The Biden administration is letting Alaska Airlines complete its $1 billion purchase of Hawaiian Airlines after the carriers agreed to certain conditions, including maintaining maintain current service on routes between Hawaii and the mainland U.S. where they don’t have much competition.
Transportation Department officials said Tuesday that no obstacles remain to the airlines closing their $1 billion deal and beginning to merge, although some final approvals are still pending.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said the airlines made promises to protect travelers, including upholding the value of frequent-flyer rewards.
The decision to clear the way for the airlines to close their merger stands in contrast to the administration’s adamant opposition to previous airline deals. The Justice Department successfully sued to block JetBlue from buying Spirit Airlines for $3.8 billion, and it went to court to kill a partnership between JetBlue and American Airlines.
The Justice Department could still challenge the Alaska-Hawaiian deal, but that appears unlikely.
The Transportation Department said that “as the merger moves forward,” Alaska and Hawaiian promised to meet certain conditions for six years.
Those include preserving subsidized flights to smaller communities in Alaska and Hawaii, and maintaining current levels of service between Hawaii and the mainland where no more than one other airline currently flies the same route. The Transportation Department could drop the latter requirement if the flying becomes unprofitable.
Alaska and Hawaiian also agreed to some consumer protections including maintaining the value of frequent-flyer rewards as they combine their loyalty programs, guaranteeing families can sit together without paying extra fees, and offering lower costs to military families.
The Transportation Department said it gave Alaska and Hawaiian an exemption to combine ownership — to merge. The department is still reviewing the airlines’ request to fly international routes under one operating certificate, which is likely only a formality.
The airlines announced the deal in December, when they valued it at $1.9 billion including Hawaiian debt that Alaska will take over. It would solidify Alaska’s position as the fifth-largest U.S. airline by revenue.
FILE - Alaska Airlines planes are shown parked at gates with Mount Rainier in the background on March 1, 2021, at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport in Seattle. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, File)
Israel’s defense minister has declared the start of a “new phase” of the war as Israel turns its focus toward the northern front against Hezbollah militants in Lebanon.
Two waves of explosive attacks hit Syria and Lebanon: an apparent Israeli attack targeting pagers used by Hezbollah that killed at least 12 and wounded nearly 3,000 on Tuesday, and exploding walkie-talkies and other electronics Wednesday across Lebanon that killed at least 20 people and injured 450 others.
“We are at the start of a new phase in the war — it requires courage, determination and perseverance,” Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant told troops on Wednesday.
The head of Hezbollah’s Executive Council promised the group would respond to Tuesday’s pager explosion attack with “special punishment.”
Hezbollah began striking Israel almost immediately after Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack that sparked the Israel-Hamas war. Since then, Israel and Hezbollah have exchanged fire daily, coming close to a full-blown war on several occasions and forcing tens of thousands on both sides of the border to evacuate their homes.
Gaza’s Health Ministry says more than 41,000 Palestinians have been killed in the territory since Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack. The ministry does not differentiate between fighters and civilians in its count but says a little over half of those killed were women and children. Israel says it has killed over 17,000 militants, without providing evidence.
Here's the latest:
TOKYO — Japanese wireless communication equipment-maker Icom says it cannot confirm whether a walkie-talkie used in the explosive attacks against Hezbollah was related to the company, noting that the production and sales of that device and its battery were discontinued about a decade ago.
The Osaka-based Icom was responding Thursday to a report that said one of the walkie-talkies used in the attacks a day earlier had a sticker with the company’s logo. Icom also noted that the device in question did not have an anti-counterfeit hologram sticker, which all authentic Icom products should be carrying.
Company executive Yoshiki Enomoto told Japanese television NTV he was “surprised” by the news. He said the company could not confirm if the unit in question was Icom-made.
“This specific device had a lot of fake copies out in the market,” he said, adding that company officials could only determine its authenticity if they see its circuits.
Icom said the wireless radio unit IC-V82 was once manufactured for export including to the Middle East from 2004 to October 2014. But the production and shipment of its main unit ended about 10 years ago and batteries for the main units have also been discontinued.
The company said its export models are only distributed through official sales representatives under rigid export control rules set by the Japanese Trade Ministry.
All Icom radio equipment is manufactured by its subsidiary, Wakayama Icom Inc., under strict security controls that only allow use of authorized parts. The products are only manufactured at the Wakayama plant in Japan, Icom said.
Hezbollah fighters salute as they stand next to the coffins of four victims who were killed Tuesday after their handheld pagers exploded, during their funeral procession in the southern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)
Lebanese army soldiers sit on their armoured vehicle as mourners carry the coffin of Mohammed Mahdi, son of Hezbollah legislator Ali Ammar, who was killed Tuesday after his handheld pager exploded, in the southern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)
Female soldiers attend the funeral for Israeli Defense Forces paramedic Sgt. Agam Naim, the first woman Israeli Defense Forces soldier killed in combat in the Gaza Strip, in Kibbutz Mishmarot, Israel, Wednesday, Israel, Sept. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo)
A poster of Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah is placed next to bouquets of flowers and Lebanese flag in front of the Lebanese Embassy in Tehran, Iran, Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)
This video grab shows a walkie-talkie that was exploded inside a house, in Baalbek, east Lebanon, Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024. (AP Photo)
This video grab, shows a walkie-talkie that was exploded inside a house, in Baalbek, east Lebanon, Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024. (AP Photo)
A poster of Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah is placed on flowers in front of the Lebanese Embassy in Tehran, Iran, Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)
