Hawaiian Airlines and Alaska Airlines might not have to worry about what the Department of Justice thinks about its potential merger after a private lawsuit was filed looking to block the deal.
A Hawaiian Airlines shareholder filed a lawsuit in New York District Court for the Southern District of New York challenging the acquisition.
Named in the lawsuit are parent company Hawaiian Holdings, Hawaiian CEO Peter Ingram, Hawaiian Chairman of the Board Lawrence Hershfield, Hawaiian board directors Michael McNamara, Crystal Rose, Wendy Beck, Earl Fry, Craig Vosburg, Richard Zwern, and Jayne Hrdlicka, and others in what appears to be a comprehensive filing.
The suit was lodged earlier this month after the incident in which an Alaska Airlines plane had a piece of its fuselage blown off during flight.
Hawaiian Airlines has set February 16 as the date for shareholders to vote on the proposed $1.9 billion merger. With a reported return of more than $18 per share, it is likely to be approved. It is not known if the lawsuit will be heard by that time.
The airlines have already filed for antitrust approval from the Department of Justice. The DOJ filed a lawsuit to block the merger between JetBlue and Spirit, which is still being heard. The Board of directors at Hawaiian Airlines has already approved the merger plan.
For the latest travel news, updates and deals, subscribe to the daily TravelPulse newsletter.
Topics From This Article to Explore
