So what do we think of Spirit potentially getting a bailout?
Posted by Used_Shower3984@reddit | flying | View on Reddit | 160 comments
https://www.cnbc.com/amp/2026/04/21/trump-spirit-airlines.html
I'm interested what people's thoughts are on this. I definitely hate government bailouts, but don't want to see pilots out of work.
Several-Village5814@reddit
No bailouts for corporations. They always want capitalism for profits and socialism when they have a failing business model.
HoldinTheBag@reddit
Normally, I completely agree. In this case I have mixed opinions, because I do feel like the government caused a lot of this.
First the Biden administration blocked the attempted merger with JetBlue.
Then the Trump administration, through tariffs and an unnecessary war, caused operational costs to sky rocket.
I feel like the last two administrations screwed this company. If the Biden administration would have let them merge then they may have had the size needed to weather the storm of the Trump administration.
So part of me thinks corporations need to exist independent of government bailouts. The other part feels like the government should assist with problems they cause
PWJT8D@reddit
The “Biden administration” didn’t block anything, that’s a common myth perpetuated on the internet, but has no standing in reality.
JetBlue sabotaged the merger when they got cold feed, if you actually read any of the court documents.
Less-Willingness3595@reddit
So the government suing to block and wasting 2 years of both airlines time and money had nothing to do with why JetBlue got cold feet? Cool
PWJT8D@reddit
Try to reply again, but without the insult this time.
I’m sorry about your furlough. This industry is tough and you’ll be better for it in the end. Spirit’s downward trajectory was not a surprise and I’m sorry you got caught up in it. Hopefully find a better opportunity soon.
PWJT8D@reddit
The documents are free to read, I suggest doing it before continuing to have no clue what you’re talking about
cincocerodos@reddit
Refuting MAGA pilots with something other than "Biden Bad!" is a pretty pointless endeavor.
JAMONLEE@reddit
A conservative judge blocked the merger, not the Biden administration.
HoldinTheBag@reddit
Damn y’all are really nitpicking that I said Biden I should have just left it as “the government, since the failed merger, has made life tough for this airline”
PWJT8D@reddit
We’re not nitpicking, you were flat-out wrong and it wasn’t even what happened.
JetBlue torpedoed their own argument for the merger because they wanted out of it. Stop perpetuating crap you read on biased message boards and find actual fact.
JAMONLEE@reddit
Words mean things. We’re in this mess because people say things like “Biden blocked the spirit merger” “Biden failed in the Afghanistan withdrawal” “Biden caused inflation”.
A conservative judge appointed by Reagan blocked the spirit merger. trump negotiated the Afghan withdrawal. Covid caused inflation and it started under trump.
Don’t get mad at me for words you wrote, endeavor to reduce misinformation not fuel it.
AKcargopilot@reddit
Personally I love paying for corporations mistakes.
unreasonablefolding@reddit
20 years now of purchasing corporations
TeslasAndComicbooks@reddit
Bailouts after 2008 were paid back with interest. I don't mind government assistance as long as there is a plan to pay it back. 14,000 jobs is a lot of tax revenue to let go of as well.
GiaTheMonkey@reddit
This. Bush and Obama don't get enough credit for writing and implementing the bailouts. The government profited off of the interest it generated and it saved a ton of jobs. I do wish that there were restrictions placed on corporate salaries and bonuses during the bailout though.
But as far as bailing out Spirit? I hope they don't get a lifeline just to jump into a merger/buyout with one of the Big 4.
AdSubject905@reddit
ummm... we paid for it with inflation. where do you think everytime they bailout these companys, that money comes from??? it's called inflation. every time we bailout something, we're printing which causes inflation aka $$$ weakening. This is how all empires fall. Money becomes worthless.
taycoug@reddit
True, but wouldn't it be better for the government to offer assistance to new market entrants? More competition is better for consumers. Plus, you then aren't using taxpayer money to make up for bad management decisions.
TeslasAndComicbooks@reddit
It’s much easier for an airline to review their business model and adapt for profitability than it is for a new business to scale in hopes that they could be profitable.
taycoug@reddit
True, it's extremely unlikely for new ventures to be successful. But if there's a realistic way for Spirit to adapt their business model to be profitable, why the everliving fuck haven't they done it already?
