JBLU
New Deal 2.0? Not exactly
Pete Buttigieg and Sean Duffy are basically using Spirit as a prop in the latest Washington food fight. Duffy says the Biden team helped doom Spirit by backing the failed JetBlue takeover challenge. Buttigieg fired back that you don’t lower gas prices by “blurting out” Democrats’ names — and argued Trump’s Iran policy, not antitrust law, is what helped crush the airline.
Why investors should care
Spirit isn’t just a sad airline story anymore. It’s becoming a live case study in what happens when a budget carrier gets hit with the perfect storm: a busted balance sheet, a failed rescue, and jet fuel costs that keep acting like they’re on an all-you-can-eat buffet.
The company said in court papers filed Monday that it had no path to keep operating, and it shut down Saturday after failing to lock in creditor support for a proposed $500 million government bailout. That’s a pretty brutal ending for a carrier that already filed for Chapter 11 twice.
The fuel problem is doing the heavy lifting
The politics matter because they frame the story, but the numbers are what matter to investors:
- Jet fuel prices have surged after the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran disrupted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz
- Airlines for America said jet fuel was running at $4.26 a gallon Monday
- Spirit had already warned that rising fuel costs were a major reason it had no path to continue operating
That’s the kind of pressure that turns a weak airline into a cautionary tale fast. For rivals, it’s a reminder that fuel spikes can eat margins like a raccoon in a snack drawer.
Big picture
The antitrust fight over JetBlue’s bid may get a second look from Democrats, but Spirit’s collapse looks much bigger than one merger decision. If fuel stays high and the Middle East remains messy, airlines with thin cushions could feel a lot less invincible.