Federal judges blocked JetBlue's partnership with American Airlines and later a planned purchase of Spirit Airlines.

Following the collapse of two major deals, JetBlue is in talks with multiple carriers to strengthen its competitive position and expand its loyalty program.

The unconfirmed combination could hold benefits for both carriers, but would likely encounter significant regulatory hurdles.

Spirit Airlines again rejected Frontier Airlines’s latest takeover bid, opting to instead focus on its restructuring process to bolster financial stability.  Spirit, an ultra-low-cost airline,

Spirit Airlines on Thursday rejected Frontier Airlines' latest proposal for a merger, which would have helped bring the Florida-based carrier out of bankruptcy to join forces with its top competitor.

Spirit’s approval comes after the third merger attempt by Denver-based ULCC Frontier Airlines, part of a back-and-forth process between the two budget carriers that dates back to 2022 when Frontier made a run for Spirit but was usurped by JetBlue.

While the strong brand and loyal customer base make a full closure unlikely, the pool of investors who will be able to pull the struggling airline back on track is limited — and, now that Spirit has rejected a merger offer from Frontier ( FRON) for a second time, got even smaller.

FILE -Spirit Airlines planes parked at the closed George Bush Intercontinental ... Frontier’s first attempt to merge with Spirit was in 2022, but it was outbid by JetBlue. However, the Justice Department sued to block JetBlue’s $3.8 billion proposal ...

A federal judge blocked JetBlue's planned purchase of Spirit Airlines last year. Another judge ruled the carrier's partnership with American Airlines was anticompetitive. JetBlue Airways is ...