Frontier and Spirit to merge creating fifth-largest airline in U.S. in $6.6 billion deal

[brooklynite]

Source: CNBC

Frontier Airlines and Spirit Airlines, the two largest low-cost carriers in the U.S. have agreed to merge in a deal valued at $6.6 billion, creating what would become the fifth-largest airline in the country.

The merger gives Denver-based Frontier Airlines a 51.5% controlling stake in the combined airline. Spirit investors will receive 1.9126 shares of Frontier plus $2.13 in cash for each share they own, giving Spirit shareholders an implied value of $25.83 per share, which is a 19% premium over the value of Spirit shares at the end of last week, the companies said.

“This transaction is centered around creating an aggressive ultra-low fare competitor to serve our guests even better, expand career opportunities for our team members and increase competitive pressure, resulting in more consumer-friendly fares for the flying public,” Ted Christie, president and CEO of Miramar, Fla.-based Spirit, said in a statement announcing the deal.

The boards of both companies approved the deal over the weekend.

Read more: https://www.cnbc.com/2022/02/07/frontier-and-spirit-to-merge-creating-5th-largest-airline-in-us.html

[oldsoftie]

1. That will make the "shittiest airline" rankings easier.

Although THIS year JetBlue just did beat them both for that honor.

[IronLionZion]

2. That's what I was about to post

Personally I've had a good experience with JetBlue. Are you referring to their cancellations?

[oldsoftie]

4. The WSJ rankings were released yesterday. But I bet that had a lot to do with it (link)

https://www.cnbc.com/2022/02/06/worst-us-airline-is-jetblue-not-spirit-or-frontier-wsj-ranking.html

[mountain grammy]

8. Yep

[Wingus Dingus]

3. Will they be called Frontier Spirit?

Kind of lucky that their names go together well.

[appleannie1]

5. I flew Breeze Airlines over Christmas

I was impressed. Brand new fleet of planes. Roomier seats. I could actually move my feet and legs around and they had a full choice of snacks like a decent size bag of mixed nuts that were not all peanuts.

[Ace Rothstein]

6. I can't wait for The Onion article about this one.

[Alexander Of Assyria]

9. Corps. will both promise...lower prices...better service...etc...and then not do anything.

Like politicians.

Looks like the tens of billions of free cash from taxpayers over the last few years cause of Covid…. is paying off for the rich folk…again.

[marmar]

7. .......

Link to tweet

[yaesu]

10. less competition higher prices. nt

[brooklynite]

12. Probably not.

Frontier and Spirit are LCCs. Their business model is keeping ticket costs low in comparison to the legacy carriers.

[Freddie]

11. Frontier is the only airline that goes to where I need to go

From here. Definitely no-frills, but I’ve never had a problem with them. Hope this doesn’t affect their routes.

[IthinkThereforeIAM]

14. For the last few years I have flown Frontier exclusively...

... and everything has been fine. I was late to my gate once (they actually closed things up a few minutes early) at DIA and they gave me a new ticket and repeatedly offered a free overnight stay at the DIA hotel and bent over backwards to make up for MY screw up!

I just called the person I had been vacationing with to come back out to DIA and pick me up... one more night in Denver!

And my flights have been on new/newer Airbus planes, so can't complain. No worries about that Boeing Max crap...

[Freddie]

18. 2.5 hours nonstop

Trenton NJ to Palm Beach Int’l (PBI) to see my son, his wife and in a few months, my grandson! So they better keep that route going.
PBI airport is unfortunately close to Mar-a-Logo, and TFG wanted to rename it to Tr*** Int’l. County officials refused. Praise God.

[IthinkThereforeIAM]

19. It looks to me like they will keep that seeing Spirit is Florida based...

...eom.

[DFW]

13. I've never taken Spirit, only one flight on Frontier, over 40 years ago.

My one Frontier flight was--I think-- from Little Rock to Hot Springs, Arkansas in the 1970s. My TX travel agent said Spirit was so awful, he refused to book their flights. It doesn't seem that either one will be flying routes I travel, so I'll just wait to hear the stories.

As for worst airline ever, that title was wrested from United by American for me last year. For someone whose US home airport is DFW, to say that about American is rather drastic, but after what they did to me and my wife last year, if I never have to fly with American again anywhere, it will be too soon.

[LisaM]

15. Frontier is really unpleasant now. I won't fly them.

I just can't bear the plastic seats and lack of a tray table (I like to read and do crossword puzzles on flights and you can't with a tray table the size of a postcard). A friend had a flight cancelled and had to wait two days for a new one, with no reparations from the airline.

Before they bought Spirit, they were fine. I know that afterwards, the flight attendants got quite demoralized, having to charge passengers for pop, etc. They also had onerous luggage fees.

[MontanaMama]

16. We call Frontier "swipe yours card airlines".

They swipe your card for any little thing…even a glass of water. Won’t use them again…ever.

[Ameri Canadian]

17. Well, I don't know if this is gonna fly

And I mean that literally!

[NQAS]

20. So when looking at flights. . .

I only have to ignore one airline, not two.

I don't travel much, but when I asked my wife the other day if I should take the spirit or frontier flights to Florida because they were both pretty cheap, she said definitely not.

[yellowdogintexas]

21. Frangela should get a couple of great skits out of this

When they go off on Spirit, I can expect to hurt myself laughing

[mountain grammy]

22. They are so funny 😂 I'm