American pilots union chief says United CEO’s merger idea showed ‘bold vision’

An American Airlines Airbus A321 taxis at San Diego International Airport as a United Airlines airplane departs on Aug. 24, 2024 in San Diego, California. Kevin Carter | Getty Images News | Getty Images The head of American Airlines‘ pilots union told members that United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby’s merger idea showed the kind of “bold vision” the carrier needs, even as the union stopped…

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Carrier collapsed after it ‘ran out of runway’

A Spirit Airlines plane sits parked at Hollywood Burbank Airport on April 16, 2026 in Burbank, California. Justin Sullivan | Getty Images Spirit Airlines struggled for years, battered by larger, cash-rich airlines that copied its business model, failed mergers, higher costs and, most recently, a surge in jet fuel prices because of the war in…

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Spirit Airlines collapse to benefit these airlines

A Spirit Airlines Airbus A321 airplane taxis at Los Angeles International Airport after arriving from Fort Lauderdale on March 30, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. Kevin Carter | Getty Images Just hours after Spirit Airlines collapsed, its rivals unveiled their new flight plans. Airlines had actually been at work for months on their route changes…

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‘Godspeed my friend’ as terminals go dark

Spirit Airlines kiosks at New York’s LaGuardia Airport on May 2, hours after the carrier shut down. Leslie Josephs/CNBC BALTIMORE/NEW YORK — Spirit Airlines was hours away from its final flights Friday afternoon. Jeremiah Burton was hours away from his first. “It’s my first time flying,” Burton, a 45-year-old air conditioning and heating technician, told…

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Trump says government gave ‘final’ bailout proposal for Spirit Airlines as liquidation looms

Spirit Airlines airplanes sit parked at Fort Lauderdale – Hollywood International Airport, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, U.S., April 23, 2026. Marco Bello | Reuters President Donald Trump said Friday that his administration gave a “final” bailout proposal for Spirit Airlines as the budget carrier could be forced to liquidate without a lifeline. Talks with bondholders…

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JetBlue keeps Fort Lauderdale flights, regardless of Spirit’s fate

JetBlue Airways is moving forward with its flight plans at Fort Lauderdale–Hollywood International Airport, its president said, regardless of whether the airport’s No. 1 carrier, Spirit Airlines, gets a government bailout. JetBlue, United Airlines, Frontier Airlines, Breeze Airways and others added flights last year at Fort Lauderdale, Florida, which is Spirit’s home hub as well…

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United merger would be ‘bad for customers’

Robert Isom, chief executive officer of American Airlines Group Inc., during a news conference at the US Department of Transportation in Washington, DC, US, on Thursday, May 8, 2025. Samuel Corum | Bloomberg | Getty Images American Airlines CEO Robert Isom said a potential merger with rival United Airlines would hurt consumers and would be…

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