Providing a safety net for poorly run, fragile large enterprises while providing no safety net for someone starting a new airline is, to me, a really unhealthy system.
flynryan692@reddit
Spirit is adjusting their business model for profitability. They have been since the JB merger fell through. Turns out that costs money, lots of it, so it doesn’t happen overnight.
Guam671Bay@reddit
That was the American banking system including Goldman freaking Sachs. Way different asset class
sprulz@reddit
They haven’t considered pulling themselves up by their bootstraps yet man come on
SalesAndMarketing202@reddit
You can't pull up your bootstraps if you don't have any boots. Wait, nevermind.
AdSubject905@reddit
we'll be paying for ai bailout too. They are spending $Trillions on these data centers which will never pay back those loans.
Spirit will be owned by gov't, and Southwest isn't too far behind. I think USA will end up owning both airlines, then merge it then spit it out when market is in better condition.
Help_meToo@reddit
I am against government bailouts of corporations. In this instance the government is innocent. Spirit was going to merge with Jet Blue but called it off because they weren't going to get government approval in time. So I am kind of undecided about it.
dopexile@reddit
Got to love how they had a merger planned with Jet Blue, but the government wouldn't allow it because it "would reduce competition," so they will go bankrupt and lay off all of their employees instead.
sprulz@reddit
Ah yes the poor shareholders who sold the company’s employees down a river because they got greedy.
Green-Sagan@reddit
Is your profile picture Danny Davito and Eric Andre?
sprulz@reddit
Yes
Raccoon_Ratatouille@reddit
Spirit testified they didn’t need the merger to survive and Jet Blue testified the merger would result in higher ticket prices. What do you think antitrust law is for?
swakid8@reddit
This supports my theory that JetBlue used the courtroom and judge to bail them out from this merger…..
JetBlue realized after they won the bidding war that they would be throwing good money after bad and needed to find a way out.
So going into the courtroom to admit that they were going to cut flights, raise ticket prices is an easy ticket for anti-trust issues. As a result, the judge had to rule the way they did…
PWJT8D@reddit
It’s not just a theory, it’s what they did. The court docs show they sabotaged the hearings to get out of the merger.
swakid8@reddit
That’s the action that supports my theory.
My theory was about the thought process of B6 management team going into those…. Somewhere in the JetBlue c-suite, conversations were “Geez, what the hell did we just do. We need to find a way out of this mess.”
Or
The second theory was that it was that JetBlue management team formulated a plan to prevent a Frontier/Spirit merger know that investors were greedy then tank their merger in the court room which would have resulted in Spirit going through this….
prex10@reddit
Someone drove some exec out to Goodyear probably and they saw the ocean of yellow planes with engine covers and tin foil over the windows and wheels
dopexile@reddit
Apparently, it is there to make the company go bankrupt, shut down operations, reduce the supply of flights/passenger tickets, everyone loses their jobs, and consumers get higher ticket prices.
lil_layne@reddit
That seems like it is more the Spirit shareholders fault for backing out of the merger with Frontier that they agreed to that did not violate anti-trust laws for a merger that does violate anti-trust laws. The Spirit board literally told the shareholders that the JetBlue merger would probably be blocked but they didn’t listen.
PWJT8D@reddit
The shareholders have a duty to take a better deal. F9 (Bill Franke - former head of NK) was buying them in a handshake deal from a decade ago when he left his right-hand man in charge of Spirit. JB offered significantly higher price per share, the shareholders collectively took a better deal for their interest (money).
dopexile@reddit
If true, that is basically using a government bureaucracy as a tool to welch on your promises and obligations.
Raccoon_Ratatouille@reddit
Spirit’s CEO testified under oath that Spirit didn’t need the merger to stay in business. So why should a merger that isn’t needed and would result in higher ticket prices be approved?
dopexile@reddit
I don't think any business can have its CEO go out and say, "We are bankrupt in a few months if this merger doesn't happen".
If the merger falls through or doesn't get an approval, it is a guaranteed death sentence. Impossible to raise debt or equity after that.
swakid8@reddit
No, but execs have ways to argue for mergers….IE, we need this merger in order to be competitive in the market….
cincocerodos@reddit
Amazing how many people forget this.
FlyingPetRock@reddit
This.
I am amazed at how memory holed everyone seems that this is "DOJ/Biden's fault" when: - Spirit board told shareholders not to accept JBs offer because it was too risky. - JB also left numerous incriminating comments/facts in their filing paperwork stating that they would be eliminating the Spirit ULCC product immediately and going all LCC (AKA smoking gun re competition). - That everyone knows the Trump admin world have approved it because they could be ~~bribed~~ convinced, if they had just waited another year.
