JetBlue is quietly shopping for a buyer, according to Semafor. The airline has tapped advisers to assess selling itself to a rival and has specifically scenario-planned how deals with United Airlines, Alaska Airlines, or Southwest Airlines might be received by regulators in Washington. JetBlue shares jumped 12% when the news broke.
The move comes after JetBlue’s attempt to acquire Spirit Airlines was blocked on antitrust grounds in 2024. Since then, JetBlue shares have dropped more than 40% and the airline has struggled to compete with higher-end carriers like United and Delta while losing discount customers to Spirit and Frontier.
United has long entertained buying JetBlue, but won’t budge on price. The airlines already let customers book flights on each other’s apps and redeem frequent-flier points. Any merger would face antitrust scrutiny, but deals are getting done under the current administration.
JetBlue is quietly shopping for a buyer, according to Semafor. The airline has tapped advisers to assess selling itself to a rival and has specifically scenario-planned how deals with United Airlines, Alaska Airlines, or Southwest Airlines might be received by regulators in Washington. JetBlue shares jumped 12% when the news broke.
The move comes after JetBlue’s attempt to acquire Spirit Airlines was blocked on antitrust grounds in 2024. Since then, JetBlue shares have dropped more than 40% and the airline has struggled to compete with higher-end carriers like United and Delta while losing discount customers to Spirit and Frontier.
United has long entertained buying JetBlue, but won’t budge on price. The airlines already let customers book flights on each other’s apps and redeem frequent-flier points. Any merger would face antitrust scrutiny, but deals are getting done under the current administration.
