--- title: "Sununu: Spirit Airlines closure was a lesson to approve mergers when 'somebody is putting up a red flag'" type: "News" locale: "en" url: "https://longbridge.com/en/news/287098330.md" description: "Chris Sununu, CEO of Airlines for America, stated that the closure of Spirit Airlines serves as a lesson on the importance of approving business mergers when warning signs arise. He criticized the Biden administration for blocking JetBlue's acquisition of Spirit, suggesting political motivations influenced the decision. Despite the closure, Sununu noted that other airlines quickly assisted affected travelers and employees, emphasizing that markets can effectively manage themselves without government interference." datetime: "2026-05-20T16:49:04.000Z" locales: - [zh-CN](https://longbridge.com/zh-CN/news/287098330.md) - [en](https://longbridge.com/en/news/287098330.md) - [zh-HK](https://longbridge.com/zh-HK/news/287098330.md) --- # Sununu: Spirit Airlines closure was a lesson to approve mergers when 'somebody is putting up a red flag' Airlines for America CEO and former New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu on Wednesday said the closure of Spirit Airlines was a lesson in allowing business mergers to be approved when “somebody is putting up a red flag.” Spirit shut down earlier this month after the airline and the Trump administration failed to reach a deal for a federal bailout of what President Trump said could have amounted to $500 million. The closure’s critics have pointed to the Biden administration’s push to block JetBlue Airways from acquiring Spirit. “Well, the political lesson is politicians need to actually do their homework and read a balance sheet, understand how businesses work and approve mergers when somebody is putting up a red flag saying, ‘We’re in real trouble here,'” Sununu said at The Hill’s “Red, Flight & Blue: The Future of U.S. Aviation,” an event sponsored by Airlines for America where Sununu was among the speakers. The former governor criticized the Biden administration, suggesting that the merger was not approved “for political reasons” and because “they knew best.” A federal judge in Massachusetts blocked the deal, citing antitrust law violations. JetBlue abandoned the deal in 2024. Former Attorney General Merrick Garland said the merger would have spiked airfare prices and left travelers with “fewer choices.” “So unfortunately, that’s a hard lesson learned,” he told The Hill’s Bill Sammon, one of the event’s moderators. “Here’s the good news: it’s all been picked up. It really has. The customers were picked up by the other airlines. Pilots had jobs the next day.” The Department of Transportation, in the hours after Spirit announced its shutdown, said other airlines were stepping in to help travelers hop on new flights and give Spirit pilots and employees “preferential employment interviews” to help streamline the process for them to have new jobs. Part of the lesson was to learn that the “market knows best,” Sununu said. “Let the markets do what they do best because they do take care of each other,” he later said. “They do understand how they work. And, you know, when and down, just get government out of the way, let us do what we do.” ### Related Stocks - [SAVEQ.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/SAVEQ.US.md) - [JBLU.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/JBLU.US.md) - [XTN.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/XTN.US.md) - [IYT.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/IYT.US.md) - [JETS.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/JETS.US.md) ## Related News & Research - [17:39 ETEVA Air Wins SKYTRAX 5-Star Airline Certification 11th Year in a Row](https://longbridge.com/en/news/286822574.md) - [Ryanair Says Iran War Won't Trigger Jet Fuel Shortages—And Airfares Could Actually Fall](https://longbridge.com/en/news/286758034.md) - ['My dream job:' Spirit workers begin to figure out next steps after shutdown](https://longbridge.com/en/news/285281571.md) - [Scott Bessent Blames Elizabeth Warren, Pete Buttigieg And Other Biden Admin 'Friends' For Spirit Airlines Collapse](https://longbridge.com/en/news/285034479.md) - [Delta Air Lines Stock Is Pulling Back Today: What's Happening?](https://longbridge.com/en/news/286807776.md)