JetBlue Airways Corp.
JBLU,
Chief Executive Robin Hayes will step down in February after nearly nine years at the helm, citing the advice of a doctor, the company said Monday. The resignation comes as a federal judge decides whether to block the airline’s merger with Spirit Airlines Inc.
SAVE,
that Hayes championed. JetBlue President Joanna Geraghty will succeed Hayes to become the only woman in charge of a major U.S. airline. Hayes, who led JetBlue through the pandemic, spearheaded the launch of the airline’s first transatlantic flights and was the architect of its hard-fought battle to buy budget rival Spirit Airlines for $3.8 billion.