Newark Airport was a mess long before air traffic control meltdowns

By William J. McGee

If airlines were people, JetBlue is now on Tinder, swiping right and liking anything with wings--age of fleet and annual earnings not important. In just two years, the Queens-based carrier has attempted a merger with Spirit, an alliance with American, and now a " Blue Sky collaboration" with United .

Federal courts struck down the Spirit and American couplings, but the U.S. Department of Transportation just gave a green light to troublesome Blue Sky. Because the real story isn’t JetBlue, it’s United flexing corporate muscle to further consolidate and expand monopoly power in America’s largest air market .

Is Blue Sky a prelude to a United-JetBlue merger? Probably, despite their protestations. But even short term it means both airlines swap airpo