JetBlue CEO defends Spirit deal, insists passengers will save money

JetBlue Chief Executive Robin Hayes strongly defended the airline’s $3.8 billion plan to buy Spirit Airlines despite the Justice Department's lawsuit Tuesday challenging the deal. "Of course we’re going to continue to offer low fares,” Hayes told Reuters in an interview.

JetBlue Chief Executive Robin Hayes strongly defended the airline’s $3.8 billion plan to buy Spirit Airlines despite the Justice Department's lawsuit Tuesday challenging the deal.

"Of course we’re going to continue to offer low fares,” Hayes told Reuters in an interview. "This argument that we'll take seats outs and fares are going to go up. We’re going to put capacity back," by doing things such as using larger planes on existing routes and by flying planes more often.

He insisted that JetBlue will still serve Spirit customers buying very low-cost tickets after a merger and rejected the idea that fares will go up.