After more than 30 years in business Ultra low-cost carrier Spirit Airlines is shutting down.
Spirit endured hardship after hardship including a post-pandemic struggle where other carriers began flourishing under a more premium travel model. Two failed mergers and engine woes with supplier Pratt and Whitney that grounded a significant chunk of its Fleet didn’t help matters at all.
Spirit was involved in what you could call a bidding war with rival carriers Frontier and JetBlue before a district judge blocked the potential merger.
The airline filed for bankruptcy twice once in November 2024 and again in August of 2025. The airline attempted to get a federal bailout led by President Donald Trump and others but in the end the bailout failed.
Current US Transportation secretary Sean Duffy pointed the blame at the Biden Administration and their unwillingness to support a merger and instead supported an antitrust stance:
“Yet another mess the traveling public has to inherit thanks to the radical policies of Joe Biden and Pete Buttigieg,” Duffy said. “In blocking the JetBlue/Spirit merger in 2024, they turned their backs on the American consumer and our great aviation workforce.”