JetBlue announced that it has reached an agreement with Spirit Airlines to terminate their July 2022 merger agreement.

Although both companies continue to believe in the procompetitive benefits of the combination, JetBlue and Spirit mutually agreed that terminating is the best path forward for both companies as required closing conditions, including receiving necessary legal and regulatory approvals, were unlikely to be met by the merger agreement’s outside date of July 24, 2024.

Under the agreement, JetBlue will pay Spirit $69 million and the termination resolves all outstanding matters related to the transaction and under which any claims between them will be mutually released.

As outlined on the company’s fourth quarter earnings call, JetBlue is taking decisive action to return to sustained profitability and drive shareholder value. As part of this work, the company is refocusing on its core strengths – deepening its network relevance in proven geographies and better segmenting its product offerings to enhance its competitive position – while delivering meaningful cost savings.

To date, JetBlue has identified multiple near-term revenue initiatives for 2024, including increased distribution and partnerships, expanded loyalty program functionality, network initiatives, and ancillary initiatives, which will deliver over $300 million in revenue benefits. JetBlue also remains on track to deliver $175-200 million in cost savings from its structural cost program and $75 million in maintenance savings from its fleet modernization, as well as incremental savings from targeted fixed cost base reductions, positioning the company to approach breakeven operating margins in 2024. These initiatives are just the starting point as JetBlue rebuilds its long-term organic strategy with a renewed focus on driving sustained profitability for its crewmembers and investors.

JetBlue will hold an Investor Day on Thursday, May 30, 2024, to provide additional detail on its long-term strategy and ongoing revenue and cost initiatives. Further information regarding Investor Day will be shared with analysts and investors in the coming weeks.