JetBlue Airways has hired advisors to explore the possibility of selling itself to a competitor, Semafor reported on Wednesday, citing those familiar with the matter.
The airline has reportedly planned scenarios surrounding mergers with Alaska Airlines, Southwest Airlines, and United Airlines. It is also considering how each scenario may fare with political and regulatory hurdles in Washington, Semafor said.
JetBlue has previously explored mergers, most recently in 2024 to acquire Spirit Airlines. The $3.8 billion proposal fell apart over antitrust grounds, and the airline has looked for other options since.
JetBlue’s latest plans are far from concrete, and the airline could choose not to push talks with competing carriers. It is also unclear whether the carrier has held discussions at this point.
In response to the report, the airline affirmed its confidence in its JetForward strategy and its return to profitability.
“We’ve made meaningful progress on our multi-year JetForward strategy and are focused on executing the plan,” an airline spokesperson stated. “We’re confident JetForward is the right strategy to restore profitability and create value for our shareholders and opportunities for our crew members.”
In May 2025, JetBlue and United Airlines announced a partnership dubbed Blue Sky, allowing the two carriers to link their loyalty programs and swap slots.
United has long explored returning to JFK, and a potential merger with JetBlue would involve a significant amount of assets related to the New York City airport.
In a note to employees last week, United Chief Executive Officer Scott Kirby noted that the airline could benefit from the current unique environment, pointing to opportunities that may arise like buying assets and absorbing network changes.
Semafor notes that while United has teased the idea of acquiring JetBlue, it remains disciplined on price and could be deterred from JetBlue’s heavy debt load.
Asked about potential mergers in an interview with Bloomberg TV last week, Kirby downplayed rumors, saying “We’ll see–there’s lots of rumors about that.”
Featured image by the author.
