Frontier Airlines is attempting for a second time to merge with the now bankrupt Spirit Airlines, which declared bankruptcy late last year as budget airlines struggle.

Fourth-quarter results from JetBlue Airways (NASDAQ: JBLU) were actually better than Wall Street had feared, but you would never know it from the stock's reaction. Shares of JetBlue traded down 22% for the week as of 1 p.

Spirit, which filed for bankruptcy protection last year, says it has rejected the new Frontier overture but would be open to a higher offer.

Spirit filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in November 2024, six months after a proposed merger with JetBlue collapsed.

Frontier says a merger would be a better path out of bankruptcy for Spirit, as budget carriers struggle with high costs and competition.

Frontier Airlines publicly announced a second offer to merge with Spirit Airlines in a press release after its 2022 offer was also rejected.

Venmo payment options are the latest announcement in a broader effort from JetBlue to enhance its services and boost profits. The struggling low-cost carrier has searched for new revenue streams as larger airlines introduce their own budget options, increasing competition for those flyers.

Frontier Airlines is attempting for a second time to merge with the now bankrupt Spirit Airlines, which declared bankruptcy late last year as budget airlines struggle.

On today’s episode we look at the American Eagle crash in Washington, D.C., innovations and shifts in hospitality, and Frontier’s bid for rival Spirit Air.

In our opinion, Southwest has the best balance sheet of all the US-based carriers. As the pandemic has wreaked havoc on air travel demand and airlines’ business model, liquidity became more paramount since 2020 than it had been in previous years.

Heard of PSA? Envoy? SkyWest? Discover the route and planes flown by American Airlines’ regional subsidiaries.