Southwest Airlines confirmed that the carrier submitted its binding cash offer of more than $170 million to acquire Frontier Airlines, which will be sold at auction as part of Frontier’s bankruptcy case. The bid was submitted to Frontier in accordance with the procedures established in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York.
Over the next week, Southwest will discuss its offer with the various interested parties. The auction is expected to commence on Thursday, Aug. 13. Once the auction is concluded, the bankruptcy court must still approve the selection of the winning bidder. From there, the bid will undergo review by the United States Department of Justice, which is normal and customary when one airline is purchasing another.