Here’s Mayor Pete announcing the Biden administration’s decision to fight the Jet Blue and Spirit merger so they could protect consumers and ensure low fares. Now the airline doesn’t exist and passengers are stranded across the country. pic.twitter.com/u7TXdwG9vj
— Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) May 2, 2026
May 3, 2026
Is the Biden administration responsible for the loss of Spirit?
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41 comments:
Didn't Elizabeth Warren similarly celebrate at the time of this announcement?
Take a bow,
Senator !
Is the Biden administration responsible for the loss of Spirit?
In so many ways.
Yes, they are. Lizzy Warren has her hand in it too.
Buttigieg was so bad everyone knew who the Secretary of Transportation was.
Another epic failure by Pete. Lots of unemployed people and higher air fares because he wouldn’t do the right thing.
The Dems don’t do the hard work that math requires. And, of course, the Dems don’t understand market economics. I see the same thing when it comes to CAGW. Willful ignorance of the numbers.
And let’s not forget the billions automakers had to write off because Pete pushed them to build expensive and unwanted
EV’s onto the public.
Pete worked for McKinsey so he should have known the numbers.
But he’s immune from criticism by the Fake News because he’s glib and gay. Protected!
Fewer flights and higher fares with transportation reform was a green but not novel deal.
Another industry scalped, an flight aborted, with an insidious native choice.
And I think it was the Obama Administration that let Delta buy Northwest and United merge with Continental. It’s my recollection that both Continental and Northwest were much bigger than Spirit and were kind of profitable. Those mergers really hurt competition. I’m sure some Dems cashed in on approving those deals. The Northwest CEO got a big payday. I think he was a Dem.
Yes.
Next question?
Of course. And they are angry at the news it happened. Win win.
Doug Steenland got $18.3m for merging Northwest into Delta. Now a senior advisor at Blackstone. Easy Street.
My guess is Spirit hadn't donated enough to Democrats.
I don't think anyone in the Biden administration or Elizabeth Warren cared one way or the other about this -certainly not a concern for passengers, that's just laughable- so it has to be them acting on behalf of someone else who wanted this failure to happen. Cui bono? Did Spirit have desirable slots at certain airports that will now be up for grabs? Who gets the win here?
Elizabeth was gay with the announcement. Pete, too.
If Continental bought Aer Lingus, the new branding could be...
Oh, never mind.
The Biden administration was 4 years of malicious incompetence.
The ICC almost killed the railroad industry the same way by ignoring non-rail (and often government subsidized) competition, and either forcing healthy mergers to take on basketcases or delaying mergers that would have preserved infrastructure, in a similarly politicized process.
And let’s not forget what Biden and LightBringer have done to coal-fired power plants.
- Krumhorn
Frankly, I'm amazed at how low plane tickets are, given what's involved. Are rock bottom prices really the wisest goal in this industry?
Leftist Communist Socialist Democrats have ALWAYS been economic idiots.
14,000 people out of work thanks to ELIZABETH WARREN (D-commie money grubbing idiot)
"Peachy said...
14,000 people out of work thanks to ELIZABETH WARREN (D-commie money grubbing idiot)"
She's on social media blaming Trrump saying high gas prices doomed Spirit.
Would Jet Blue have survived higher fuel prices if it were saddled with Spirit's airplanes and payroll?
Scott Bessent just said on Maria’s show that “Pete Buttigieg was the worst Transportation Secretary in history.” FACT.
Pete achieved his goal of lowering airfares: Spirit tickets now cost $0! Only problem is they don't go anywhere...
I suppose it will surprise Althouse as much as Senator Faxahontas
Elizabeth Warren Killed Spirit Airlines and Now She’s Complaining About It
Democrats are all liars. They shit the bed - then blame others.
… Fauxahontas that economics does not bend to political ideology, any more than physics does.
Interesting that there are Democrats who think Pete Buttigieg is Preddrntial material. The asshole cannot even read a spreadsheet.
Warren and Buttigieg got wealthy “serving” the people of the United States. Maybe they should reach into their own pockets to help get the stranded Spirit passengers home.
It reminds me of AOC deciding Amazon shouldn't locate its HQ in NY: Ignorant, unserious dems making fateful decisions about hugely consequential things in pursuit of a soundbite.
And I think it was the Obama Administration that let Delta buy Northwest and United merge with Continental.
You are half right (which is pretty good for you). The Delta merger occurred under W. Don't forget that Eastern collapsed under Reagan.
Would Jet Blue have survived higher fuel prices if it were saddled with Spirit's airplanes and payroll?
No one thought Trump would start a pointless war with Iran that drove oil prices through the roof.
Spirit's planes and gates will not disappear. Either they will be sold off and reused by other airlines, or the entire Spirit business will be recapitalized and re-emerge with a new name.
Unfortunately, the recent jump in jet fuel prices negatively impacts the whole air travel business model. The transition will probably await some stability there.
It was predictable when the Jet Blue-Spirit merger was rejected (ostensibly to preserve competition) that Spirit would go under, and the competition wouldn't be preserved anyway. I think it's safe to assume that Jet Blue was a better judge of the outcome of the merger than Pete Buttigieg.
As for the impact of higher fuel prices, even the NYT reported a few weeks ago that higher fares were having only minimal impact on ridership, and that airline revenues were up.
"Spirit's planes and gates will not disappear. Either they will be sold off and reused by other airlines, or the entire Spirit business will be recapitalized and re-emerge with a new name."
And Spirit employees will be hired by other airlines.
Didnt the unions force the closure of eastern what did they get from that
Didn't Spirit charge like $5 to use the bathroom?
I am pleased that no taxpayers money will be used to bail out a low cost airline.
The planes can still fly, the mechanics can maintain them and the crews operate them. Let someone else run the show, and hopefully better. Where did this foolish idea come from that government has to get involved in every minor corporate and economic event?
My brother has been a senior executive at several major airlines and in the driver's seat of a small one.
To hear him explain airline economic models, hub and spoke systems, HR policies, and fuel cost strategies would be like listening to Al Gore explain global warming.
Ask him to tell you how it benefits the bottom line for Delta to charge a customer to fly nonstop RT from ATL to ZRH for $2,600 and sell the exact same flight for $1,467 if the customer originates in New Orleans. Seems like the guy in New Orleans gets a freebie from MSY to ATL and a discount of $1,200 on the ATL - ZRH flight. (price of flights found a few minutes ago on Google Flights).
Swear to God, he can explain why this makes perfect sense.
IMO, cheap airfares are what destroyed passenger rail in America, and resulted in airplane seats the size of sardine tins; populated mostly by seat mates who smell like the contents of sardine tins
"Spirit's planes and gates will not disappear. Either they will be sold off and reused by other airlines, or the entire Spirit business will be recapitalized and re-emerge with a new name."
That's all true, but it's likely a much messier and more costly resolution than the merger would have been. This is clearly a loss in value, as Spirit's shareholder now come away with nothing (and the creditors take a hit too).
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