During the golden age of commercial aviation, passengers enjoyed gourmet meals and stretched out in roomy comfort. Fast forward to the current state of flight, epitomized by Spirit Airlines, an ultra-low-cost carrier notorious for poor service that nonetheless is being pursued by two rivals.
On July 27, Spirit shareholders are expected to settle a bidding war that has stretched for months between Frontier, which struck a deal in February to acquire the airline, and JetBlue, which in April dangled a sweeter offer for the unlikely prize.
The bidding war comes amid rough times in commercial aviation. The industry has mostly failed to accommodate a predictable surge in pent-up travel demand, despite having pocketed tens of billions in public money during the pandemic — supposedly to stay staffed up and at the ready.
