FILE- In this March 16, 2017, file photo, a Jet Blue airplane at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York. JetBlue is staying in the Big Apple. The airline said Tuesday, Aug. 3, 2021 that it will keep its headquarters in New York and expand its flagship terminal at JFK Airport. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)
JetBlue Airways made a $3.6 billion all-cash offer for Broward based Spirit Airlines, raising questions about Spirit’s deal to combine with rival discount carrier Frontier Airlines.
The bid comes less than two months after Spirit and Frontier agreed to merge into a discount airline juggernaut.
Spirit said its board was evaluating JetBlue’s proposal and will “pursue the course of action it determines to be in the best interests of Spirit and its stockholders.”
The competition for Spirit shows a desire to consolidate the airline industry as carriers recover from two difficult years of the COVID pandemic.
Carriers are now scrambling to hire pilots, flight attendants and other workers as the travel business rebounds.