Spirit Airlines shuts down after 34 years, ends operations

Spirit Airlines, an impish upstart that shook the industry with its irreverent ads and deep discount fares, announced on Saturday that it has gone out of business after 34 years. The ultra-low-cost airline that once operated hundreds of daily flights on its bright yellow planes and employed about 17,000 people said it had “started an orderly wind-down of our operations, effective immediately.”

The airline said on its website that all flights have been cancelled and customer service is no longer available. “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 announcement said.  The company advised customers that they could expect refunds but there would be no help in booking travel on other airlines. The shutdown was expected after Friday came and went without a needed government bailout for the cash-strapped business.

President Donald Trump said on Friday that his administration had given the budget carrier a “final proposal” for a taxpayer-funded takeover to keep it from going under, but a deal was not reached.

Trump floated the idea of a bailout last week after the airline found itself in bankruptcy proceedings for the second time in less than two years, with jet fuel prices soaring because of the Iran war. About 17,000 jobs could be impacted by a shutdown, Spirit lawyer Marshall Huebner said. Spirit has struggled financially since the COVID-19 pandemic, weighed down by rising operating costs.