The merger agreement was terminated by Spirit after shareholders voted against it. The airlines are on the same page for the first time about a merger. The boards of both airlines have approved a merger. An adjusted enterprise value of $8.6 billion is given for the deal. It could take nearly two years until the merger is finalized according to the claims. The airlines will remain independent until then. The CEO of the airline had a statement about the deal. “We are excited to deliver this compelling combination that turbocharges our strategic growth, enabling JetBlue to bring our unique blend of low fares and exceptional service to more customers, on more routes. We look forward to welcoming Spirit’s outstanding Team Members to JetBlue and together creating a customer-centric, fifth-largest carrier in the United States. Spirit and JetBlue will continue to advance our shared goal of disrupting the industry to bring down fares from the Big Four airlines. This combination is an exciting opportunity to diversify and expand our network, add jobs and new possibilities for Crewmembers, and expand our platform for profitable growth.” Here is what Ted Christie had to say. “We are thrilled to unite with JetBlue through our improved agreement to create the most compelling national low-fare challenger to the dominant U.S. carriers, and we look forward to working with JetBlue to complete the transaction. Bringing our two airlines together will be a game changer, and we are confident that JetBlue will deliver opportunities for our Guests and Team Members with JetBlue’s unique blend of low fares and award-winning service. We especially appreciate the commitment of our Spirit Family throughout this process. Today’s exciting announcement reflects JetBlue’s admiration for Spirit and a shared belief in what the combined airline can bring for our Guests.” It is kind of funny to see those comments, because the management of the company was against a merger until yesterday. On paper, Frontier's offer was better than the one offered by JetBlue. Was the deal going to get regulatory approval? One of the country's biggest ultra low cost carriers would be eliminated as a result of the plan to bring the JetBlue experience to the fleet. JetBlue is marketing a takeover of Spirit as a way for it to grow faster and go head-to-head withlegacy airlines in more places and at lower fares to improve service for everyone. The airline would still be smaller than the big four. The case JetBlue is trying to make is similar to this one. If the proposed agreement is not concluded for antitrust reasons, JetBlue will pay a reverse break-up fee of $70 million and shareholders of Spirit will be paid a reverse break-up fee of $400 million. There are some initial thoughts I have on this agreement. The shareholders had a different vision for the future of the company. The merger with Frontier was canceled and now the company is looking at a merger with another airline. I will be curious to see how this plays out. The plan is for the business model to survive if the merger happens. I can't say I'm happy about this because I appreciate both airlines for what they're. What do you think about the plan for a merger?Terms of JetBlue’s acquisition of Spirit
Will the JetBlue & Spirit deal get regulatory approval?
My take on a JetBlue & Spirit merger
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