I feel so angry and sad for the workers at Spirit, because they had zero say on this, and they will be the ones who pay the price of their boards greed after seeing the $$$$$ JB threw on the table.
PW sickened Spirit, greed mortally wounded them further, and Trump's insane war in the ME is finishing the job.
AccomplishedBad7253@reddit
fore sale on their assets means that others will buy those assets and put them to more productive use
dopexile@reddit
Sure, after they rust away and maintenance lapses for 9 months while the bankruptcy auction settles everything out.
AccomplishedBad7253@reddit
fine
Charming-Accident407@reddit
lol the shareholders voted this in rather than a merger with Frontier which probably would’ve been approved. They can sow what they reap but I feel bad for the employees taking the brunt of it
JAMONLEE@reddit
Yeah a conservative judge not allowing them to merge and continue to provide meaningful competition with the majors really helped us all out
swakid8@reddit
Judge had the rule that way legally…..
Spirit argued that they didn’t need the letter to survive…
JetBlue argued that they were going to get rid of the ULCC competitor, cut flights, routes, and raise ticket prices (anti-trust violations)…..
Blaming the judge while ignoring the context of the arguments during the court hearings is like sticking one’s head in the sand….
JAMONLEE@reddit
He didn’t. It’s clear jet blue got cold feet and manufactured a bunch of nonsense to destroy the deal they brokered
NationalLaw478@reddit
I love paying for government mistakes even more.
AKcargopilot@reddit
Haha over half the country voted for those mistakes.
NationalLaw478@reddit
Mmm idk. I think both parties are absolutely terrible which is why we are trillions in debt.
NationalLaw478@reddit
Downvoted? Guess people like government spending. Shrug.
sprulz@reddit
Like another forever war in the Middle East that we shouldn’t be in, right?
deltalimes@reddit
I know they’ve been bleeding for a while, but isn’t the most pressing factor right now oil prices caused by the government’s little escapade in Iran? Seems like a bailout would be fair.
Several-Village5814@reddit
Spirit hasn’t made money since 2019…
80KnotsV1Rotate@reddit
Even without the oil (what about every other airline too?) spirits business model has been swirling the drain for years. They can’t turn a profit and no amount of bankruptcies will fix that glaring issue.
Veritech-1@reddit
If only there was a viable path out of this for them back in 2023. Like a merger or something. The government wouldn’t stand in the way of a thing like that.
Flimsy-Ad-858@reddit
If JetBlue hadn't stepped on their own dick during that process, none of this would have happened.
If you're the government in that situation and you find internal comms basically outright saying "this is how much we'll be able to raise ticket prices due to eliminating our competition", and you don't do anything, it raises questions about what the point is of an anti trust law to begin with.
Used_Shower3984@reddit (OP)
They have been bleeding for 8 years. This oil prices may have slightly moved up the timeline, but they were in their second bankruptcy in 12 months before Tehran went boom.
unreasonablefolding@reddit
day time & location of nearby protest
Timely_Group_7644@reddit
I’m a spirit employee, I’m wondering the the pros and cons would be regarding government ownership
hemlockone@reddit
I've always hated their "government cut" marketing. They do have inexpensive flights on routes that I use (sometimes the only one on that route.). I am totally ok with a-la-cart pricing and bare service. But heavily marketing that government is evil and then connecting with it for help is insane hypocrisy. I don't see myself using them again.
AcmeGrip@reddit
Soon to re branded as Trump Air
Help_meToo@reddit
I am government bailouts of corporations. In this instance the government is innocent. Spirit was going to merge with Jet Blue but called it off because they weren't going to get government approval in time. So I am kind of undecided about it.
Admirable_Formal8937@reddit
I agree with Trump on most things, but I don't believe the government should be bailing out a greedy airline.
Thakkmatic@reddit
We hate it.
Ignorance_Is_Boring@reddit
This one I’m ok with. For the sake of us that know how to act on planes I don’t want that customer base leaching onto United or Delta 😂
Embarrassed-Bug-8495@reddit
What are we printing money now !!!! Smh No bailout
tardigrades_snuggle@reddit
We should use that money to hire more ATC.
Agent62@reddit
I hope all Spirit pilots land on their feet and wish them the best.
