The U.S. House of Representatives subcommittee overseeing antitrust matters will hold a hearing next week on competition in the U.S. airline industry, according to a report from Reuters.
The hearing, scheduled for June 24, is titled “The 30,000 Foot View: Competition and Regulation in the U.S. Airline Industry,” the outlet reported Wednesday. Chris Sununu, CEO of Airlines For America, the largest airline trade group in the country, is expected to testify.
It was not immediately clear when the hearing was announced or how Reuters found out about it. The official online calendar for the House Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on the Administrative State, Regulatory Reform, and Antitrust does not currently show any hearings scheduled for June 24.
It was also not clear what prompted the hearing, though airlines have been in the news recently as fares and baggage fees climb. Carriers around the world are scrambling to stay ahead of volatile jet fuel prices, which effectively doubled this spring after Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz.
Higher fuel prices ultimately triggered the collapse of ultra-low-cost carrier Spirit, which had been on track to emerge from bankruptcy. The airline went out of business on May 2.
The Biden administration in 2024 announced a broad investigation of competition in U.S. air travel, with a focus on price inflation and alleged “junk fees.” The inquiry was assigned to the Justice Department and the Transportation Department, but close to two years later, neither agency has commented on the probe or produced any findings. It is possible that the investigation was quietly canceled with the change in administrations in January 2025.
