Spirit Airlines calls off a Thursday reckoning on Frontier’s bid.

On the eve of a deliberate shareholder assembly on an acquisition by Frontier Airways, Spirit Airways stated Wednesday night that it was pushing aside the vote and would proceed to speak to each Frontier and a rival suitor, JetBlue.

The postponement, till July 8, was a shocking flip in a battle that analysts say may reshape the airline sector. The choice is a blow to the leaders of Frontier and Spirit, funds carriers that need to mix to allow them to extra successfully compete with the nation’s 4 dominant airways.

The Frontier stock-and-cash proposal values Spirit at roughly $2.4 billion, whereas JetBlue’s all-cash provide totals about $3.6 billion. There are additionally competing carrots to traders, like how a lot the rivals would pay shareholders if regulators blocked the deal — $350 million within the case of Spirit and $400 million within the case of JetBlue.

“This says each marriage proposals are engaging,” stated Samuel Engel, a senior vp and airline trade analyst at ICF, a consulting agency. “They need to see what the utmost dowry is that they will get.”

Frontier didn’t instantly reply to a request for touch upon Spirit’s announcement.

JetBlue’s chief govt, Robin Hayes, celebrated the postponement, the second time that Spirit has pushed off a shareholder vote on the transaction. “It’s clear that Spirit shareholders have now handed the Spirit board an simple mandate to succeed in an settlement with JetBlue,” Mr. Hayes stated in an announcement.

Frontier argues that regardless of its provide’s decrease nominal worth, the share portion permits Spirit traders to additional profit ought to shares of the mixed firm climb. It has additionally attacked JetBlue’s bid as much less prone to win regulatory approval. JetBlue contends that each bids are prone to be scrutinized.

Nonetheless, Frontier’s provide would additionally face a troublesome look from the Biden administration, which has taken a skeptical view of enormous company mergers. The variety of massive airways has drastically declined over the previous 20 years as carriers have merged, and clients are at present upset with airways as they deal with mass flight cancellations.

Shares of Spirit had been up 2.2 %, to $22.90, in after-hours buying and selling on Wednesday however nonetheless properly beneath the $33.50 that JetBlue has provided.

Spirit and Frontier introduced a proposal to merge in February. Weeks later, JetBlue countered with its provide. What adopted had been rounds of one-upmanship and, at occasions, bitter phrases. Spirit dismissed JetBlue’s provide as a “cynical try” to disrupt its merger with Frontier, whereas JetBlue took purpose at Spirit’s board, arguing that its ties with Frontier inhibited its objectivity in evaluating the deal.

Frontier’s chief govt, Barry Biffle, was a high Spirit govt from 2005 to 2013. William A. Franke, the chairman of Frontier, can also be a managing companion of Indigo Companions. the non-public fairness agency that when owned each corporations. He’s anticipated to go the board if the Frontier-Spirit deal is authorized. Frontier, which is now public, stays majority owned by Indigo.

Final week, the influential advisory agency Institutional Shareholder Providers beneficial that Spirit shareholders vote in favor of Frontier’s bid, a reversal from a previous advice based mostly on a revised provide from Frontier. On Tuesday, JetBlue put ahead one more sweetened provide.

Mixed, Frontier and Spirit would turn out to be the fifth-largest U.S. airline, with an 8.2 % share of the market, placing it behind American, Southwest, Delta and United.

“If our shareholders don’t approve the Frontier deal, we’re again to a stand-alone,” Spirit’s chief govt, Ted Christie, stated this week in an interview with The New York Occasions. “We’ve got made clear the problems that we have now with the JetBlue transaction.”

Spirit’s main grievance concerning the JetBlue bid is that it could not safe regulatory approval, significantly given the antitrust scrutiny that JetBlue has garnered from the Justice Division over its alliance with American Airways. The company stated in a lawsuit that American, the most important U.S. service, would use the partnership to “co-opt a uniquely disruptive competitor.” JetBlue and American deny that their deal is anticompetitive and are combating the case in courtroom.

Frontier and Spirit contend that with price financial savings and a bigger community, their mixed service would be capable of compete for extra clients whereas nonetheless providing very low fares, pressuring bigger rivals to carry down their fares, too.

One argument towards a merger is that continued competitors between Frontier and Spirit would power them to maintain fares low. With a merger, a few of that strain could be relieved, which could cause them to increase not solely fares but additionally charges — significantly on routes serving airports the place each now function, like Orlando, Fla.

Any acquisition of Spirit must cross muster with federal regulators. One purpose that they could oppose a merger of Spirit and Frontier is that forcing the businesses to stay rivals would push them to maintain fares low.