Corporate welfare really has no place in the country for a carrier with less than 2% of market share.
For a variety of reasons the model/company failed. It sucks but why should they get help when hundreds of other airlines have been allowed to fail?
Consumers will be hurt, but consumers are already choosing other airlines. It's over.
Shinsf@reddit
This is the only comment I'm going to touch since I have a bias
But if spirit had a larger market share do you think it would be more reasonable for a bailout?
Sauniche@reddit
Reasonable? No. Necessary, unfortunately. If Delta/UU/AA or SWA liquidated you'd leave millions of people with almost zero air travel options. Eventually the void would fill but imagine the entire population of Atlanta, SLC, Detroit, and MSP being left with no real options if Delta suddenly died
Shinsf@reddit
The argument can be made then if it's fair for the bigger players it's fair for the smaller.
Or the talk of breakups. At the end of the day a large portion of spirits problems come from the government interfering during covid and with the merger.
swakid8@reddit
You can’t blame the government on interfering with the merger when NK management argued that a merger wasn’t needed and JetBlue management team arguments during the hearing raised anti-trust concerns that forced the judges hands in the ruling…..
Also, NK shareholders were warned to take the Frontier deal as that had better odds of being approved anyways…. But they wanted more so they took the JetBlue deal….
NK management team and shareholders are to blame with where NK is at today. Blaming the government is a cop out…
Blaming Covid…. That happened like 6 years ago… Airlines had ample time to retool their businesses and take advantage of the recovery.
It’s a shit situation for NK employees caught in the middle….
Shinsf@reddit
The covid bailouts affected spirit disproportionately because the government forced spirit to pay it back vs let's just look at united received 22 times the the amount of covid relief for free.
The government placed the AD on the PRAT engine which disproportionately affected spirit. This should've been handled by Prat moreso but still the AD was placed by the US Gov
The spirit jetblue merger took 2 years to go through the ringer.
Ted should've been replaced the moment the merger came under conflict. The shareholders were greedy
Byt to say the government is blameless is about as accurate as saying spirit is blameless.
swakid8@reddit
Everys airline had gotten some form of grant money that was proportionate the size of their payroll. Of course legacy carriers were going to get more cares act funds, legacy’s carry more employees on their payroll vs Spirit for example…..
That PW AD also affected other carriers….
Again, JetBlue used the courtroom to backout from that merger…. Go review JetBlues arguments during those hearings….
Yeah, I am saying the government is blameless for Spirits situation. The blame is placed squarely on the management team.
Shinsf@reddit
United revenue in 2019 43.2 billion covid funds 5 billion
Spirit revenue 2019 3.8 billion covid funds Roughly 330 million.
So 16 times difference in covid funds if you took that 16x and applied it to the revenue spirit made you come to roughly 64 billon a 60% increase over the same "market share"
And again spirit had to pay it back united didn't. Pratt may have affected other carriers but for spirit it was 40% of the fleet and the launch customer.
swakid8@reddit
Those care act funds weren’t tied to revenue but more so to payroll amount and the amount of employees….
2019 United spent approximately 12 billion in payroll/compensation while carrying over 100K employees
Vs
Spirit who spend 865K for the full year with 9K employees in 2019….
Of course legacy carriers were going to get a chunk of the cares act money when it was related to carrying payroll and a higher amount of employees…
Again, we are talking about things that happened six years ago….. 6 years is a long time. Plenty of time to pivot and change when there were clear signs that the ULCC business model was under pressure…
Trying to place blame on the government just straight up deflecting from what the true issue was, a management team who did not or refused to read the room that what they were selling in regards to ULCC, consumers weren’t buying…
Sauniche@reddit
This is also true. Why was the abomination known as AA allowed to form out of like 5 almost simultaneous mergers but Jet Blue wasn't allowed to absorb Spirit and stay the 5th largest airline? Like it didn't change the pecking order at all. Especially when Hawaska was allowed like 9 months later. This is somewhat of a government induced problem.
RAF2018336@reddit
I agree with everything you’re saying. But bailing out a company using taxpayer money because it was the governments fault they got so big in the first place is an ass position to have. We should totally be letting big companies fail, and be even stricter with them in the first place imo
FormulaJAZ@reddit
A bigger airline wouldn't need a government bailout because there are so many stakeholders that can't afford to see a major airline go out of business. Airplane leasors, engine manufacturers, mileage credit cards, airports, etc.
