Reuters/Dado Ruvic
JetBlue Airways announced Monday that it’s ditched a plan to merge with Spirit Airlines—a transaction that would have made the combined airline the fifth largest in the nation.
In a statement, JetBlue indicated that the sale was being called off because a federal judge had blocked it over antitrust concerns that led to a series of costly legal hurdles—not because it didn’t believe the merger was good for business.
“Although both companies continue to believe in the pro-competitive benefits of the combination, JetBlue and Spirit mutually agreed that terminating is the best path forward for both companies,” JetBlue’s statement read.