Overview
- JetBlue was the high bidder in the bankruptcy auction this week, offering $58.5 million and narrowly outbidding Frontier’s $57.5 million, which remains the backup offer.
- The package consists of 10 arrival and 12 departure time slots that would allow JetBlue to operate up to 12 additional daily roundtrips at LaGuardia.
- The sale is subject to approval by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York and the Federal Aviation Administration, with a final sale order expected by early August and a possible closing later in the year.
- JetBlue has said it is evaluating how to use the slots and has expressed interest in moving operations into LaGuardia’s six‑gate Marine Air Terminal to lower costs, and it does not expect any expansion tied to these slots to begin until 2027.
- The deal highlights how scarce and valuable LaGuardia slots are after Spirit’s May collapse and could restore service to the landmarked Terminal A while the Port Authority plans upgrades to the terminal’s non‑landmarked concourse.