UNITED Airlines’ CEO has opened up about potentially purchasing a struggling rival brand.
The budget airline has filed for bankruptcy twice in one year, sparking concern that it will soon halt operations.
Scott Kirby, chief executive officer at United Airlines, opened up about a potential bid to buy a rival[/caption]
Spirit Airlines’ future is looking grim, as the carrier has filed for bankruptcy twice in one year[/caption]
Kirby has boasted about United’s performance after a turbulant travel year[/caption]
On Tuesday, Scott Kirby confirmed he will not obtain assets from Spirit Airlines, closing the door on speculation that the carrier might step in to rescue its struggling competitor.
“It’s not in our wheelhouse,” Kirby told Reuters.
Kirby said the economics of such a deal simply don’t work. He explained that Spirit Airlines’ planes would each require roughly $15 million in modifications to meet United Airlines’ standards.
The CEO also noted that even Spirit Airlines’ attractive slots, like those in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, do not have enough gates for United Airlines, and it would be difficult to expand.
United Airlines has started new flights where Spirit Airlines operates.
The flights give customers options in case Spirit shuts down, according to Reuters.
In late August 2025, Frontier Airlines employed the same plan, announcing an aggressive expansion in the wake of Spirit’s bankruptcy filing, according to CNBC.
Frontier Airlines announced 20 new routes in Spirit Airlines markets.
The move dealt a blow to the struggling brand’s already fragile position.
Deutsche Bank analysts said they saw Frontier Airlines profiting from Spirit Airlines’ bankruptcy, given the two airlines’ network overlap, according to Reuters.
Both carriers face the challenge of customer preferences for premium options, an oversupply of domestic flights, and rising labor costs.
Spirit filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in August – and it was the second bankruptcy filing for the carrier in less than a year.
After making the announcement, Spirit slashed routes and downsized staff.
Spirit Airlines’ grim future
SPIRIT Airlines has suffered through some major financial blows in the past year.
The budget carrier admitted it hasn’t turned a profit since 2019.
In November 2024, the airline filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, making it the first major US carrier to do so since American Airlines 13 years ago.
The brand pulled itself out of bankruptcy in March with a plan to “operate as efficiently as possible,” the company said in a statement.
So far in 2025, Spirit has laid off 270 pilots.
The brand has also slashed its routes by 24% in the last year.
In August, managers revealed they were worried for Spirit’s immediate future in a filing with the Securities Exchange Commission.
The filing read that executives had “substantial doubt as to our ability to continue as a going concern within 12 months from the date these financial statements are issued.”
This created an opportunity for rivals such as Frontier Airlines and United Airlines.
During this time, Kirby the CEO of United Airlines was making headlines for comments about his competitors.
“If I dig deeper into it and I look at every airline that’s not named United Airlines or Delta Airlines, I can find at every single one of them, a double-digit percentage of their route network that loses money,” he said.
The CEO claimed the only way for struggling airlines is to “stop flying to places that lose money.”
JetBlue Airlines negotiated a merger with Spirit, but terminated the plans in March 2024.
The potential acquirer cited hurdles and market dynamics as a reason for the cancellation.
The airline drama comes as Spirit will officially be axing all routes to 11 airports from October 2.
