For the past eight years, in fact, Spirit Airlines and Frontier Airlines have been the will-they-or-won’t-they couple of the airline industry, having repeated merger discussions

Spirit Airlines Inc. is in talks with Frontier Group Holdings Inc. about filing for bankruptcy to facilitate a takeover by the rival discount carrier, according to people with knowledge of the matter.

Frontier Airlines is exploring a revived bid for Spirit Airlines Inc., the Wall Street Journal reported. The budget carriers recently held talks, though discussions are at an early stage and may not lead to a deal, the WSJ said, citing unidentified people familiar with the matter.