But now JetBlue wants to be a major player, too. It formed the Northeast Alliance with American Airlines in 2021 and, a year later, announced its planned acquisition of ultra low-cost carrier Spirit Airlines. Last month, a federal judge ordered JetBlue and American to disentangle the Northeast Alliance. While most goods and services improve over decades, air travel has defied progress — with the very important exception of safety. Today, the four major carriers control most of these precious slots in major airports and aren’t keen to surrender them.

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Persons: I’m, David Neeleman — Organizations: JetBlue, Northeast Alliance, American Airlines, Spirit Airlines, Hyatt Hotels, Hyatt Studios, Innovation, Breeze Airways Locations: U.S