JetBlue plays to its strength in Fort Lauderdale after Spirit shrinks in South Florida

After years of regulatory headwinds and strategic dead ends, JetBlue Airways' long pursuit of Spirit Airlines has taken an unexpected turn - one that now places Fort Lauderdale at the centre of a high-stakes reshaping of the US low cost landscape.

Once the symbolic heart of Spirit's growth ambitions, the South Florida hub is rapidly becoming a proving ground for JetBlue's next chapter, as Spirit grapples with its second Chapter 11 filing in less than a year.

The irony is striking: having failed to acquire its closest competitor, JetBlue is now positioned to benefit from its rival's retrenchment.

Fort Lauderdale is no ordinary battleground. It is Spirit's headquarters, a critical revenue engine, and one of JetBlue's most strategically important bases.

As airport authorities actively court expansion and capacity shifts, JetBlue's footprint continues to deepen, quietly redrawing competitive boundaries in a market long dominated by ultra-low cost economics.

Yet this moment raises broader questions about industry consolidation, regulatory rigidity, and the fragile resilience of the low cost model in an era of rising costs and shifting demand.

This report examines how JetBlue is capitalising on Spirit's vulnerability, what it signals for Fort Lauderdale's future as a major US gateway, and why this unfolding dynamic may reshape competitive strategy across North America.