JetBlue Airways Corp. formally abandoned its pursuit of Spirit Airlines Inc. more than a month after a federal judge blocked the $3.8 billion acquisition on antitrust grounds. “The lingering uncertainty is distracting and taking our resources away from more pressing priorities.” The decision ends JetBlue’s lengthy quest for Spirit and marks a sharp reversal after the companies pledged to fight …
Joanna Geraghty officially takes over as JetBlue’s chief executive in February. In addition to a federal judge last week blocking the carrier’s plan to acquire Spirit in a $3.8-billion deal, JetBlue’s route-sharing partnership with American Airlines Group was shot down in the courts last year. “But that seems to have worked off in the recent years and they seem like …