- $58.5m acquisition of 22 LaGuardia slots approved
- 12 daily departure and 10 arrival slots included
- Trading or leasing barred until after April 2028
- 20-day public comment period before final ruling
- Supports up to 12 additional daily roundtrips from 2027
The United States Federal Aviation Administration has tentatively approved JetBlue Airways’ $58.5m acquisition of 22 former Spirit Airlines slots at New York LaGuardia Airport. The package includes 12 daily departure and 10 arrival slots. Conditions have prevented trading or leasing the slots to another carrier until after April 2028 and permanently barred outright sale. The decision has aimed to return scarce resources to active low-fare service while preserving competition. Comments will be accepted for 20 days after official publication before a final ruling.
JetBlue could support up to 12 additional daily roundtrips from 2027 and may expand its LGA slot holdings significantly. The acquisition value has edged out a backup bid of $57.5m from Frontier Airlines. The FAA has opened a 20-day comment period before final acceptance, with operational expansion anticipated to begin in 2027. JetBlue has evaluated moving its operations using these slots into LaGuardia’s historic Marine Air Terminal, which was previously utilised by Spirit before its collapse.
The approval has expanded JetBlue’s footprint at the capacity-constrained airport, supporting up to 12 potential daily round-trip flights. The slots represent former Spirit Airlines assets following the carrier’s liquidation. The conditions have prevented further secondary trading of the slots before April 2028 and permanently barred outright sale, preserving competitive access at the congested airport.
