A group of U.S. budget airlines, including Frontier and Avelo, is seeking $2.5 billion in U.S. government assistance in exchange for warrants that could be converted into equity stakes, the Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday. Chief executives of several low-cost carriers met with Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and Federal Aviation Administration chief Bryan Bedford in Washington last Tuesday, the newspaper said, adding that discussions over a potential aid package are expected to continue in the coming days. According to the report, the group arrived at the $2.5 billion figure by estimating how much more it expects to spend on jet fuel this year compared with earlier forecasts, assuming prices remain above $4 a gallon on average.