Spirit Airlines shuts down operations immediately
Investing.com -- Beleaguered U.S. low-cost carrier Spirit Airlines cancelled all flights and announced an immediate shutdown of operations early Saturday, ending 34 years as an ultra-low-cost carrier.
"To our Guests: all flights have been cancelled, and customer service is no longer available," the company said in a statement on its website. "We are proud of the impact of our ultra-low-cost model on the industry over the last 34 years and had hoped to serve our Guests for many years to come."
The airline directed passengers not to go to the airport and to visit its shutdown website for information about refund status.
Spirit had been working to emerge from its second bankruptcy in less than a year but those efforts failed amid rising jet fuel costs linked to the war with Iran. Last month, the airline requested financial assistance from the White House. President Donald Trump initially appeared open to helping, but on Friday reports indicated a shutdown was coming after talks between the company, bondholders and the White House broke down.
Flight tracking software showed no Spirit callsigned flights in the air as of early Saturday, with social media posts indicating the last Spirit flight NK1833 from Detroit to Dallas landed at 1:08 AM EDT.
The shutdown leaves more than 15,000 employees without jobs.
Spirit had attempted to sell itself to JetBlue in 2022 after struggling financially following the pandemic. Biden-era Justice Department officials argued the deal would violate antitrust regulations, and a judge blocked the merger in 2024. Spirit filed for bankruptcy protection for the first time months later, becoming the first major U.S. airline to file for Chapter 11 since 2011.
JetBlue and Frontier Airlines, Spirit’s key rivals, as well as other U.S. airlines said they are prepared to assist affected passengers with travel plans.