JetBlue Airways Corp. (NASDAQ:JBLU) agreed to buy Spirit Airlines Inc. (NYSE:SAVE) in July 2022 for $3.8 billion in what was poised to create the fifth-largest airline in the US. Fast forward to today, and Spirit Airlines is valued at under $1 billion and trying to stave off bankruptcy. According to a recent note from investment bank TD Cowen supporting these dire claims: “We believe Spirit is likely to look for another buyer … but a more likely scenario is a Chapter 11 filing, followed by a liquidation.” Regulators can call off mergers for a host of reasons, but the core reason is to avoid an…
