FORT LAUDERDALE-HOLLYWOOD INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, FLA. (WSVN) - Spirit Airlines, a major airline in operation for 34 years, has announced that it is going out of business.
“Despite the company’s efforts, the recent material increase in oil prices and other pressures on the business have significantly impacted Spirit’s financial outlook. With no additional funding available to the company, Spirit had no choice but to begin this wind-down. This is tremendously disappointing and not the outcome any of us wanted,” said Spirit CEO Dave Davis.
The airline, known for its bright yellow planes, shut down early Saturday morning after a $500 million government bailout did not go through.
Spirit Airlines released a statement reading in part: “It is with great disappointment that Spirit Airlines has started winding down its global operations, effective immediately. All flights have been cancelled, and customer service is no longer available.”
A Spirit Airlines crew member gave his final farewell on one of his last flights before the company’s closure.
“I don’t remember any of the bad times, just the good ones. Thank you for your support over the years. And, uh, onward and upward, right,” said the crew member.
Now, passengers and 17,000 employees are in limbo due to the airline’s overnight shutdown.
“I don’t know what I am going to do, honestly,” said a male passenger.
A mother and daughter who tried to board their Spirit flight to Dallas found out their flight was cancelled upon arrival.
“The line, no waiting, no employees. A total shock. What’s next, and how do we get our refund? Trying to figure out which airline is going to accommodate us,” said mother Tee Ibanez.
“We just bought our tickets yesterday, and this all happened today,” said daughter Miah Ibanez.
Dozens of passengers were left with cancelled flights Friday.
“I’ve never had a bad experience until now. This was my worst experience with flying ever,” said passenger Danah Ibrahim.
“I have the boarding card they gave me, and now I’m here, and the whole airline is closed,” said a male passenger.
When one passenger was asked if it had been a frustrating day, they said: “Yes, of course.”
Other passengers are saddened by the news.
“It was just so heartbreaking to see the news come out. I grew up on spirit. I was a proud gold member, all of my points down the drain,” said a female passenger.
A former Spirit flight attendant who was with the company for 20 years shared her thoughts about the shutdown to 7News.
“Every time I put that uniform on, I just transform into my professional persona. There’s so many employees that I met, just we might have had one flight together, and it was like we’d known each other our whole lives. We were Such a family. It was like a it felt like a small town,” said former Spirit flight attendant Carol Weingartner.
Weingartner was scheduled for a flight on Saturday to Atlantic City, and that flight never happened.
“Broken-hearted, defeated, like it’s over. Some people are afraid, like they don’t know what their next step is. We’re all furiously putting our resumes together. We just, we feel brokenhearted that it just, it ended so quickly and so abruptly,” said Weingartner.
For Weingartner, she’s going to take some time to spend with her grandkids, but is also making sure to continue in the aviation business.
“I’m not ready to retire,” said Weingartner.
The troubled carrier had previously experienced two bankruptcies and was in Chapter 11 bankruptcy at the time of the shutdown.
Lawmakers on both sides questioned using taxpayer funds to bail out the airline.
Now that the company has ceased operation, it is unclear if the organization will ever return after a failed government bailout from the Trump administration.
President Trump previously spoke to reporters about the possibility of a taxpayer-funded bailout.
“Well, we’re looking at it, but if we can’t make a good deal, no institution has been able to do it,” Trump said. “I said ‘I’d like to save the jobs.’”
With the bailout, the government would’ve been given as much as a 90% stake in the struggling company, but the proposed deal fell apart due to disagreements with the Trump administration and pushback from other creditors.
Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy blamed the Biden administration for blocking a 2023 merger.
“There was a proposed merger between JetBlue and Spirit, and Joe Biden and Pete Buttigieg, along with the Biden [Department of Justice], decided that they did not want that merger to take place, and this today would indicate this is not better for travelers, this is not better for pricing, this is not better for competition, actually, it’s worse,” said Duffy.
Despite recent moves to slash routes and trim their fleet of aircraft and rising jet fuel prices, the organization’s efforts to continue operating were not enough.
Now, many customers may not get refunds.
“They’re gonna be focused on their creditors, trying to get back as much money as they can there. Consumers unfortunately fall towards the bottom end of the priority chain in a liquidation event,” said Nick Ewin, Senior Editorial Director at The Points Guy.
The Dania Beach based airline employed nearly 20,000 people as well as thousands of contractors, with nearly half of them in South Florida, leaving their fate uncertain.
Passengers shared their concerns about their flights as well.
“What’s going to happen when we come back?” asked a woman.
“Oh, we’re going to be stuck,” said a man.
“I guess we’ll have to wait and see,” said the woman.
Other passengers are stuck and unsure about their next steps.
“Time is the difference. I’ve been here since 6:30 this morning, and I won’t get back home until about midnight tonight,” said a male passenger.
“I won’t be able to go to work in the morning, and we’re staying at the airport for 24 hours,” said a female passenger.
Captain John Jackson’s retirement flight with Spirit was canceled.
“Mr. John Jackson,” said a Southwest Airlines employee.
His flight home to Baltimore ended with a hero’s welcome as he disembarked.
Numerous airlines, such as American Airlines and JetBlue, have offered to help passengers through special routes and capped fares to help fliers get home.
“Usually, we fly Spirit all of the time. Usually, it’s the best affordable flight,” said a male passenger.
With Spirit shutting down, experts are concerned about the impact it will have on how we fly.
“It couldn’t come at a worse time for the airline to shut down. Air fares, which were expensive and have become more expensive, might become even more expensive without Spirit,” said airline industry analyst Henry Harteveldt.
To assist Spirit employees, the Department of Transportation is distributing travel pass benefits for those who need to get home, as well as preferential job interviews.
American Airlines and United Airlines are also creating microsites for those who want to stay in aviation.
Some of the factors that played into the closure are losses that go back to the pandemic and the continued rise of jet fuel, which has nearly doubled since the start of the conflict in Iran.
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