoto et al v. Alaska Airlines and Alaska Air Group, U.S. District Court for the District of Hawaii, No. 1:24-cv-00173.
For plaintiffs: Terence O'Toole of Starn O'Toole Marcus & Fisher; and Joseph Alioto of Alioto Law Firm
For Alaska Air: Courtney Dyer, Stephen McIntyre, Anna Pletcher and Pete Herrick of O’Melveny & Myers
Read more:
Alaska Airlines asks US court to reject lawsuit over Hawaiian merger
US consumers sue to stop Alaska Air, Hawaiian Airlines merger
Reporting by Mike Scarcella
Related Assets
Latest News
Disclaimer: The XM Group entities provide execution-only service and access to our Online Trading Facility, permitting a person to view and/or use the content available on or via the website, is not intended to change or expand on this, nor does it change or expand on this. Such access and use are always subject to: (i) Terms and Conditions; (ii) Risk Warnings; and (iii) Full Disclaimer. Such content is therefore provided as no more than general information. Particularly, please be aware that the contents of our Online Trading Facility are neither a solicitation, nor an offer to enter any transactions on the financial markets. Trading on any financial market involves a significant level of risk to your capital.
All material published on our Online Trading Facility is intended for educational/informational purposes only, and does not contain – nor should it be considered as containing – financial, investment tax or trading advice and recommendations; or a record of our trading prices; or an offer of, or solicitation for, a transaction in any financial instruments; or unsolicited financial promotions to you.
Any third-party content, as well as content prepared by XM, such as: opinions, news, research, analyses, prices and other information or links to third-party sites contained on this website are provided on an “as-is” basis, as general market commentary, and do not constitute investment advice. To the extent that any content is construed as investment research, you must note and accept that the content was not intended to and has not been prepared in accordance with legal requirements designed to promote the independence of investment research and as such, it would be considered as marketing communication under the relevant laws and regulations. Please ensure that you have read and understood our Notification on Non-Independent Investment. Research and Risk Warning concerning the foregoing information, which can be accessed here.
