In this case, the Spirit elite mileage bonuses are close to JetBlue elite bonuses. JetBlue is going hostile in its effort to acquire Spirit (SAVE), the latest twist in an industry battle for the low-cost carrier. All Rights Reserved. We reached out to JetBlue for comment, but we only received press releases that addressed some of the changes it intends to make if the merger is allowed. Spirit packs 182 seats in its Airbus A320s; JetBlue has 162 seats in the same airplane. Earn an extra 2 points per $1 spent on Spirit flights. Let's have a look: JetBlue: JetBlue's net loss for Q1 was $-268 million compared to a 42 million profit in the same period last year. The airline also said it expected to grow at the hub airports of the larger carriers, such as Las Vegas, Dallas, Houston, Chicago, Detroit, Atlanta and Miami a strategy devised in part to win over antitrust regulators who are eager to see more competition at airports where one or two airlines control most gates and flights. It's certified as a three-star airline by Skytrax. Will it get upgrades or airplane features to elevate it from everyones favorite aircraft joke to an airline people might actually enjoy flying? 2 points per $1 spent on eligible dining and grocery store purchases. Find the right card for you. Spirit Airlines compares on a variety of workplace factors. It has an average rating of three out of 10 from 1,549 reviews on Skytrax's customer reviews site. Also, JetBlue has new terminals at both LaGuardia and Newark. Spirit passengers would get live seatback television, free snacks and no-cost Wi-Fi, Hayes said. JetBlue provides inflight entertainment, whereas Spirit does not. One passenger who flew with United in July said his flight was delayed by four hours and caused him to miss his connecting flight. Spirit Airlines Provides Update on Discussions with Frontier and JetBlue Past performance is not indicative of future results. It would have 458 aircraft, 34,000 employees and an estimated 77 million customers, the airlines said. It gets a little trickier with elite status, however. Every airline had a difficult second quarter, but JetBlue was the only major carrier that lost money. In a press release, the company states that the new JetBlue Spirit Airlines will offer its combined 77 million customers more options and choices, including more than 1,700 daily flights to more than 125 destinations in 30 countries, based on December 2022 schedules. According to JetBlue, though, these overlapping routes represent only about 11% of the route map of both airlines combined. As part of this process, Frontier and JetBlue are being given access to the same due diligence information, on the same terms. Free seat selection at booking (including exit row, excluding Big Front seats). While the JetBlue-Spirit Airlines merger is official, it's not quite a done deal, and the airlines will operate under separate names for the time being, with the. The $3.8 billion all-cash offer comes after Spirit and Frontier canceled their merger, making JetBlue Spirit Airlines the fifth-largest carrier in the country. The agreement Thursday comes a day. 30 segments and 12,000 Mosaic qualifying points. Frontiers stock, meanwhile, shot up more than 20 percent on Thursday. Spirit and Frontier pull plug on deal, setting stage for JetBlue - CNN Another passenger who flew with the airline in July said its customer service is "very bad," and that staff are unhelpful. Improve earnings, maximize rewards and track progress toward dream trips. JetBlue has long been a disrupter, interfering . TPG values Free Spirit points at 1.1 cents apiece, while we value JetBlue TrueBlue points at 1.3 cents apiece. Check here before booking an award fare. JetBlue-Spirit merger: Airlines have complaints over flights and fees Frontier was named the worst US airline in 2023 by claims management company AirAdvisor. Spirit Announces Stockholder Approval of Merger Agreement with JetBlue This post contains references to products from one or more of our advertisers. Niraj Chokshi covers the business of transportation, with a focus on autonomous vehicles, airlines and logistics. 1 SQP for every $1 you spend with Spirit Airlines (flights, baggage, seat assignment, etc.). Spirit Airlines will weigh JetBlue's takeover offer against its planned JetBlue Airways at a crossroads after Spirit rejects its - CNBC It has anaverage rating of two out of 10 from 4,968 reviews on Skytrax's customer reviews site. Which is better Spirit or JetBlue? JetBlue's trying to crash a perfectly good Spirit-Frontier - TikTok One passenger who flew with Southwest in July said he was "impressed" with the service provided by the flight attendants and the flexible seating on board. In 2016, JetBlue lost a bidding war for Virgin America to Alaska Airlines. Earlier this month, Frontier's CEO fretted about the lack of shareholder support for its proposed merger