(Reuters) – The U.S. Department of Justice is expected to file an antitrust lawsuit to block JetBlue Airways Corp’s $3.8 billion takeover of low-cost rival Spirit Airlines Inc as soon as Tuesday, Bloomberg News reported on Monday.
The Department of Transportation, which is also reviewing the deal, is expected to take parallel action to stop the planned transaction, Bloomberg said.
JetBlue prevailed in a months-long bidding war for Spirit Airlines after the ultra-low-cost carrier accepted its offer in late July.
Neither the Justice Department, the Transportation Department nor the companies immediately responded to requests for comment.
(Editing by Jonathan Oatis)
