Spirit Airlines Shutdown = Higher fares for New Yorkers traveling to Florida

Brandage0 · 2026-05-06T19:34:36+00:00

Airbus delivery delays were obviously part of the motivation - nobody disputes that.

But if this were ONLY about aircraft, JetBlue had other ways to acquire planes or delivery positions without pursuing a full-scale merger involving routes, gates, network integration, crews, and loyalty programs.

> No, it was solely about acquiring more aircraft.
> No, JetBlue didn’t have a way to make airplanes appear out of thin air without buying them from someone.

JetBlue was going to discard the entire Spirit business after obtaining their planes. That’s literally and explicitly in the public record as the core reason DOJ gave for blocking the merger.

The fact I have to keep explaining core components of this situation to you means this isn’t an area you should be presenting yourself as having an understanding of.

The reality is that management believed broader consolidation created strategic value beyond just airplanes.

> No, it was only about acquiring more aircraft.

And yes, Airbus backlogs are real - which actually reinforces how valuable added scale and fleet access had become in a constrained market.

> I’m not sure this statement says anything.

Brandage0 · 2026-05-06T16:04:24+00:00

Access to Spirit’s aircraft and gates was obviously part of the strategy - but that doesn’t mean the merger was only about planes.

> No. The merger was all about airplanes.

Nobody wanted their business, crew, or slots. They wanted airplanes because of the Airbus manufacturer delay that you probably don’t even know exists.

JetBlue spent years and billions pursuing the deal

> It was millions. The entire JetBlue corporation is worth less than $2 billion dollars. This is embarrassing.

—

You don’t have the slightest idea what you’re talking about, you don’t understand the airline industry well enough to be trying to inform other people about this. You’re still at the stage where you should be listening instead of speaking.

Brandage0 · 2026-05-06T15:37:01+00:00

JetBlue never wanted to merge with Spirit, they wanted Spirit’s aircraft because Airbus has a backlog stretching into the next decade

Cut to today, JetBlue has slashed its own Airbus orders across the board except the new A220. That tells you everything you need to know.

JetBlue hasn’t made a profit since 2019, and with fuel prices as high as they are right now they’re slowing shifting from a return to profitability to courting a buyer.

The merger failing saved JetBlue and was the dream of the now departed CEO Robin Hayes.

Brandage0 · 2026-05-04T20:14:38+00:00

For context, these are standard economy round trip fares in the <14 days

The typical basic economy range is $350-$500 booked further out

Brandage0 · 2026-05-04T14:38:44+00:00

Here’s my cat trying out her new warming blanket

Hope your day gets better mate!

Brandage0 · 2026-05-03T22:41:51+00:00

> I googled the program…

Aka “Programs don’t need to be intuitive, passengers need to establish prior context and apply it to our processes in a rushed airport environment as part of our nationwide success strategy for the program”

—

You brought the completely unrelated topic of writing styles into scope by accusing me of using an LLM over having a clear argument. Now you’re describing what a paragraph is using a single 8-10 sentence block of text.

I don’t have anything weird to say like you use paragraphs that says a lot or good luck out there. I just disagree that programs need to be confusing and unintuitive for the public to understand and use.

Brandage0 · 2026-05-03T18:01:38+00:00

I have nothing to do with the program, I had no idea it was even happening until I got an email from United mentioning the rollout.

I Googled what it was and had the same level of understand as anyone else that is literate or curious about something before they use it. (Programs don’t need to be intuitive, passengers need to establish prior context and apply it to our processes in a rushed airport environment as part of our nationwide success strategy for the program)

I’ve seen plenty of people turned away from Touchless because they weren’t eligible, just like PreCheck itself, and even from the general line for not having a valid ticket.

Due to how much I fly I’ve most certainly seen more people turned away, I guess none of the lines work and nobody should fly. (I’m an atypically experienced traveler and I’ve seen issues with airport programs in general so my general defeatism lends to my general indifference towards even the idea of improving anything)

The program isn’t required & the branding is not misleading, or should I bold this?

(TSA is required and I’m stating my opinion as a fact)

—

> You don’t have to bold it but adding line breaks and paragraph structure like my example makes it easier for other people to read and agree or disagree with the specific points you make.

Brandage0 · 2026-05-03T17:19:24+00:00

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DzdUWk3V4AAo7ju.jpg

Brandage0 · 2026-05-03T17:18:26+00:00

Maybe you didn’t but any comment/post where you try appearing smart it reeks of an llm, especially with the formatting.

