JetBlue Is Expanding in Spirit’s Fort Lauderdale Turf. As for a Bailout? ‘Never Say Never.’

JetBlue is squarely focused on turning Fort Lauderdale into a focus city even as Spirit Airlines is in talks to receive a possible bailout from the government. 

Executives on the call said JetBlue is prioritizing investing in Fort Lauderdale, which has historically been one of Spirit’s biggest cities. Spirit has struggled through its second Chapter 11 bankruptcy, which has led rivals like JetBlue to start growing operations in Fort Lauderdale. 

Company president Marty St. George said on the call JetBlue added “significant capacity” to Fort Lauderdale without any expectation that Spirit would go out of business