Southwest Airlines may be considering the acquisition of another US carrier. Comments shared on social media by board member Chris Click on February 14, 2025, seem to suggest this possibility.
Shortly after a board meeting, Click, who is also a representative of the flight attendants’ union, posted an online poll on his Facebook page asking followers to name the airline that Southwest Airlines “is looking at”.
Rumors about Southwest Airlines potentially acquiring one of its competitors are, in fact, not new. Industry analysts and commentators have been discussing a potential merger or acquisition involving Southwest Airlines since at least early 2024 and Southwest Airlines Pilots Association has reportedly sought already legal advice about the implications a deal of this nature would have for them.
Both JetBlue and Breeze Airways, the two airlines which topped the answers to Click’s public poll, are widely considered in the industry as potential candidates to a merger or acquisition, although, as of February 16, 2025, there is no official indication from
While Southwest Airlines pioneered the low-cost airline concept and for many years showed a strong financial and operational performance, its recent track record has been criticized by activist investor Elliot Investment Management.
After acquiring a 10% stake in Southwest Airlines, the investment firm started agitating for a top management reshuffle and the adoption of other measures that bring the airline with current best industry practices.
Elliot Investment Management has since managed to shake-up the airline’s board and the get Southwest Airlines to introduce new ancillary services, such as seat selection and effect some operational changes, such as the optimization of flight rotations, the reduction of turnaround times and a retrenchment from some non-core markets.
A number of second-tier airlines in the US are seeing significant corporate activity in the last few months. These include JetBlue’s failed bid to acquire Spirit Airlines, which was blocked by a federal judge and Alaska Airlines’ successful US$1.9 billion acquisition of Hawaiian Airlines.
Frontier Airlines has also attempted repeatedly to acquire Spirit Airlines, the most recent of which was rejected by the target carrier on February 10, 2024.
Southwest Airlines may be considering the acquisition of another US carrier. Comments shared on social media by board member Chris Click on February 14, 2025, seem to suggest this possibility.
Shortly after a board meeting, Click, who is also a representative of the flight attendants’ union, posted an online poll on his Facebook page asking followers to name the airline that Southwest Airlines “is looking at”.
Rumors about Southwest Airlines potentially acquiring one of its competitors are, in fact, not new. Industry analysts and commentators have been discussing a potential merger or acquisition involving Southwest Airlines since at least early 2024 and Southwest Airlines Pilots Association has reportedly sought already legal advice about the implications a deal of this nature would have for them.
Both JetBlue and Breeze Airways, the two airlines which topped the answers to Click’s public poll, are widely considered in the industry as potential candidates to a merger or acquisition, although, as of February 16, 2025, there is no official indication from
While Southwest Airlines pioneered the low-cost airline concept and for many years showed a strong financial and operational performance, its recent track record has been criticized by activist investor Elliot Investment Management.
After acquiring a 10% stake in Southwest Airlines, the investment firm started agitating for a management reshuffle and the adoption of other measures that bring the airline with current best industry practices.
Elliot Investment Management has since managed to shake-up the airline’s board and the get Southwest Airlines to introduce new ancillary services, such as seat selection and effect some operational changes, such as the optimization of flight rotations, the reduction of turnaround times and a retrenchment from some non-core markets.
A number of second-tier airlines in the US are seeing significant corporate activity in the last few months. These include JetBlue’s failed bid to acquire Spirit Airlines, which was blocked by a federal judge and Alaska Airlines’ successful US$1.9 billion acquisition of Hawaiian Airlines.
Frontier Airlines has also attempted repeatedly to acquire Spirit Airlines, the most recent of which was rejected by the latter on February 10, 2024.
