Spirit Airlines ended operations on the afternoon of Friday, May 1, 2026, closing the books on 34 years of service and leaving its website and app to tell customers by early Saturday that all flights and customer service were gone. [1]
The carrier canceled international flights on Thursday, April 30, before the shutdown to avoid stranding travelers, planes and crews. [1] It flew more than 50,000 passengers the day before it stopped operating. [1]
Bondholders rejected an 11th-hour bailout proposal from the Trump administration that could have brought up to $500 million and given the government as much as 90% ownership. [1] By late April, passengers were still booking last-minute trips on Spirit and paying about $500 for domestic fares, according to the report. [1]
Spirit said it ceased global operations, including flights out of New York City's LaGuardia Airport, where it had operated for many years. [1] Passenger Jeremiah Burton said, "It's my first time flying... To tell you the truth, I just went online and Googled the cheapest airline ticket." [1]
The airline's website and app displayed a message by early morning Saturday, May 2, saying all flights had been canceled and customer service was no longer available. [1]