Government lawyers used airline executives’ own words in trying Tuesday to persuade a federal judge to kill a partnership between American Airlines and JetBlue Airways.
The government argued that the deal is, in effect, a merger that will cost consumers $700 million a year in higher fares. It said JetBlue’s pending purchase of Spirit Airlines will make matters even worse for travelers.
JetBlue CEO Robin Hayes was the first witness in the trial in federal district court in Boston over the…