JetBlue wins auction for Spirit's slots at LaGuardia

JetBlue has won the auction for Spirit Airlines’ former slots at LaGuardia Airport, Reuters reported Monday.

Citing court documents, the outlet said JetBlue bid $58.5 million for 12 daily departure slots and 10 ​arrival slots at LaGuardia, which is one of three U.S. airports that use a slot system due to high demand.

Spirit formerly connected LaGuardia to destinations such as Dallas/Fort Worth, Chicago O'Hare, Detroit, Houston, and Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The carrier folded on May 2, and all flights were immediately canceled.

A small core of Spirit employees is overseeing the liquidation of the airline's assets, including airport gates and slots.

Reuters reported that JetBlue beat out a rival bid from Frontier, which offered $57.5 million for the LaGuardia slots. JetBlue already has 31 slots at the airport.

Spirit will seek final approval for the sale at a bankruptcy hearing in New York on Wednesday.