Money.
Spirit Airlines simply didn’t have enough of it to keep flying.
The Broward-based airline tried to find its way the past few years. But two possible mergers never happened. Fleet and crew cutbacks apparently weren’t enough.
And finally, with the airline burning through dollars - a situation not helped by the increasing costs of fuel from the U.S.-Iran conflict - a last-gasp federal bailout deal fell short.
So, before dawn on Saturday, the airline announced it was halting all flights and shutting down.
MORE: Fallout from JetBlue’s canceled merger with Spirit
In a prescient warning in 2025, Spirit executives predicted the company’s doom within a year, even after successful bankruptcy restructuring and attempts to generate new ways to make money.
Just last year, the Broward-based carrier introduced a “Go Comfy” section on planes, four extra inches of legroom and also a new loyalty program. The discount airline, which some travelers loved to hate, was trying to make it a bit more comfortable and fun to fly.
“If these initiatives are unsuccessful, management believes it is probable that we will be unable to comply with the minimum liquidity covenants under our debt obligations and credit card processing agreement at some point in the next 12 months,” the company said in a filing with the federal Securities and Exchange Commission. That “would result in an event of default.”
Those dire predictions came to be.
And now, travelers who depended on low-cost fares to get to and from South Florida will be without a company that tried, and then failed, to meet their demands.
MORE: Spirit and Frontier abort planned merger, leaving Broward airline’s future up in the air
With Spirit Airlines grounded, what should travelers do now?
Spirit Airlines halts flights and shuts down. Can you get a refund or rebook?
