https://www.foxnews.com/media/duffy-blames-biden-buttigieg-team-spirit-airlines- collapse-blocked-merger https://reurl.cc/V2n2Gy Duffy blames Biden-Buttigieg team for Spirit Airlines collapse after blocked mer ger All flights halted Saturday as Spirit closed call centers and began orderly liqu idation process CJ Womack By CJ Womack Fox News Published May 3, 2026 6:00pm EDT Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said Sunday that the collapse of Spirit Airl ines followed former President Joe Biden's administration’s decision, alongside former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and the U.S. Department of Justi ce, to block a proposed merger with JetBlue, after the airline ceased operations early Saturday morning and entered liquidation. "The Joe Biden-Pete Buttigieg administration and DOJ tanked that deal," Duffy sa id on ABC’s "This Week." "Immediately after that, they filed for bankruptcy." Duffy’s remarks came as Spirit halted all flights at approximately 3 a.m. Sat urday, closed call centers and ticket counters and began what he described as an "orderly liquidation process," while federal officials and airlines moved to as sist affected passengers. Duffy said the shutdown left no operational support for travelers. "Spirit does not have airplanes in the air flying as of this morning," Duffy sai d. "If you have a flight scheduled with Spirit Airlines, don't show up at the ai rport. There will be no one here to assist you." The Department of Transportation coordinated with major carriers to mitigate dis ruptions, with airlines offering capped fares and discounted tickets for displac ed passengers. Duffy said multiple airlines stepped in to stabilize pricing and capacity in the immediate aftermath. "United, Delta, JetBlue and Southwest are capping their ticket prices," Duffy sa id. "It is normally going to be about $200 for a one-way ticket." Duffy tied the airline's collapse to the blocked merger between JetBlue and Spir it, which had been challenged by the Justice Department under the Biden administ ration. "There was a proposed merger between JetBlue and Spirit and Joe Biden and Pete B uttigieg along with the Biden DOJ decided that they did not want that merger to take place," Duffy said. He added that officials at the time framed the decision as beneficial to consume rs. "They bragged and said this was a victory for U.S. travelers who deserve lower p rices and better choices," Duffy said. "This is not better for travelers. This i s not better for pricing. This is not better for competition." Duffy said Spirit had faced financial instability prior to its shutdown, includi ng multiple bankruptcy filings following the merger denial. "Once the merger was denied in 2024, Spirit filed for bankruptcy immediately aft er the denial," Duffy said. He emphasized that the war with Iran was not the primary cause of the airline’s failure. "Spirit was in dire straits long before the war with Iran," Duffy said. "Their m odel wasn't working. They couldn't get to fiscal health." "We oftentimes don't have a half a billion dollars laying around in a spare acco unt that we can put into a bailout of an airline." Fox News Digital reached out to Biden and Buttigieg for comment but did not imme diately receive a response. 美國交通部長表示： 精神航空的倒閉 最主要就是拜登政府 否決了捷藍航空與精神航空的合併收購案 而且宣稱對消費者有利 在否決了之後，精神航空立馬申請破產保護，並申請多次 且精神航空的商業模式似乎無法實現財務穩定 才導致精神航空倒閉 伊朗戰爭不是最主要的因素 --

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