Spirit Airlines shuts down after 34 years, leaving 17,000 out of work

Spirit Airlines grounded all flights and began an immediate wind-down Saturday, ending 34 years of ultra-low-cost service and eliminating roughly 17,000 jobs in one of the largest carrier collapses in U.S. aviation history.

The collapse strips a key low-fare option from budget travelers across Southern California and Orange County, where immigrant communities have long depended on Spirit's discount domestic fares. The airline had carried 1.7 million domestic passengers as recently as February.

Spirit announced on its website that it had begun an orderly shutdown effective immediately, canceling all flights across its network, according to the Korea Times. More than 1,300 crew members were being repositioned to their home bases as the airline moved to cease customer service entirely.

"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," Spirit said in its shutdown announcement.

The carrier had filed for bankruptcy protection twice in less than two years — first in November 2024, then again in August 2025, when it reported $8.1 billion in debts and $8.6 billion in assets. Spirit had lost more than $2.5 billion since 2020, battered by rising operating costs and soaring jet fuel prices linked to the Iran war, the Korea Times reported.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy urged travelers Saturday to stay away from airports entirely. "If you have a flight scheduled with Spirit Airlines, don't show up at the airport. There will be no one here to assist you," Duffy said, according to the Korea Times. On the question of a federal rescue, Duffy was blunt: "we often times don't have half a billion dollars laying around."

United, Delta, JetBlue and Southwest offered $200 one-way flights to displaced passengers. Customers who booked directly through Spirit would receive refunds, the Korea Times reported.

Joshua Sigler, a Spirit passenger, offered a spare epitaph for the airline. "They get you there. It was cheap," Sigler said. He added that he had received no communication from Spirit about his canceled flights.

The final Spirit flight landed at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport on Saturday. The Trump administration had explored a federal bailout for the airline but failed to reach a deal. The Biden administration's opposition to a Spirit-JetBlue merger in 2023 was also seen as a contributing factor in the carrier's collapse.