but called its offer "best and final.". By 2019, Kennedy served 25 million domestic passengers, enough to make it the 25th largest domestic airport, even before counting its 34 million international passengers. Choosing between Spirit vs JetBlue for your next flight? That loss of capacity will have a significant impact on those with low discretionary spending power. In the past, these sorts of mergers have been messy. In some ways, Free Spirit Gold resembles Mosaic status, and Free Spirit Silver matches a Mosaic- (minus) tier (something the airline doesn't currently offer). By eliminating a low-cost carrier, it creates traditional anti-competitive harm, Moss says. JetBlue's latest offer came after Frontier late Friday raised the cash portion of its offer by $2 per share to $4.13 and increased the reverse breakup fee to $350 million to match JetBlue's . For an explanation of our Advertising Policy, visit, Reward your inbox with the TPG Daily newsletter. Then it muscled its way into Boston, where it also became the leading carrier. It's certified as a three-star airline by Skytrax. European flights cost $200 to change or cancel. JetBlue and American airlines win legal battle over new - MSN It could go either way, and sometimes they lose big.. The main one is the Northeast Alliance with American. Commissions do not affect our editors' opinions or evaluations. Her work has appeared in publications such as CNBC, The Chicago Tribune, and MSN. More about Niraj Chokshi, A version of this article appears in print on. FLL, LAS, or LGB. Major - Jetblue vs Spirit - I'd like to hear some opinions on Jetblue vs Spirit for a career destination (if you had the offer from both). Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the authors alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities. "Spirit and JetBlue will continue to advance our shared goal of disrupting the industry to bring down fares from the Big Four airlines," JetBlue CEO Robin Hayes said in a statement. The Spirit acquisition would help JetBlue to expand its presence in cities like Fort Lauderdale and Orlando in Florida, San Juan in Puerto Rico, and Los Angeles. 100% points rebate on Even More Space points redemptions (only for 2022). On Tuesday, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) filed an anti-trust lawsuit to stop JetBlue from buying Spirit Airlines, stating that the "acquisition would allow JetBlue to eliminate its. JetBlue canceled 4% of its flights in 2022. By comparing employers on employee ratings, salaries, reviews, pros/cons, job openings and more, you'll feel one step ahead of the rest. Still, with any luck, the JetBlue-Spirit merger will deliver more valuable perks to existing Spirit frequent flyers. To put these numbers into perspective, both United and American Airlines had 4% of their flights canceled, with 23% and 24% of flights delayed, respectively. While Spirit may not offer the same perks as more expensive carriers, like free snacks or in-flight entertainment, he said, "flying cross-country for $99 is miraculous.". Not to mention the time required to train staff and repaint and reconfigure planes. (Photo by Wilfredo Lee). JetBlue allows carry-on luggage for certain flight fares at no charge, whereas Spirit charges an extra baggage fee for all tickets. Spirit veterans are used to paying la carte for amenities that other airline travelers may take for granted. Data is a real-time snapshot *Data is delayed at least 15 minutes. JetBlue said it will pay $33.50 a share in cash for Spirit, including a $2.50 per share prepayment if Spirit shareholders approve the deal and a 10 cent per month ticking fee starting next year until the deal closes. Personal items must not exceed 17 x 13 x 8 inches (43.2 x 33 x 20.32 cm) and must fit under your seat. This compensation comes from two main sources. The deal, which values Spirit at $3.8 billion, was announced a day after Frontiers bid for Spirit fell apart. For seating, JetBlue is more generous, particularly to lower-tier Mosaics, when compared with Spirit's lower-tier Silver members. Delta Air Lines and Southwest Airlines control more than 17 percent each, while American Airlines has more than 18 percent. Spirit stock closed at $19.81 on Wednesday. This is a BETA experience. Based on current traffic trends, a combined JetBlue and Spirit would be the fifth largest airline in the nation based on domestic travel the same designation a combined Spirit-Frontier would hold. Cost-conscious leisure travelers are going to lose an important choice.. What a combined Spirit-JetBlue loyalty program could look like Both JetBlue and Spirit reported their Q1 results this week, unsurprisingly posting net-losses for the period as they felt the impact of Covid-19. JetBlues refund and flight change policy differs by ticket type. American Airlines Group Inc. and JetBlue Airways Corp. will escape federal monitoring