United to Buy JetBlue? Here’s What We Know So Far
United says it's not in talks with JetBlue, but aviation watchers aren't convinced
Rumors flew over the weekend that an ascendant United Airlines may snatch up struggling JetBlue. United has denied that it’s in discussions with another airline but that refution hasn’t slowed the rumor mill.
The speculation originated with social media posts by aviation insider JonNYC, who has a solid track record of breaking big stories in the industry. He was the first to break the story that a stowaway snuck onto a Delta flight from New York (JFK) to Paris (CDG) in November.
“I have sources telling me UA [United Airlines] is heavily looking at B6 [JetBlue] — merger or buying assets or something else I’m not remotely sure at the moment,” he posted on X last week.
United dismissed those rumors in a filing with the SEC.
United’s Response
“It has come to the Company’s attention that there may be rumors spreading among certain of our investors regarding United’s involvement in a potential strategic transaction with another airline. The Company is not in negotiations or discussions with any other airline regarding a merger, acquisition, or similar strategic transaction and has not been in any recent discussions with any airlines regarding the same.”
Photo: United Airlines, first A321neo. Courtesy of Airbus
But aviation watchers aren’t convinced, pointing out that while the statement denies that United is currently in negotiations with another airline, it doesn’t exclude the possibility that the airline is considering such a move internally. That aligns with JonNYC’s initial post, which stated that United is “heavily looking” at JetBlue.
JetBlue With Open Arms?
JetBlue has made no secret that it’s open to suitors. Like other budget airlines, it’s struggled to turn a profit over the last few years and most recently posted a net loss of $44 million in the fourth quarter of 2024.
All of JetBlue’s recent attempts at partnerships have been blocked as anti-competitive by regulators. A federal judge barred its Northeast Alliance with American Airlines, in which the airlines coordinated schedules, traded takeoff and landing permissions, and offered frequent flyers reciprocal perks to compete with Delta and American in the profitable northeast corridor.
A judge also blocked JetBlue’s proposed $3.8 billion purchase of now-bankrupt Spirit Airlines on anti-trust grounds last year.
Photo: Courtesy of Randolph Rojas / Unsplash
However, there’s a new administration in the White House, and airlines are hoping it will be more favorable to them.
“We’re having conversations with a number of carriers right now to discuss the potential for future partnership,” JetBlue CEO Joanna Geraghty said last week.
“The judge in Massachusetts [who blocked the Northeast Alliance] obviously laid out a framework that would be acceptable under at least the prior [Biden] administration. So that’s what we’re looking at, but there’s nothing to announce now,” she added.
What If, United?
Industry watchers speculate that a union between United and JetBlue would easily win the approval of the business-friendly Trump administration, which authorized the Northeast Alliance in the first place.
Surely, it’s no coincidence that the last time investors were in a stir over a potential merger between the two carriers was in 2017, in the early days of the first Trump presidency.
Photo: United Airlines, Boeing 737-700. Courtesy of Chris Leipelt / Unsplash
JetBlue could certainly do worse than pairing up with United Airlines. The Chicago-based airline is riding high. Its fourth-quarter profits were up 64 percent to $985 million, and its outlook for 2025 is bullish.
United recently took on its 1,000th aircraft, giving it the world’s largest fleet, and will fly its biggest transatlantic schedule yet this summer.
What would United Airlines gain from snatching up troubled JetBlue? A greatest domestic presence to vie with rivals Delta and American.
That would include a return to New York (JFK), JetBlue’s primary hub. United hasn’t had a major presence at JFK in over a decade. Although it snatched up a few landing slots there in 2021 amid the pandemic downturn in travel, it pulled out just a year later, saying its schedule was “too small to be competitive.”
JetBlue’s Airbus A321LR is currently fitted with 24 Mint Business Class seats and two Mint Studios at the front of the cabin / Photo: Courtesy of JetBlue
United very much wants another outpost in the Big Apple besides Newark (EWR). It just needs enough gates, and JetBlue has them in spades at JFK.
JetBlue could also reinforce United’s presence in Boston, which it has largely conceded to Delta, and give it a hub in the Southeast, which United’s map notably lacks.
JonNYC reported a year ago that United was looking into opening a hub in Florida, and JetBlue’s focus city, Fort Lauderdale (FLL), could fit the bill.
JetBlue’s 290 aircraft, primarily in the Airbus A320 family, could slot well into United’s huge fleet. United has historically been Boeing’s largest customer but operates A320s and has nearly 200 outstanding orders for more jets in the family.
So, will the match between JetBlue and United get airborne? We wouldn’t rule it out.
