I actually agree with Trump on bailing out Spirit Airlines

Jet blue was ready to pull the trigger until the biden gang killed it.

The routes don't always compete and if Spirit was to go out there would be less service on many routes, increasing prices

JetBlue and Spirit Airlines do not fly the same routes in most cases, but there is a small but notable overlap in certain markets.

Spirit operates more domestic east–west routes between the Atlantic and Pacific coasts, while JetBlue’s network is more regional and hub-based

Spirit is a failed company with a bad business model.     High oil prices is just putting the thumb on the scale of their demise.   Trump's bailout gives them about 6 more months.      With their busines model every plane needs to be about 90% full to break even.   And their customers at the low end of the economic scale are flying less.  

I worked for ATA Airlines for 8 years.  They were a discount airline too.     And they collapsed just like the hundred other discount arilines that came before and after them.     Discount airlines  make a tiny bit of money when the economy is doing well.  And they lose a ton of money when it isnt.    Spirit is even worse because of all the ways customers can dodge  a full fare.

The only companies to ever successfully navigate a long term profitable business model as a discount airline are Southwest, Frontier and Alaska and  Southwest is actively transitioning to a non-discount model.    

If you let them go under all their assets will sell for pennies on the dollar.    Jet Blue can pick up the same gates, rutes and planes they wanted out of Spirit.    

But People who think the Jet Blue merger was a good idea are fooling themselves.  Jet Blue will be out of business by 2030 too unless something miraculous happens with travel demand.

Tom, The Biden gang rightfully killed it. Jet Blue was told several times by the DOJ not to proceed because they would oppose it. 

The Spirit board told Jet Blue formally several times that it wouldn't work but the Jet Blue CEO said I am going to do it anyway.  That is the hight of incompetence. 

The reason the Biden administration rightfully killed it was because it would have driven fares higher and eliminated service at smaller airports.

The reason the merger killed Spirit is because after the merger was announced Spirit fares shot way up as did all their addons.  They were trying to get existing Spirit customers used to Jet Blue prices but without the amenities. In the markets I typically flew out of at the time usually I could fly American, Delta or United cheaper and in some cases all three were cheaper than Spirit.

Jet Blue thought they could slow walk existing Spirit customers into the fold which again demonstrated their incompetence.

Spirit lost a large volume of their existing customer base when they started adopting the Jet Blue model and by the time the merger was declared null and void they couldn't get those customers back. Now they are bankrupt because of the failed merger.

The sad fact is that no business that largely depends on leisure and discretionary spending can do well, and in many instances survive, an economic downturn that kills that consumer sector.

People are canceling trips because they can't afford them. Not just the airfares, but the overall cost of travel. The Trump Depression is a receding tide that lowers all boats.

In tough times, only the best-run businesses survive. Spirit is run about as well as the Trump White House. Idiots who only want to rip people off are in charge. No wonder Trump considers them to be kindred spirits. (Or Spirits.)

Kevin, It was a great value before Jet Blue acquired them. I typically bought the base fare, seat selection and luggage.  I also did the skip security line when flying into and out of LAS. So I got first class security for less than $10. 

On every flight, I would bid three dollars over the minimum bid on the big front seats and 70% of the time I would win.

So for $100 - $150 less than SW I was flying in a domestic first class seat. 

I can also honestly say I had nothing but good experiences with Spirit. I cannot say the same for my recent flights on SW and Delta.  

Who would buy a debt instrument issued by a failing company that by its own admission, is out of cash and not generating enough revenue to cover its operating expenses? That's the very definition of a junk bond.

I expect Trump to announce that such bonds will be issued, with his face prominently displayed along with the caption, TRUMP AIRLINES below.

As far as a merger goes, many Spirit Airlines routes are now unprofitable due to high fuel prices and low passenger counts, both directly because of the Turd war. So the best way the Turd could save Spirit would be to declare victory over Iran and run away.

My experiences were different than yours; each flight was two+ hours in a cramped cattle car. But that was exactly what I had expected and paid for. 

I have seen that if you buy a Spirit ticket and then attempt to "upgrade" to the basic services you would automatically get on any other airlines, the cost would be about the same. So you should only fly Spirit if you want to get somewhere, period, and several hours of torture are acceptable.

The most iconic moment was when the cabin attendant explained what would happen upon a loss of cabin pressure. She said that a credit card terminal would drop along with the oxygen masks and "You'll have about fifteen seconds before you lose consciousness, so make sure you enter your PIN correctly." I then understood what the $50 "Deluxe Prepaid Oxygen Package" on their website had referred to.