20 years ago, US Airways tried its hardest to go out of business, but these constituents continued propping up the airline and bailing it out of bankruptcy multiple, and that was back when US Airways was the 8th largest airline in the US. There is no way one of the top 4 go out of business because there would be too much collateral damage, so these dependent companies keep lending them more and more money.
metalgtr84@reddit
The majors got $54 billion in 2021. Some of it was loaned but most of it was “grant” money.
swakid8@reddit
The government will only step in if there’s an entire industry sector at stake….
Covid shutdowns impacted every airline and as a result the Government stepped in to protect interstate commerce as the airline industry is vital to it….
Just like how government stepped in and provided grants for airlines months after 9/11…. To prevent the airline industry sector from collapsing….
The auto industry bailout. Government stepped in to rescue Chrysler and GM…. Ford was right behind them as well. To prevent total collapse of an industry sector….
The government will not step in to protect a single entity from failure though….. The airline industry is littered with many big name brands that were allowed to fail. Braniff, Eastern, Pan Am. TWA was in its way there and they negotiated a pre-packaged Ch.11 deal with AA.
FormulaJAZ@reddit
When government officials ordered all of the airline's customers to stay home, the government should take responsibility for that.
Of course, that entire COVID debacle has nothing in common with bailing out a poorly run airline.
Shinsf@reddit
Funny considering every company got a bailout 6 years ago.
FormulaJAZ@reddit
Are you comparing government-mandated COVID lockdowns, where there were more employees on flights than customers, to a poorly run airline? 'Cause, yeah, those seem like very similar things.
Waste_Salt@reddit
So Trump effectively put spirit airlines out of business due to his Iran war that caused oil to spike 60%, and now he wants taxpayers (us) to bail out the failing airline with a $500 million federal package. Neat!
declinedinaction@reddit
A government is supposed to have stock in its citizens and its people.
I guess spirit executives don’t have to eat liver and buy their children 1 doll instead of two.
No ‘just fly folks in an EVOL instead” for corporate welfare queens
Average-NPC@reddit
I love when corporations get bail for failing if we’re going spend money on bailing them out I rather we just nationalize it and be done with it or just let the fail
Outfammo1@reddit
Username checks out.
harrykunter@reddit
The only reason I would support a bail out is because it will keep a certain type of passenger off the other airlines. And we all know that would be a great thing for us civilized folks
tropicalgetaways@reddit
I think that people are unwilling to agree that there are a lot of reasons why Spirit will likely go away. It’s never just a singular reason.
febrileairplane@reddit
Ideally Spirit is acquired by another airline. Then the jobs, service, are preserved while taxpayers aren't funding defunct businesses.
Spirit as a company needs to go away. The government needs to encourage the creditors to accept any offer from another airline.
tropicalgetaways@reddit
I think that is ultimately the goal of the administration- to subsidize some sort of acquisition. But even that is shaky. If you’re one of the larger airlines, and you want Spirit’s assets, why spend more now when you can wait it out and get them for pennies on the dollar?
InfluenceQuirky1136@reddit
There is a great deal of government involvement in airline competition. Airports, taxes, access, routes.. it’s highly regulated. The low cost model is the airlines’ cost structure, not its consumer driven price for product. Spirit has been under scrutiny since COVID. Engine issues gates, a failed merger….Basic cabin tickets were a result of its presence in large markets. Those strategies to compete from the larger Airlines do not last forever. The luck came from a pandemic and other external pressures. today Spirit has a very low cost compared to other airlines. Shedding debt and getting aircraft that operate without engine issues would paint a very different picture. If you strip away credit card induced revenue at Large Airlines, you would find that none of them make money. They simply charge more, cost more and provide a similar product. Prior to our current fuel crisis there was a solid plan to get back to profitability. If you think Spirit will be the only airline that won’t liquidate I think you’re wrong.
GodOfNoobs6@reddit
I mean, TBH i’m not 100% against it. Because look at how much tax payers $ we’re currently wasting out there in the Middle East.
AccomplishedBad7253@reddit
worst idea ever.
TheDuckFarm@reddit
Makes sense. Bailing out was what I wanted to do when I flew in them.
williego@reddit
You don't bailout the pilots & staff, you bailout bond holders, shareholders, and the funds that hold these.
