Spirit Airlines Reveals Timetable for DOJ Ruling on JetBlue Merger

Spirit Airlines is anticipating the Department of Justice (DOJ) to issue a ruling on whether the airline can move forward with its $3.8 billion merger with JetBlue within “the next 30 days or so,” according to a Reuters report.

“We are now waiting to see whether the Department of Justice filed suit to block the deal or allows us to proceed,” Spirit CEO Ted Christie said during an investor call this week.

JetBlue agreed to acquire the ultra-low-cost carrier back in July 2022 following an intense months-long bidding war that began in February 2022 when Frontier Airlines announced plans to purchase Spirit for $2.9 billion. A JetBlue-Spirit merger would create the nation’s fifth-largest airline but that all depends on the upcoming DOJ ruling.

Ongoing concerns have been compounded because of the DOJ’s recent lawsuit against JetBlue’s Northeast Alliance deal with American Airlines. What’s more, airfares continue to climb ahead of the peak summer travel period.

The DOJ lawsuit was one of the fears outlined by Spirit when it was seeking shareholders to vote for the deal with Frontier last summer. JetBlue is also expecting a drawn-out regulatory process and does not expect the deal to be completed before December 2023.