The FAA has granted final approval for JetBlue Airways to buy 22 former Spirit Airlines slots at New York LaGuardia Airport (LGA).
The decision clears the regulatory hurdle for JetBlue’s $58.5 million purchase, subject to a prohibition on leasing or trading the slots until after April 2028.
The FAA also waived minimum-use requirements through April 2027, allowing JetBlue time to introduce new routes or expand existing services. Any subsequent lease or trade would require FAA approval, while a further sale would require another exemption.
JetBlue secured the slots at a bankruptcy auction, outbidding Frontier Airlines by $1 million. The U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York approved the deal in July, subject to regulatory clearance, after Spirit ceased passenger operations May 2.
The FAA said bringing the slots back into use under JetBlue’s low-fare business model would benefit passengers and help the airline compete with LGA’s largest carriers. Even after the acquisition, JetBlue will remain below the 5% slot-share threshold used to identify airlines with a limited presence.
However, Frontier, Breeze Airways and the Association of Value Airlines in September called for future transfers restricted to LCCs, while the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey requested a five-year operating period before JetBlue could lease or trade the slots.
The FAA said the restriction through April 2028 would give passengers sufficient opportunity to benefit from JetBlue’s service and pricing. Any future transfer beyond the duration of LGA’s operating order would face another public-interest review. It also rejected arguments that it should assess whether another airline could offer greater benefits.
“Under the public interest standard and consistent with previous relief, it is not necessary for FAA to ensure that the proposed transfer provides the greatest public benefit or to evaluate alternative transfers when determining whether a transfer is in the public interest,” the regulator said.
The acquisition increases JetBlue’s holdings from 31 to 53 operating authorizations, raising its share of carrier-held slots at LaGuardia from about 2.7% to 4.6%. JetBlue previously said the purchase could support up to 12 additional daily roundtrips during 2027.
OAG Schedules Analyser data shows JetBlue currently offering approximately 311,300 departure seats from LGA during winter 2026-27, up 2.2% year over year and representing 3.6% of airport capacity. Its winter network comprises service to Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach and Orlando.
Delta Air Lines remains LaGuardia’s largest operator, with approximately 3.85 million departure seats and a 44.3% share this winter. American Airlines follows with 2.53 million seats and 29.1%, giving the two carriers a combined 73.4%.
Overall winter departure capacity is broadly unchanged at approximately 8.7 million seats. Spirit accounted for about 545,200 seats, or 6.3%, in the previous winter’s schedules.
Airports Council International-North America and the Port Authority have called for a wider review of slot policy. The FAA said it would consider their concerns when implementing or revising the rules, while emphasizing that JetBlue’s winning bid was not the basis for its decision. “Although JetBlue was the ‘successful bidder’ at the auction, the bid amount was not relevant to FAA’s determination,” it said.
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