Duffy blames Biden-Buttigieg team for Spirit Airlines collapse after blocked merger

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said Sunday that the collapse of Spirit Airlines followed former President Joe Biden's administration’s decision, alongside former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and the U.S. Department of Justice, to block a proposed merger with JetBlue, after the airline ceased operations early Saturday morning and entered liquidation."The Joe Biden-Pete Buttigieg administration and DOJ tanked that deal," Duffy said on ABC’s "This Week." "Immediately after that, they filed for bankruptcy."Duffy’s remarks came as Spirit halted all flights at approximately 3 a.m. Saturday, closed call centers and ticket counters and began what he described as an "orderly liquidation process," while federal officials and airlines moved to assist affected passengers.Duffy said the shutdown left no operational support for travelers. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy says Spirit Airlines’ shutdown traces back to Washington blocking its last shot at survival, leaving planes grounded and passengers scrambling. (Yuki Iwamura/AP Photo)BUDGET AIRLINE BLASTED IN VIRAL VIDEO AS ‘PERFECT HONEYMOON WEEK’ ENDS IN TRAVEL CHAOS"Spirit does not have airplanes in the air flying as of this morning," Duffy said. "If you have a flight scheduled with Spirit Airlines, don't show up at the airport. There will be no one