Spirit Airlines Ceases Operations Tonight
Posted by throwawaygamgra@reddit | aviation | View on Reddit | 385 comments
Spirit’s the budget king with the cramped seats, bag fees, and viral memes about safety. Everyone roasts them constantly.
But the thing that actually matters: in their whole history (since the early 90s as Spirit namesake), they’ve never had a fatal crash. Zero passenger deaths. No major incidents. They run a big all-Airbus fleet and have flown millions upon millions of people safely with no trouble, unlike many other airlines.
Yeah they’ve had mechanical issues and emergency landings like pretty much every airline, but again no serious incidents. Same goes for a bunch of other ULCCs like Frontier, though, to be fair.
Makes you think when people act like flying them is a death wish lol. The record never backed this up. Unfortunately, this is one of the only fleets with an all Airbus fleet, if you were inclined to avoid Boring for any reason.
Goodbye Spirit, hope your "spirit" lives on.
MorningDelicious3420@reddit
This is so incredibly sad
Knineteen@reddit
Never understood the hate for ULCCs.
Delta, United, American…all cramped and uncomfortable. I’m paying an inflated price for what? Snacks? A “free” carry-on? No one feels refreshed after flying any airline.
Spirit ceasing operations is only going to hurt the consumer.
Jbhawksbears@reddit
You pay an inflated price because these airlines work out of hubs. Spirit didn't have a hub so when you're flight got cancelled there was no replacement equipment to get you of of there, more like well good luck to you hopefully maybe in two days we can find something for you
jasdonle@reddit
Dude Spirit doesn’t even have a tray table.
Mysterious-Rock2820@reddit
dude.... i can actually BUY ONE for 3 bucks..... Youre paying an extra $250 a flight for a tray... whos the fkn moron, moron?
Current_Animator7546@reddit
The big 3 thrive on the premium cabin.
Big_Frame_9125@reddit
Pilot question here:
As mentioned above, spirit is an all airbus fleet. I dont know much about the different brands and certifications for types but with that being said would this mean those 2400 pilots will have to begin working on obtaining certification for other planes?
Genuinely just curious, not a pilot nor in aviation. Just have a passion for it and am genuinely curious how that transition would actually work.
skylinestar1986@reddit
Is it better or worse than AirAsia?
Evening-Fail5076@reddit
I feel for all the employees. Tough in this economy.
ITrCool@reddit
I honestly wonder how much of a heads up they get when airlines basically are headed towards shut down like this. If they're in just as much of a last-minute panic as passengers or if they get time to plan ahead, find another job, and map out their post-shutdown activity.
Bradyj23@reddit
None. I have friends (pilots) at Spirit and they said today that the company has said nothing about shutting down.
Jbhawksbears@reddit
How did they not know it was coming? We've been hearing about their struggles for years??
nauticalmile@reddit
Not a surprise. Companies in that kind of situation usually try to maintain continuity to the very end, at the expense of employees.
After medical school, my sister got her first professional job in a nursing home, one of several operated by the same company. One day, they called *everyone* into the cafeteria to announce they were shutting down, everyone’s jobs were effectively terminated, and they needed volunteers to help try to move residents to other nursing homes.
cat_prophecy@reddit
That should be illegal.
"We can't pay you, but if you don't volunteer, these people will suffer".
I_like2TimeTravel@reddit
For profit nursing homes and hospitals should be illegal. I’m lucky enough to live in a part of the US where all of my doctors I see are part of the same nonprofit, major medical school hospital group.
edoreinn@reddit
Yet we can spend $25Billion so a drunk news bro can play GI Joe.
LupineChemist@reddit
Nonprofits also run out of money and have liquidity crunches
Octane2100@reddit
I interviewed with a company one time, got offered the position, turned in my two week notice with my current employer, and started work with new company only to have them shut down 3 days later. No notice, no phone call, nothing. Just locked doors when I went to the office. I didn't even have any other employees numbers either so nobody I could even call. It was absolutely fucked.
Whackjob3434@reddit
While the shutdown happened overnight with little or no announcement, it was known for months that Spirit was struggling and that a shutdown could happen at any moment. It almost happened back in January and a Wall Street guy bailed them out with a last minute loan. Then the Iran situation happened driving up oil prices. It sucks that they lost their jobs, but the writing was on the wall. I find it hard to believe that the employees were clueless.
TangoMyCharlie@reddit
A friend of mine was a Air Wisconsin pilot, he’s at GoJet now, but he was at CQ about 6 months before the first furloughs at Air Whiskey happened and before the AA contract was dropped and he said his sim instructor said something along the lines of “if you want to keep flying jets in a 121 capacity I’d recommend you start sending apps out *wink *wink *nudge *nudge”. So the senior guys with friends in management might know sooner than regular line FO’s or CA’s
sorrymizzjackson@reddit
Eventually you develop a spidey sense for these things.
Character_Cattle7001@reddit
Not sure if real but I saw comments on another post from employees saying the post is how they found out they were out a job.
