JetBlue’s New York Slots, Mint Fleet, & Airbus A321XLR Orders: What Makes It An Acquisition Target?

US-based low-cost carrier JetBlue Airways has been very quick to deny that any kind of sales process is underway, but management continues to emphasize the airline’s overall multi-year JetForward turnaround plan. The renewed takeover chatter, however, highlights a much more important point. Specifically, analysts and observers alike have been quick to comment that JetBlue remains one of the most strategically interesting assets in US aviation. Rumors have indicated that the airline has explored how combinations with United, Alaska, or Southwest might fare with regulators, even as JetBlue publicly stresses organic recovery. That tension is what makes the story even more compelling. JetBlue is not attractive because it is financially dominant today.