Neera Tanden, a former aide for former President Joe Biden, pointed out that people should question whether the Biden administration’s DOJ “stopping” the merger between JetBlue Airlines and Spirit Airlines was “the right call,” as Spirit Airlines ceased all operations.

In a post on X, Tanden pointed out that, as Spirit Airlines announced they were ending operations, “Thousands of people are losing their jobs.” Tanden also expressed that while “perhaps it was” the right call, “an analysis of the situation “must consider as part of the equation” how many families are affecting by the loss of jobs from Spirit Airlines.

“Given the news today that Spirit Airlines is shuttering and thousands of people are losing their jobs, I think we should honestly assess whether the Garland DoJ stopping the JetBlue merger with Spirit Airlines was the right call,” Tanden wrote. “Perhaps it was, but any analysis must consider as part of the equation the loss to so many families to decide.”

Breitbart News’s Lowell Cauffiel reported that, as the low-budget airline, Spirit Airlines, announced all operations were finished, “17,000 people found themselves out of work” on Saturday morning.

In an announcement on the Spirit Airlines website, the company expressed that they were “proud of the impact” of its “ultra-low-cost model on the industry over the last 33 years.”

“It is with great disappointment that on May 2, 2026, Spirit Airlines started an orderly wind-down of our operations, effectively immediately,” the announcement said. “To our Guests: all flights have been cancelled, and customer service is no longer available. We are proud of the impact of our ultra-low-cost model on the industry over the last 33 years and had hoped to serve our Guests for many years to come.”

Breitbart News reported that in a video from an interview with CNN in 2023, former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg bragged about how the Department of Transportation was getting involved in opposing a potential merger between JetBlue Airlines and Spirit Airlines.