United Airlines (UA, Chicago O'Hare) has written a scathing response to a request from JetBlue Airways (B6, New York JFK) that any proposed joint venture between United and Air Canada (AC, Montréal Trudeau) be made public. In a letter to the US Department of Transportation (DOT), United calls jetBlue's request "speculative, misleading and meritless."

Earlier this month, jetBlue informed the DOT of its concerns that United Airlines and Air Canada enjoy antitrust immunity status in the US, meaning that any future joint venture between the two airlines would not be publicly scrutinised. They were particularly concerned that the immunity was granted in 1997 and that the air transport landscape has changed considerably since then.

But United has urged the DOT to ignore jetBlue's letter, branding it as an attempt "to increase the regulatory burden on its competitors by asking to initiate a public proceeding every time there is a newspaper story about a possible commercial transaction between its competitors."

United concludes by saying that the DOT's regulatory processes are sufficiently robust.