Spirit Airlines will shut down operations immediately following a failed White House bailout plan and “extensive and comprehensive efforts to restructure the business,” the airline said Saturday.
Key Takeaways
- Airport kiosks for Spirit, which entered bankruptcy in August for the second time in a year, on Saturday displayed a goodbye message and employees were alerted they’re being let go.
- The airline’s website tells customers not to go to the airport, and anyone with a ticket for a now-nonexistent flight will be issued refunds.
- Several other airlines, including United, Delta, Southwest and American, have announced “rescue fare” plans for Spirit customers with booked flights that will no longer take place.
- Spirit had 9,000 flights scheduled through the end of the month, CNN reported, and those flights have a total of 1.8 million seats.
- The closure comes after negotiations with the government over a plan to provide Spirit a $500 million government bailout broke down Friday, and the airline immediately began its closure.
What To Do If You Had A Spirit Airline Ticket
Those who booked flights with a credit or debit card can start the process of getting a refund at spirit.com. Those who booked with vouchers, credits or Free Spirit points will have to wait for their refunds until the bankruptcy court process decides how they’ll be compensated.
What Airlines Are Offering Help To Spirit Customers?
United, Delta, JetBlue and Southwest are all capping ticket prices specifically for Spirit customers who now need to rebook cancelled flights, according to U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy. JetBlue and Southwest are offering the deal for 72 hours. Southwest’s deals are available only in person, at airport ticket counters. Delta is offering the deals for five days, and United for two weeks. Customers will need to provide a Spirit flight confirmation number and proof of payment to qualify. American and Delta are offering reduced fares on high-volume Spirit routes. Allegiant will freeze fare prices across routes that overlap with Spirit. Frontier is offering up to 50% off base fares across its network until May 10.
Key Background
Spirit, a budget airline known for nickel-and-diming customers, has been struggling for years. It tried to survive by merging with other airlines, first with Frontier, but that deal broke down in 2022 after JetBlue made a higher bid. The JetBlue-Spirit deal was later blocked in 2024 by federal courts, and Duffy on Saturday blamed the airline’s closures specifically on the Biden administration blocking the deal. Spirit filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in November 2024, emerged from bankruptcy after restructuring in March 2025 then again filed for bankruptcy in August. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick championed a deal to provide Spirit a $500 million tax-payer-funded government bailout, which President Donald Trump said Friday his administration was still weighing, but the rescue ultimately failed.
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