Planes dont get dismantled, buildings don't get demolished, they get sold for pennies on the dollar. Now you have the same company without the debt that needs pilots, and now are in a position to pay more & offer lower fares.
flyingwithfish24@reddit
Hot take: a lot of the pilots on this sub saying “we shouldn’t bail em out” probably wrote their congressman for a bailout for their airline during Covid.
Urrolnis@reddit
Hundreds of pilots and FAs got furloughed, concessions taken from those that survived, and the execs didn't give back their bonuses they took the day they furloughed employees.
No, they should not be bailed out until the executives pay back all their bonuses.
sprulz@reddit
There’s a difference between a black swan event that resulted in the entire planet shutting down and running your business into the ground due to poor management.
burgonies@reddit
Maybe, but airlines weren't suffering during COVID because of corporate fuckups
I_am_Mun_C@reddit
One could argue that they should have had bigger war chests, more diverse revenue streams, and better contingencies for black swan events. Things like that are a natural opportunity for more conservative, apprehensive airlines to gain an advantage over the more brazen and bloated airlines. Going under because something like COVID, the financial crisis, or 9/11, could be considered its own type of corporate fuckup.
The current airline strategy of “go big or go home” has been cultivated by bailouts. You overextend during the times of plenty so you can maximize revenue/profits, and then when the storm comes you can be reasonably assured that someone else will save you.
0621Hertz@reddit
I wasn’t in the airlines during Covid but theres a big difference between corporate fucking up bad and a once in a multi generation disease.
Phospherus2@reddit
The Spirit brand has been tainted for years. Once you get branded the bottom of the barrel airline you are screwed. People openly mock Spirit and openly choose to take their business elswhere. That alone was the receipe for faliure.
Not saying a ULCC can exist in the US. It can. But Spirit let its image get dragged through the mud for too long.
Urrolnis@reddit
Its not the branding, its the business model. LCCs are fine, ULCCs are predatory and outwardly adversarial against their customer base. They rely on first time customers, assuming they won't come back.
Initial-Pain8869@reddit
Trump does have history owning an airline….
Several-Village5814@reddit
And filling bankruptcy
Used_Shower3984@reddit (OP)
Basically the title. Spirit has failed as a business model, but I don't want their customers or pilots to be left in a lurch, so I was curious what everyone else thought?
Veritech-1@reddit
Spirit had a clear path out of their failing business model and it was a merger. The government denied it under the premise that their business was too critical to maintaining lower ticket prices.
The government has already decided that they are too critical to consumers to dissolve, but now they are dissolving because they can’t maintain their price competitiveness (directly due to government action) and I’m supposed to view this as a failure of the business?
I’m not a proponent of government bailouts but the government directly caused Spirit to fail by denying the merger when they were on the brink of collapse due to various other issues.
lil_layne@reddit
This is so false. The government was not going to block the original Spirit-Frontier merger that Spirit agreed to. After they agreed to merge with Frontier then JetBlue gave the shareholders a better offer and the board told the shareholders to not accept that deal because it was likely the government would block it. The shareholders decided to not listen and be greedy and they fucked themselves over. The government did its job by blocking a merger that violated anti-trust laws that JetBlue admitted would raise prices and not be in the ULCC market. Spirit’s demise is all on the Spirit shareholders, not the government.
Veritech-1@reddit
So the government told Spirit and its shareholders that they had to remain a ULCC and denied the merger. The ULCC model in the U.S. is failing and Spirit attempted to merge with an airline that would pull them in a different direction and the government denied it on the basis that they wanted to keep prices down.
lil_layne@reddit
The ULCC model is failing with current oil prices yes, but other ULCC airlines will be fine if there is less competition and more consolidation and oil prices go back to normal. Breeze has had moments of profitability recently, Allegiant was more profitable in Q4 2025 than they anticipated and that is before the merger with Sun Country that will help them be more profitable.
Spirit oversaturated their market and was the reason why they have been failing. Again it is their fault this has happened, not the government’s fault. I think the government does want more consolidation with the ULCC airlines if that is what is needed to survive, but not a merger with an airline that won’t participate in the ULCC market. If Spirit liquidates, that would not be great for ULCC consumers but there still is opportunity for Allegiant, Frontier, Breeze, Avelo to be in the market and ultimately that would help those other ULCC companies stay afloat.
Ok_Excitement725@reddit
Yup exactly. The model is extremely flawed. They haven’t been making money and they won’t magically start making money now. Bailing them out is just putting a bandaid on a gaping wound, they will keep coming back asking for more tax payer cash til the free money glitch ends.
