‘Godspeed my friend’ as terminals go dark
Spirit Airlines kiosks at New York’s LaGuardia Airport on May 2, hours after the carrier shut down.
Leslie Josephs/CNBC
BALTIMORE/NEW YORK — Spirit Airlines was hours away from its final flights Friday afternoon. Jeremiah Burton was hours away from his first.
“It’s my first time flying,” Burton, a 45-year-old air conditioning and heating technician, told CNBC at Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport on Friday, shortly before he was scheduled to depart for New Orleans to visit his daughter and her newborn twins.
“To tell you the truth, I just went online and Googled the cheapest airline ticket,” he said, adding that he paid about $500 for the trip late last month. He was scheduled to return on May 6.
While Burton waited for his flight, Spirit was making final preparations to shut down overnight, ending a three-decade run that brought discount air travel to millions across the United States and as far away as Peru. Spirit canceled international flights on Thursday, to start, so travelers, planes, and flight crews wouldn’t be stranded. The airline said it flew more than 50,000 people the day leading up to its collapse.
Spirit bondholders rejected an 11th-hour bailout proposal from the Trump administration that could have included up to $500 million to keep the ailing airline afloat. The deal would have put the government ahead of other bondholders’ claims and given it an up to 90% stake in the airline.
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick called Spirit CEO Dave Davis to tell him there was no deal and that bondholders and the government were far from an agreement, according to a person familiar with the matter. Bondholders sent a letter to Spirit’s board, confirming that the end was near.
Terminals go quiet
A self-check-in kiosk at Luis Munoz Marin International Airport displays an “Operational Update” message after Spirit Airlines announced it was ceasing operations early Saturday amid an impasse in talks with some creditors over a $500 million government bailout plan, in Carolina, Puerto Rico, May 2, 2026
REUTERS/Ricardo Arduengo
Before dawn on Saturday, Spirit’s website and app were papered over with the message that operations had ended. “To our Guests: all flights have been cancelled, and customer service is no longer available,” it read.
By noon, LaGuardia’s Marine Air Terminal, an Art Deco facility that opened in 1940 and was home to Pan Am’s Clippers — and, most recently, home to Spirit at the New York airport — was nearly silent.
Cibo Express closed half a day early with no customers to serve. CNBC saw the last Transportation Security Administration officer who was sent home early. Screens on the arc of yellow kiosks read: “We regret to inform you that Spirit Airlines has ceased global operations.”
“It has been an honor to bring friends and families closer together for 34 years,” it said at the bottom, with a QR code with next steps.
United Airlines, Frontier Airlines, American Airlines, Southwest Airlines, JetBlue Airways and others said they are capping fares to get travelers home. United said about 14,000 Spirit customers booked tickets on United on Saturday. JetBlue also announced plans to expand its schedule at Fort Lauderdale with a host of new services to destinations ranging from Cali, Colombia, to Nashville, Tennessee.
Snowballing challenges
While things came to a head this week with access to cash drying up, Spirit’s problems were years in the making. It was profitable in the 2010s and expanded rapidly as customers filled planes. But it last made money in 2019.
The carrier has faced intense competition from richer, giant rivals like Delta Air Lines, United Airlines and American Airlines.
Spirit was also under pressure from its own bare-bones fares, soaring costs, a failed acquisition by JetBlue Airways that the Biden Justice Department successfully challenged, and an engine defect that grounded many of its jets. Airlines grew more reliant on high-spending customers who shelled out thousands for plush, premium cabins. Most recently, the surge in jet fuel prices resulting from the war in Iran was a challenge the airline couldn’t overcome, it said.
Last August, Spirit filed for bankruptcy protection for the second time in less than a year, and analysts said part of the reason was that it hadn’t done enough to reconfigure the airline, slash costs, and that it had avoided hard decisions after its first filing in 2024. Weeks before it had hoped to emerge free from its bankruptcy, it faced the added challenge of expensive fuel.
A Spirit Airlines customer service area at LaGuardia Airport’s Marine Air Terminal in New York.
Leslie Josephs/CNBC
Some 17,000 direct and indirect employees lost their jobs as a result of the airline’s collapse, the carrier said.
“The pain of this decision will not be felt in boardrooms. It will be felt by pilots, flight attendants, mechanics, dispatchers, and ground crews, and by the families and communities that depend on them,” wrote Air Line Pilots Association’s international president, Jason Ambrosi, on Saturday.
Sara Nelson, president of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, Spirit’s roughly 5,000 flight attendants’ union, wrote a letter to Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and acting Labor Secretary Keith Sonderling, urging them to try to help ensure that flight attendants are paid and compensated for earned vacation and per diems as the case works its way through bankruptcy court. She also asked that they receive a $600 weekly supplement to state unemployment from the federal government.
Enhanced Unemployment Support Proposed to Stabilize Households Amid Job Loss
“Standard unemployment coverage does not replace full wages, and this enhanced support would help stabilize households while workers secure new employment,” a spokesperson stated.
The Legacy of Spirit Airlines
Spirit Airlines, with just about 4% of the U.S. market share, had a significant impact on American travelers despite its relatively small size in the industry. Known for its budget-friendly fares and at times controversial customer service, Spirit was often referred to as the “airline America loved to hate.”
Henry Harteveldt, founder of Atmosphere Research Group and former airline executive, described Spirit as a “true pioneer” in discount air travel. Despite its challenges, the airline managed to capture attention both positively and negatively.
Even with its reputation, Spirit had its loyal customers and worked on improving its services over the years. It enrolled employees in the Disney Institute for training and focused on enhancing its on-time performance.
Read more about Spirit Airlines’ recent challenges
One passenger, Kara Snyder, shared her experience flying with Spirit Airlines. Despite its limitations, she appreciated the affordability for short flights. For longer international trips, she preferred other airlines like Delta.
Farewell to Spirit Airlines
As Spirit Airlines faced its final moments of operation, employees gathered at the headquarters to witness the end of an era. Amid emotional farewells, the last flights marked the closure of the airline.
Despite the challenges, an air of camaraderie prevailed among industry professionals as they bid farewell to Spirit Airlines. The last pilot expressed gratitude for the opportunity to work with the team.
Wes Egan, a longtime Spirit dispatcher, shared a heartfelt message with a pilot before the airline ceased operations, signifying the end of an era in aviation history.
