"Spirit might not be an elegant experience, but they are cheap. If they disappear as an independent enterprise … is that going to remove a source of downward pressure on price?"

William Kovacic, a professor at the George Washington School of Law and a former chair of the Federal Trade Commission, commenting to CNBC for its report late last week, “From Legroom to Airfare: How JetBlue’s Takeover of Spirit Could Change Air Travel.”