and a ban on future partnerships as they wind down a commercial operating alliance a judge had previously said . Frontier is a Denver-based budget airline. By clicking Sign Up, you also agree to marketing emails from both Insider and Morning Brew; and you accept Insiders, Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel/Tribune News Service via Getty Images, AaronP/Bauer-Griffin / Contributor/ GC Images, AaronP/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images/Getty Images. Here's a short background on the two to get us started: Warren Buffett gave a speech to University of Georgia students in 2001, joking about the volatility of the industry. The. TPG's August 2022 monthly valuations. JetBlue and American Airlines have been forced to wind down the alliance for flights in and out of New York City and Boston after the same judge sided with the Justice Department and six states in . Spirit Airlines said on Thursday that it would enter talks with JetBlue Airways about a bid to combine the two companies, a deal that threatens to spoil Spirit's plans for a merger with Frontier . Spirit previously rejected a takeover offer from JetBlue (JBLU . The airline offers flights to domestic and international destinations. The new JetBlue will offer Spirit flyers standard perks, like better seat pitch, better legroom and more in-flight frills, like snacks, he says. United is a Chicago-based airline. Upgrades on Heathrow Express (only for 2022). JetBlue buys Spirit for $3.8 billion, forming nation's fifth-largest JetBlue will pay Spirit shareholders an additional 10 cents a month for any delay in closing after December of this year, which could raise the price to $34.15 a share. The biggest winners are the people who happen to live near the hubs of the larger airline in the merger, says Dartmouth engineering professor Vikrant Vaze, who has studied the impact of airline mergers on passengers. And where is JetBlue on that. Budget travelers will have fewer but better options, according to JetBlue, if it succeeds in buying low-cost competitor Spirit Airlines. At times, JetBlue doesnt help itself. JetBlue says it will end alliance with American to save Spirit - CNN I have lived in all 3 and could be happy in any of those.. Earn up to 70,000 bonus points:60,000 bonus points after spending $2,000 on purchases in the first 90 days, and an additional 10,000 bonus points after a purchase is made on an employee card. The one advantage JetBlue offers its customers is the choice of a more expensive but fully refundable ticket. JetBlue requires $150,000 of spending each year on its credit card(s) to earn its upper-tier temporary status level. However, Spirit waives the overweight luggage fee on checked bags up to 100 pounds (that's a heavy lift!). three-star airline by the aviation rating site Skytrax. Free nonalcoholic drink and snack on board. It's certified as a three-star airline by the aviation rating site Skytrax. 7 min read JetBlue Airways' surprise $3.6 billion bid for "ultra" low-fare carrier Spirit Airlines sounded like a late April Fools' prank to some passengers.. Frontier Risks Losing Spirit Deal Forever - Live and Let's Fly The deal was announced after Spirit and Frontier ended their merger agreement on Wednesday. Frankly, Spirit would be more competitive in this space if they offered upgrades to Big Front Seats. It forced out two CEOs, primarily because they offered passengers too much comfort for too little money. Alaska's recent reviews are negative. The biggest antitrust hurdle is that, These airlines are competitive, both offer low fares, especially in Florida, [where] Fort Lauderdale and Orlando have a lot of overlap, Vasigh points out. JetBlue vs Frontier: Who will win the battle over Spirit and why does TPG's August 2022 monthly valuations, 7 tips for picking the perfect airplane seat every time, Best credit cards for airport lounge access, A business-class boost: Reviewing JetBlue's new Mint Suite, Current airline elite status match and challenge options you should know about, How to increase the value of your JetBlue TrueBlue points by 10%, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. JetBlue and Spirit Merger Could Mean Better Amenities But - Forbes A couple of weeks ago, TPG's Zach Griff provided a snapshot of the numbers involved for JetBlue and Spirit, including their largest airports, fleet sizes and routes operated. Today, it is the third-largest domestic carrier at SFO, with 9% of the domestic traffic. Could Others Soon Follow? What a JetBlue and Spirit Airlines merger would mean in WNY "Spirit has empowered so many people to fly who might not have been able to afford to before," said Scott Mayerowitz, executive editor of ThePointsGuy.com, a travel website. JetBlue domestic departures and arrivals were delayed 35% of the time, with an average delay of 78 minutes for departures and 76 minutes for arrivals.