Frontier Airlines CEO: JetBlue buying Spirit could lead to 40% ticket price inflation

Frontier Airlines CEO Barry Biffle issued a stern warning to travelers that use Spirit Airlines: Beware of soaring ticket prices should regulators approve the airline's merger with JetBlue. "If you are a Spirit customer, you will see the biggest inflation you have ever seen," Biffle told Yahoo Finance Live (video above). "You're going to see fares jump up over 40%. It's going to be hundreds of dollars per family. And so that's why I think it's a challenge for their consumers. There are going to be millions of people that get priced out." Said a Jetblue spokesperson to Yahoo Finance, "Customers will continue to benefit from JetBlue’s unique combination of low fares and award-winning service. Importantly, our presence on new routes is proven to bring down legacy fares more than ultra-low-cost carriers, benefitting customers and stimulating demand. So this is a win for customers – whether you fly JetBlue or another airline.” Spirit terminated Frontier's cash-and-stock deal to acquire the low-cost airline late Wednesday after failing to garner enough support from shareholders. On Thursday, JetBlue stepped in and said it would look to buy Spirit for a total equity value of $3.8 billion.<br/>