JetBlue is seeking approval to merge with Spirit Airlines, but the U.S. Department of Justice is working to block the purchase. Airline mergers take more than just changing plane appearances, as airlines rent gates at airports, effectively gaining more gate control when they merge. This could negatively affect airfares as competition on some routes may be reduced. Studies suggest that airfares increase after airlines merge due to the variability of airfares, as measured by standard deviations, and the window of such analyses, making the conclusions far from certain. However, economies of scale are gained with size, as airlines operate with significant fixed costs. If mergers result in profits, one area of concern is serving smaller communities. Aeroplanes connect passengers to their hub airports, and the air travel meltdown during the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in lost or reduced service to many such communities. The merger of airlines like JetBlue and Spirit would not affect the national air travel equilibrium as American, United, Delta and Southwest hold about two-thirds of the domestic market. The real issue may be limiting the power exerted by airlines. At some point, a minimum number of airlines exist to serve the needs of flyers. Airlines would have to sacrifice some of their profits to maintain acceptable levels of service.