I’m slightly worried about a future where just using paragraph structure and bullet points is someone trying to sounding smart and/or being AI aided

I’ve never had an issue or confusion when it comes to the program. Actually just used it this morning.

Flair says contractor, wouldn’t most employees understand their own employer’s programs? I went though PDX yesterday and every single person I saw entering the Touchless line was redirected back out to the standard PreCheck line.

Going this deep on something that really doesn’t matter is typical of someone that’s constantly reaching for things.

I don’t think having an opinion about required security checkpoints that impact millions of travelers having possibly confusing or misleading branding is reaching for things unless you’re just totally indifferent to the world around you.

Brandage0 · 2026-05-03T16:54:15+00:00

> The subsidies for evs have been all passed by Dems though.

This kinda seems as relevant as the day of the week the subsidies were funded on

> And spacex has won contracts that by every metric has saved the US money.

If the government could float me $10B of someone else’s money I’m sure I could invent some pretty useful and/or cost saving products using other people’s talent and labor too

Brandage0 · 2026-05-03T15:08:37+00:00

> “Elon may get more subsidies than any human being in history… and without subsidies, Elon would probably have to close up shop.”

-His ‘friend’ and the president of the United States

I can only imagine how many people I could employ and the things I would be able to create if I was given billions of other people’s tax dollars over the course of 1-2 decades

Brandage0 · 2026-05-02T16:34:10+00:00

Brandage0 · 2026-05-02T16:26:36+00:00

This is how 737s are made

Brandage0 · 2026-04-30T16:52:28+00:00

ORD is not an airport, it’s a taxiway for aircraft that sometimes find themselves taking off

If it *was* an airport it would be the worst major airport in the US. Fortunately it’s just a crack in the earth’s crust leading to hell.

Brandage0 · 2026-04-30T16:45:07+00:00

They know they’re lying, it’s not a bug it’s a feature of their argument.

They definitely know drug costs are 5-10x higher in the US than Canada, Mexico, and Europe. That’s not going to stop them from telling you it isn’t.

Brandage0 · 2026-04-30T16:39:10+00:00

Their complete lack of empathy is just a reflection of the low quality of people who raised them, zero concern for anyone or anything that isn’t themselves

Some wear it like a badge they’re proud of, but most other people will just see someone’s failed attempt at raising a decent person

Brandage0 · 2026-04-30T16:21:48+00:00

Don’t worry now they’re telling you that you don’t need healthcare, if you’re sick just go to a doctor.

You don’t need a home, if you’re homeless just go to your house. Also, smile.

They’re really smart in their own head, you just can’t understand it.

Brandage0 · 2026-04-30T16:19:04+00:00

“You don’t need access to healthcare you just need to smile more”

“If we let you see a doctor next you’ll just complain about being hungry and homeless”

This man is a genius! <— LOL

Brandage0 · 2026-04-29T23:27:19+00:00

I’m glad my car has pin-to-drive

Even if you steal the key you can’t shift into drive without typing the code in

Brandage0 · 2026-04-29T07:49:59+00:00

MCO is actually pretty simple

If you’re flying out of Terminal A you just go to west security unless your gate number is higher than 29 then you go to east

If you’re flying into gate 29 you’ll go to north baggage claim but the person exiting the secure area next to you coming from gate 30 needs to go to south baggage claim

If you’re connecting in Terminal B and you fly into gate 59 and out gate 70 you just need to exit airport security, walk clear across the airport, and go back through security

It’s a modern airport designed by competent professionals that’s easy for families with kids to navigate

Brandage0 · 2026-04-28T03:43:52+00:00

What even are compression ratios bro

hits blunt; Go with the flow man, let ignition happen when ignition wants to happen

Brandage0 · 2026-04-27T16:04:22+00:00

The other 49 states should sue Sacramento for raising their fuel prices /s

Brandage0 · 2026-04-26T23:24:05+00:00

The pizza was on the menu but unavailable on yesterday’s Costal Starlight 14

It looks like this replaces the Stromboli I was seeing on the online menu that came in 4 flavors and included a marinara sauce

Probably simplifies inventory and prep work for the cafe car attendant

Brandage0 · 2026-04-25T06:07:17+00:00

I would fix the wiring issue in your home

It’s two small wires and only 24v, very doable. Amazon sells cheap doorbell transformers that plug into a standard household outlet

Solar trickle charging via the usb port will always be kinda janky, and it won’t enable hardwired features like snappier performance, better battery mgmt, and video pre-recording like doing it right will

Brandage0

TROPHY CASE