JetBlue Airways announced 11 new routes from Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport in Florida just hours after Spirit Airlines abruptly shut down on Saturday, ending 34 years of operations and leaving roughly 17,000 employees out of work.
The new JetBlue routes—set to begin July 9—directly fill markets Spirit Airlines served, including six destinations JetBlue had not flown to before. The expansion will give JetBlue its largest-ever operation at Fort Lauderdale, with nearly 130 daily departures projected this summer, 75 percent more than last year.
Spirit Airlines’ collapse removes nearly 2 percent of all U.S. domestic airline seats overnight, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium, with the steepest impact in Las Vegas as well as Fort Lauderdale and Orlando—markets where Spirit Airlines was a major presence.
Why It Matters
Due to the shutdown, budget-conscious and leisure travelers are expected to feel the absence of Spirit Airlines most acutely. JetBlue’s rapid expansion is the most aggressive move yet by any U.S. airline to fill the gap, but with one major budget carrier gone, fares on Spirit’s former routes are likely to rise without continued competition.
Shares of JetBlue Airways and Frontier Airlines jumped sharply on Friday morning after a Wall Street Journal report said Spirit Airlines was preparing to cease operations, sending shockwaves through the aviation sector.
JetBlue rose 7.4 percent and Frontier climbed 8.8 percent around 11 a.m. as investors reacted to news that Spirit’s anticipated rescue deal with the U.S. government had collapsed and that the carrier’s bondholders had rejected the proposed terms. Two people familiar with the matter told the Journal that Spirit is now preparing to wind down after failing to secure the $500 million federal lifeline it had been negotiating in recent weeks.
JetBlue’s New Fort Lauderdale Routes
According to The Points Guy, a prominent travel website, all 11 new routes are markets Spirit had served before its closure. JetBlue will fly to the following starting on July 9:
- Baltimore-Washington International Airport (three times daily)
- Charlotte Douglas International Airport (three times daily)
- Chicago O’Hare International Airport (twice daily)
- Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (twice daily)
- Houston Bush Intercontinental Airport (three times daily)
- Nashville International Airport (three times daily)
- Mercedita International Airport in Ponce, Puerto Rico (daily)
Additional routes launch later in the year.
JetBlue will fly daily to Ernesto Cortissoz International Airport in Barranquilla, Colombia, beginning October 1, and to Alfonso Bonilla Aragón International Airport in Cali, Colombia, beginning October 15. Daily service to John Glenn Columbus International Airport in Ohio and Indianapolis International Airport begins November 2.
Six of the destinations—Barranquilla, Baltimore, Cali, Charlotte, Columbus and Indianapolis—were not previously served by JetBlue.
“South Florida is a key market for JetBlue, and we recognize this is a challenging moment for many travelers,” JetBlue CEO Joanna Geraghty said in a statement. “Our focus is on stepping up in the near term by adding service, maintaining connectivity, and keeping fares competitive, so customers can continue to travel with confidence.”
Geraghty also acknowledged the impact on Spirit’s workforce.
“This is really tough news for the thousands of Spirit team members affected, as well as the customers who were planning trips on Spirit,” she told Business Insider. “We got to know many of their crew members during our acquisition talks, and we’re thinking about everyone whose lives are being disrupted. We want to help fill the void created by this loss.”
Spirit Airlines’ Sudden Shutdown
Spirit Airlines announced Saturday it had “started an orderly wind-down of our operations, effective immediately.” The airline said high oil prices—driven up by the war with Iran—had made it impossible to continue operating despite two prior bankruptcies. All flights have been canceled, and customer service is no longer available. The final flight landed at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport from Detroit Metropolitan Airport, the company said.
“We are proud of the impact of our ultra-low-cost model on the industry over the last 34 years and had hoped to serve our guests for many years to come,” Spirit Airlines said in its closure announcement.
Some passengers arrived at airports Saturday morning unaware their flights had been canceled. Taylor Nantang, who had driven from Tennessee to the Atlanta airport with her husband and four children for a Saturday flight to Miami, told the Associated Press she was stunned. “What!? So the whole airline at every airport is out of business?” she said. “Oh my, that’s crazy.”
Former Spirit Airlines flight attendant Freddy Peterson told the AP he had been with the company for 10 years. “I’ll probably do the boo-hoo crying and all that other stuff once I get in my car,” he said after Delta Airlines flew him back to Atlanta on Saturday morning. Peterson said the airline had “done wonders” for him but faulted management for not communicating with employees in the closing days, saying a promised employee town hall was canceled.
Bailout Talks Fell Through
President Donald Trump had floated the idea of a federal bailout last week, with the administration giving the airline what U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy described as a “final proposal” for a taxpayer-funded takeover. The deal was not reached.
“We often times don’t have half a billion dollars laying around,” Duffy said Saturday.
The White House blamed former President Joe Biden’s administration for Spirit’s financial troubles, citing Biden’s opposition to a proposed Spirit-JetBlue merger a few years ago. Trump administration officials amplified that argument on social media Saturday. Duffy also blamed former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, saying “many at the time said that this was a disaster. This merger should have been allowed.”
Tad DeHaven, a policy analyst at the libertarian Cato Institute, told the AP the Trump administration also bears responsibility for the collapse. He pointed to Trump’s decision to strike Iran as “bad foreign policy,” saying the conflict drove up jet fuel prices and Spirit’s operating costs. “They were already in trouble,” DeHaven said, describing the situation as “a compounding effect in terms of policy.”
How Stranded Passengers Can Get Help
Duffy said Spirit Airlines had set up a reserve fund for refunds for customers who bought tickets directly from the airline. People who bought through third-party vendors will need to seek refunds from those vendors. Spirit said customers can expect refunds, but the airline will not help in booking travel on other airlines.
Several airlines are offering rescue fares for stranded Spirit passengers. United, Delta, JetBlue and Southwest are offering $200 one-way flights for travelers with Spirit confirmation numbers and proof of purchase, for a limited time. Other airlines are also offering preferential application processes for Spirit employees.
According to Business Insider, rescue fares range from roughly $200 to $400 depending on the airline.
Reporting from the Associated Press contributed to this article.
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