I think most of the pilots, FAs and mechanics etc…will be absorbed by other airlines very quickly anyway.
1046737@reddit
Unfortunately due to the way airline seniority works, it will be a massive pay and quality of life hit for everyone laid off.
HbrewHammrx2@reddit
Two bankruptcies but “please give us lots of money! This time will be different, we swear!!”.
No thank you. If you’ve been bleeding this bad for this long, maybe it’s just time to let nature finally run its course.
Veritech-1@reddit
“Let nature finally run its course.” Then why deny the merger?
prex10@reddit
Because JetBlue would be bankrupt now with all their planes sitting in the desert with engine problems. And JetBlue literally testified they would be raising prices if they merged.
Used_Shower3984@reddit (OP)
That is my thought. Like no amount of money is going to turn Spirit around, so why bother?
EM22_@reddit
I think that asking pilots making $150,000+ (many of whom fly for free) how they feel about a budget carrier going out of business, is the absolute worst group to ask.
Pilots deserve a ton of money. I’m not arguing that.
You’re just asking the populous that’s least affected by losing a budget carrier.
bgrant902@reddit
You’re right, but that what they’re saying is wrong, but the sample populous here is not quite the right target audience.
EM22_@reddit
Well said
21MPH21@reddit
If not a dime goes to any CEO or exec, but just to keep the airline running then I'm fine with it.
They need to replace the planes with RJs since they'll cost less to operate and they can sell them out. Then cut salaries across the board, CEOs to pilots to rampers. Obviously not an equal percentage for the lower income folks.
You can't pay DL/AA/UA CEO & pilot rates when you charge peanuts for seats and don't sell CCs.
Smoopilot@reddit
Maybe they shouldn’t have spent $250 million building a new headquarters building that opened in 2024.
fly_awayyy@reddit
That was announced and in progress when they were profitable…
Flimsy-Ad-858@reddit
Don't forget paying exec bonuses on the same day they announced furloughs.
jackpotairline@reddit
I just want to point out that someone really messed with our timeline.
The business dude from Home Alone 2 with the show where he says “you’re fired” is out here supporting Spirit, possibly with government funds.
Yellowtelephone1@reddit
I have a flight on Spirit on the 27th and I’d really like to not be out $23.
confusedguy1212@reddit
Better question is when is the last day?
CarminSanDiego@reddit
Yeah I’m not paying for spirit pilots to stay employed. Life’s tough - deal with it
Worried-Ebb-1699@reddit
Let em fold. Sorry, the company continues to demonstrate its inability to be run profitably and they continue to bleed.
Yes, I’m aware jobs will be lost: but if you’re still there, you ought to be well aware of the risks and the opportunities that have been made available elsewhere.
I enjoyed my time at NK, but this needs to end.
Head_Big3036@reddit
Our company allegedly had a new hire at the school house who dipped out back to NK a good portion through ground school this past month. Talk about a shit decision.
Flimsy-Ad-858@reddit
Jesus Christ that guy's decision making abilities should be studied.
yourlocalFSDO@reddit
I’m not opposed to bailouts of healthy companies affected by a black swan event. This isn’t that situation though. Spirits business model has been shown to not work. No amount of bankruptcy and bailouts are going to fix that. I feel for all of their employees and I hope everyone lands on their feet.
FlyingShadow1@reddit
Hilarious to see all these ATPs saying to let Spirit liquidate. If that happens all the airline hiring will freeze for years for anyone that doesn't have 121 time. Might as well pass age 67 at that rate.
VillageIdiotsAgent@reddit
Spirit's airplanes also aren't just going to evaporate. Someone will buy them. They will need pilots to fly them. The only difference is whether those pilots are employed by Spirit or by someone else.
I feel for Spirit pilots. They had nothing to do with the failing of the company, but they get to start over at the bottom as a result. That sucks. But I can't convince myself that Spirit deserves tax dollars to keep operating instead of just going away and letting that bit of the market go elsewhere.
FlyingShadow1@reddit
Spirit doesn't own their airplanes, they're all leased.
Sauniche@reddit
And the lessor will find other people to take them. Hopefully, US airlines (United wants planes bad) so those jobs stay domestic.
prex10@reddit
Spirit has like 2000ish pilots. United alone is planning on doing that this year.
