JetBlue wins Spirit’s LaGuardia slots in $58 million bankruptcy auction

JetBlue won the bankruptcy auction for the 22 takeoff and landing slots previously held by the defunct Spirit Airlines.

According to latest court documents, the airline company JetBlue won an auction for bankrupt Spirit Airlines' takeoff and landing slots at New York's LaGuardia airport for a purchase price of $58.5 million.

Spirit is selling the right to 12 daily departure slots and 10 arrival slots at the busy and highly regulated airport, expanding its current footprint of 31 slots.

It will seek approval of the sale at a Wednesday bankruptcy court hearing in White Plains, New York.

JetBlue said Monday that it is evaluating options for adding up to 12 round-trip LaGuardia flights in 2027.

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration restricts the total number of flights at three busy airports in the U.S., including LaGuardia, John F. Kennedy International Airport, and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.

Frontier was the second-highest bidder at $57.5 million.

According to FAA data, JetBlue already had 31 slots at LaGuardia and Frontier had 4.

Spirit shut down earlier this year, after rising fuel costs derailed its planned bankruptcy restructuring.

The airline filed for bankruptcy in August 2025, one year after a previous bankruptcy failed to turn its business around.

JetBlue is evaluating plans to shift operations into Spirit’s former space at Terminal A (Marine Air Terminal), though network expansion tied to the slots isn't expected until 2027 onward.

Moving forward the transaction will require formal approval from the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York.