Miami Herald
(TNS)
South Florida-based Spirit Airlines, known for its yellow planes, low fares and low frills, shut down operations Saturday morning after several years of financial struggles.
The shutdown came after a last-minute deal for a federal taxpayer bailout failed. Spirit had filed for bankruptcy twice and was running out of money.
“It is with great disappointment that Spirit Airlines has started winding down its global operations, effective immediately,” the airline said in a statement on Saturday. “All flights have been canceled, and customer service is no longer available.”
Spirit, which has a hub at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport and a new headquarters building in Dania Beach, said it would “automatically process refunds” for flights that were purchased with a credit or debit card.
Jet Blue, another discount carrier that had a deal to merge with the financially troubled Spirit, offered to assist passengers affected by the shutdown.
“We’re here to help,” JetBlue said.
Frontier, another possible merger partner of the past, also put out a hand: “We are ready to support customers … with a focus on helping people continue their travel plans with low-fare options.”
And American Airlines, with a major presence at Miami International Airport, said it is offering “rescue fares” on select routes to help Spirit customers.
FLL issued a travel advisory on Spirit’s shutdown: “All flights to and from Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport ad across the network are canceled. If you have a ticket booked on Spirit, the airline is advising travelers not to go the airport.”
Spirit has posted guidance for travelers with tickets on how to get refunds and retrieve lost luggage.
Some passengers trying to fly just ahead of the shutdown already felt the impact.
Roger Hayder, who showed up at FLL after his flight was canceled.
“I made a reservation, and I tried to get the boarding card … and it said canceled. I tried to text them and talk to them, nothing,” Hayder told Miami Herald news partner CBS News Miami.
The 34-year-old airline had been seeking a $500 million government bailout to keep flying, but negotiations failed to nail a deal. President Donald Trump said his administration had given the company a “final proposal” for a taxpayer-takeover. Like other airlines, Spirit has recently been struggling with increasing fuel costs with the recent conflict in the Middle East.
Ailing Spirit Airlines had been on a roller-coast ride for a couple of years, adding flights and cutting back, sometimes at the same time.
Earlier this year, Spirit, with more than 17,000 employees, reached a deal to exit its second bankruptcy filing in two years. But the airline continued service and even added some new features and destinations.
But in August 2025, Spirit warned investors and passengers of trouble to come — that it may no longer be in business in a year from then even after a successful bankruptcy restructuring and attempts to generate new sources of revenue. That doomsaying prophesy in a Securities and Exchange Commission report came after the airline announced new flights from FLL, to Grand Cayman, Belize City and Key West. The airline also appointed a new CEO and introduced “premium” offerings like extra legroom.
And just a year before, Spirit opened a gleaming new headquarters building at Dania Pointe, a restaurant and shopping district in South Broward. Spirit’s headquarters first arrived in South Florida in 1999, when it moved its headquarters from Detroit to Miramar.
But even with the additions, Spirit was having a hard time, and said it was cutting back some routes, downsizing its aircraft fleet and furloughing flight crews.
The airline’s shutdown blows a hole in airline service at the Fort Lauderdale airport. In 2025, Spirit carried more passengers who traveled to or from FLL than any other airline, with 28% of market share there.
“We are proud of the impact of our ultra low-cost model on the industry for the last 33 years and had hoped to serve our guests for many years to come,” Spirit said Saturday morning after it announced the airline’s shutdown.
This breaking news report will be updated.
©2026 Miami Herald. Visit miamiherald.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
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