Hiring Will might tighten for maybe 6 months if even lol
FlyingShadow1@reddit
So we'll just kick the can down some more then? Whatever hiring there was for this year is gone for anyone not at a 121.
I guess 2027 will be when all the 2000 hour CFIs get to a regional
prex10@reddit
I really don't think you understand how small less than 2000 pilots is.
Some of them will go on to a legacy. Some to a regional. Some to cargo. Some to F9. Some will leave the industry.
NK possibly going under is a giant nothing burger for hiring.
Used_Shower3984@reddit (OP)
There are less than 2500 pilots left at Spirit. Even if they all immediately went to other 121 carrier that would be less than 8 months of hiring industry wide.
FlyingShadow1@reddit
The company going under means even furloughed pilots will be enticing to employers that are holding out just in case Spirit were to recall them.
Used_Shower3984@reddit (OP)
What? I'm not sure what point you're trying to make here, but I don't think you know what you're talking about.
FlowerGeneral2576@reddit
It might be worth it to realize that the majority of people both at Spirit and formerly furloughed from Spirit have already been looking for jobs elsewhere. They’re already in the job market.
FlyingShadow1@reddit
If spirit liquidates then no future employer will think an ex-spirit hire will leave their company, they'd feel like it's a safer investment knowing that the 121 pilot can't go anywhere else.
Your argument doesn't work in that case. It's one thing to know all furloughed Spirit pilots are looking for another job but it's another thing to know all furloughed Spirit pilots can never go back to Spirit because the company is gone.
FlowerGeneral2576@reddit
Literally none of the furloughed Spirit pilots I know (and they know) are holding out on Spirit recalling them, mainly because they’ve been recalled already and have turned it down.
KJ3040@reddit
Uh. There’s 1500 pilots at spirit. Thats a one-time injection into the market.
Passing age 67 would affect 5x that many at once, and then on into the future.
TaskForceCausality@reddit
Unpopular post alert- this situation is why we need to return to an openly regulated airline market.
The 1978 deregulation act accomplished its goal- but the problem is air travel is not a viable commercial business. The capital costs of airplanes , people and maintenance are not cheap and never will be.
So, what happens today is we pretend US airlines aren’t government sponsored until the laws of economics put a big airline at risk of failure; and then Washington writes a check in the form of an emergency bailout. So in practice deregulation merely changed how the subsidies get paid out and blew a hole in aircrew and passenger quality of life in the process.
Yeah, the solution may mean going back to $1000 base tickets for domestic flights. But when the biggest U.S. airlines are really credit card travel clubs flying airplanes on the side, that should be a clue what we have isn’t working. Airports are overloaded, low cost carriers are defaulting , and crew quality of life is so terrible landing a good airline job could be a Draft Kings game.
Average-NPC@reddit
We saw this with the railroads they knew that running passenger service and Carload freight wasn’t profitable so the minute the Government deregulated they shedded all passenger services or turn it over to Amtrak to run. The only reason these Airlines continue to make money is through credit card thingy(I forgot mb)
prex10@reddit
And the case of Covid, it was right for the government to inject cash in the Airlines to keep payroll going.
In the sense of corporate inaptitude, Spirit doesn't need the money. A business model that revolves around essentially repeatedly kicking your customers in the dick is not a long term sustainable company.
Let them fail.
Spiritual_Ad5511@reddit
I think a facilitated merger or buyout would make more sense than a straight-up bailout. Problem is no interested parties. Spirit was really screwed over by the merger falling through.
sirtaxeda1ot@reddit
They screwed themselves over because their financials are $hit.
usernametaken78523@reddit
Don't care. Don't give them shit. The government is not a welfare handout to fill executive and CEOs pockets further.
They fucked up, not the tax payers fault.
How come the government can't give a bailout to the struggling small pizza restaurant owner instead?
I say use this money to help struggling small businesses. Fuck Spirit. It's like the cockroach that doesn't want to die already.
denizen_1@reddit
They at least have the reasonable argument that the district court should have permitted the merger, the denial of which is what got them here. It's a pretty unfair system when you litigate against the government and are denied any monetary recovery when something bad happens due to immunity rules.
lchabod89@reddit
Sound business judgement, big brain move.
rFlyingTower@reddit
This is a copy of the original post body for posterity:
https://www.cnbc.com/amp/2026/04/21/trump-spirit-airlines.html
I'm interested what people's thoughts are on this. I definitely hate government bailouts, but don't want to see pilots out of work.
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