FAA approves JetBlue purchase of 22 LaGuardia slots from Spirit debtors

The FAA has approved JetBlue's purchase of 22 LaGuardia slots from Spirit Airlines' debtors for $58.5 million, following a public comment period on the transaction.

The approval carries a condition: JetBlue may not sell or lease the slots to another carrier before April 2028. Commenters had asked the agency to go further, proposing that any future transfer of the slots be limited to ultra-low-cost carriers and that JetBlue's use requirement be stretched to five years. The FAA declined both requests.

In its reasoning, the agency said the April 2028 restriction exceeds what it imposed in earlier exemptions, where it attached no limits on the transfer of purchased slots. The FAA's position is that barring transfer and obliging JetBlue to operate the slots through April 2028 is enough to secure the service and price competition benefits it expects the carrier to deliver.

The agency also noted that any slot moved under the exemption stays subject to the underlying order and its extensions. Under that order, trades and leases of slots require FAA approval, and JetBlue remains the holder. Should JetBlue seek to transfer the slots after the order lapses, the FAA said it would weigh whether the move serves the public interest, an assessment likely to take in the effect on competition and whether divestiture is needed.

JetBlue had made an additional request to the agency, which the extract does not detail.