Spirit and JetBlue planes at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL) in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, US, on Wednesday, Nov. 1, 2023. JetBlue Airways and Spirit Airlines on Friday appealed a federal judge's ruling issued earlier this week that blocks the two carriers' planned merger on antitrust grounds. JetBlue had planned to buy Spirit for $3.8 billion in a deal struck in the summer of 2022. A federal judge on Tuesday, however, barred that combination, saying it would eliminate the budget carrie ...