Spirit Airlines delays shareholder vote on Frontier deal

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Spirit, which was originally set to vote on the Frontier deal on June 10, said on Wednesday it had not changed its recommendation favoring the Frontier deal.

The company earlier this week received an improved offer from JetBlue that included a higher reverse break-up fee which would be payable to Spirit investors if antitrust reasons stopped the deal.

“The Special Meeting was postponed to allow the Spirit Board of Directors to continue discussions with Spirit stockholders, Frontier and JetBlue Airways,” the low-cost airline said in a statement.

Spirit shares fell 1.2% before the bell, while JetBlue and Frontier traded slightly higher.

U.S. carriers have been trying to expand their domestic footprints while being dogged by persistent labor and aircraft shortages. Either of the two deals for Spirit will create the fifth-largest U.S. airline.

Last week, proxy advisory firm Glass Lewis recommended Spirit investors back the Frontier deal, while another proxy firm, Institutional Shareholder Services Inc, advised against it.

(The story corrects date in paragraph 2 to June 10 from May 10.)