JetBlue says it will become a 'national challenger' with Spirit merger
JetBlue sees its planned merger with Spirit Airlines as the best way to become a true national competitor against the likes of Delta Air Lines, Southwest Airlines, United Airlines and even its Northeast partner American Airlines.
"JetBlue just wants to compete," JetBlue's chief operating officer Joanna Geraghty said Tuesday. "We want to be a national challenger brand."
Still, she acknowledged the merger could take longer than those engineered by JetBlue's peers during the past two decades. The U.S. Department of Justice is already questioning JetBlue's partnership with American in the Northeast. Plus, some regulators are wondering how past mergers have helped consumers, especially after a summer of record airfares and operational meltdowns.
Speaking at the Skift Global Forum in New York, Geraghty noted JetBlue has a history of "disrupting" the industry. She added that JetBlue will make a case to the government that its growth into a true national carrier will break up markets currently dominated by the nation's four largest airlines. American, Delta, Southwest and United currently carry more than 80% of all domestic passengers.
JetBlue's route network is concentrated in New York, Boston, Florida and the Caribbean. Geraghty noted there are plenty of states JetBlue currently skips that she would love the carrier to serve.
"We are often asked about the Midwest and many of the states we fly over," she said. "Spirit is going to allow us to fly there."
Questions circulated about whether regulators will force JetBlue to choose between its partnership with American or the purchase of Spirit. "We think you can do both," Geraghty said.
Spirit is particularly strong in Latin America, something that JetBlue is excited about. During the pandemic, JetBlue added a new nonstop between Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU) and Cancun International Airport (CUN), and the airline sees benefits of combining those networks.
As for more growth, Geraghty doesn't expect JetBlue to return to Mexico City, a destination it exited in 2020.
However, she does see JetBlue expanding more in Europe. The airline on Tuesday launched service from Boston Logan International Airport (BOS) to London's Heathrow Airport (LHR). Plus, last month JetBlue added service from BOS to London's Gatwick Airport (LGW).
As for what destinations are coming next, Geraghty said "maybe continental Europe," in a truly noncommittal, airline sort of way.
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The Capital One Venture X Business Card has all the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card has to offer and more. It offers an incredible welcome bonus and requires an equally impressive spend to qualify. In addition, the card comes with premium travel perks like annual travel credit. (Partner offer)Pros
- The Capital One Venture X business card has a very lucrative welcome offer.
- In addition, the card comes with many premium travel perks such as an annual $300 credit for bookings through Capital One Business Travel.
- Business owners are also able to add employee cards for free.
Cons
- The card requires significant spending to earn the welcome offer.
- Another drawback is that the annual travel credit can only be used on bookings made through Capital One Business Travel.
- LIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus miles: 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200k miles when you spend $150k in the first 6 months
- Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, everywhere—with no limits or category restrictions
- Earn 10X miles on hotels and rental cars and 5X miles on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel
- With no preset spending limit, enjoy big purchasing power that adapts so you can spend more and earn more rewards
- Empower your teams to make business purchases while earning rewards on their transactions, with free employee and virtual cards. Plus, automatically sync your transaction data with your accounting software and pay your vendors with ease
- Redeem your miles on flights, hotels and more. Plus, transfer your miles to any of the 15+ travel loyalty programs
- Every year, you'll get 10,000 bonus miles after your account anniversary date. Plus, receive an annual $300 credit for bookings made through Capital One Business Travel
- Receive up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®. Enjoy access to 1,300+ airport lounges worldwide, including Capital One Lounge locations and Priority Pass™ lounges, after enrollment
- Enjoy a $100 experience credit and other premium benefits with every hotel and vacation rental booked from the Premier Collection
- This is a pay-in-full card, so your balance is due in full every month