Garden_of_Gethsemane@reddit
They had none. I was at the airport today since my flight got cancelled and I asked the employees and they said they have never heard of that. The passengers know before the employees apparently
LowTimePilot@reddit
I have a friend that flew with Eastern. Said they showed up to the gate at an international airport and got told the company no longer existed and they had to find their way home.
At college a professor of mine worked with National. Same story.
My guess? Spirit will be no different.
Nessie2212@reddit
My previous airline went bankrupt (Canada) only a few years ago. We got invited to a company wide meeting at 1600 on the Thursday and told we should come drop off our computers and say goodbye to coworkers the next morning, then it was in the news an hour later. A lot of us were completely blindsided (myself included), and knowing people who worked at the other Canadian airline that went bankrupt right after us, they got the exact same treatment.
Drunkenaviator@reddit
If it was GGN the writing for that was on the wall for years. Fuck that place.
Visible_Device7187@reddit
Nothing. They don't share anything with employees otherwise everyone cashed in stock and call in to use sick pay before going bust. The executive keep that shit to themselves for greed
AdFormal4012@reddit
I have a friend that just got called back with Spirit after being furloughed for over a year. Their supervisors have been oddly quiet today.
Zealousideal-Bus5365@reddit
I’m not in aviation but love the field of aviation. I’ve been in situations where my employer has shutdown/furloughed and luckily I’ve found employment right before it goes whack. Thing is, if you’re a keep your head down and do your job kind of a person, you’ll find out right when it all goes down. But if you’re a bit smart about it, social with people and have bit of street smarts, you’ll likely spot the telltale signs of impending doom at a company and will start planning your own exit before it goes down. Hope that makes sense
nodspine@reddit
airlines shut down pretty suddenly most of the time
KAugsburger@reddit
Generally with shutdowns like this the rank and file employees don't get any more notice than the general public. That being said there were plenty of warning signs that Spirit wasn't likely to survive much longer. I am sure most employees have been applying for jobs elsewhere for months now. It is a bad situation for those that will be losing their jobs but it won't come as a surprise to anyone there.
Evening-Fail5076@reddit
A friend lost her job when her company shut down operations. Came in to work and they announced the news. A lot of disbelief and tears in the building. For Spirit I am thinking they knew for a while but not every employee can pivot quickly especially if they had to show up to work everyday to pay bills.
ITrCool@reddit
Truth. Job hunts suck, no matter how the economy is. It's still a royal pain in the neck to go through especially when you have bills to pay and have heard your job is going to be gone soon because your employer won't exist soon.
mrdungbeetle@reddit
Their employees were extremely rude to me and my friends the one time I flew, so I don't feel as bad as if it were a company that acted like they cared.
Spirit is an airline that it seems everyone only ever flew once and then decided never again. If their service wasn't so hostile they'd probably still be in business.
Visible_Device7187@reddit
Yeah fuck off you're probably an asshole in person and thus think anyone not kissing your ass is rude
Interesting-Rich-903@reddit
You also know, they’ve been the #1 ranked airline many times, and for the same ranking just last month.
Interesting-Rich-903@reddit
I’ve flown Spirit many many times, and this has never been the case. Ever. Not once. The crews have always been great and friendly. Great flights. I’m going to miss them.
WorknForTheWeekend@reddit
I was rooting for them. Everyone likes to dump on them, but their X-Wide seat class that was a fairly priced up charge commensurate with the 50% more space occupied, has been the only gesture of humanity I've seen by any airline for larger flyers who can't afford first class.
Evil_Mel360@reddit
Albion218@reddit
This makes me so sad. I feel terrible for the ones completely out of a job overnight.
SeenSoManyThings@reddit
This was a long time coming, pretty sure no one lost a job "overnight".
Own_Pop_9711@reddit
Nope. Companies act as if operations will continue for forever until all of a sudden they aren't. If you tell pilots you're shutting down in 3 months, then you won't have any pilots in 2 months. Everyone knew spirit had financial issues but it's not like that would be the first time an airline went bankrupt and usually they don't shut down.
flyboy_1285@reddit
Great pilot group from who I’ve met. Hope the best for them. People forget in the good times how brutal this industry can be.
bobbymcpresscot@reddit
Yup, that seems like 2400 pilots that are gonna be struggling until the strait reopens
Liquidate-Me-Daddy@reddit
Sounds like supply of qualified airline pilots has just outstripped demand by a hefty amount
I’d say with increased competition in the workforce they’ll be able to find new jobs quickly as they will most likely take a lower salary than those already employed
bobbymcpresscot@reddit
That’s not how math works?
That’s also awful?
Liquidate-Me-Daddy@reddit
Yeah that’s basic math
More supply means less demand….
And yeah that sucks for all pilots
Content_Point_3909@reddit
Had ZERO to do with that
ajborges980@reddit
TIL fuel prices don’t affect airlines. Wow the more you know /s
PrematureGrownup@reddit
Sorry can you explain why the strait is relevant to the pilots?
HistorianOrdinary833@reddit
Jet fuel shortage. Airlines are already cutting flights.
scabbyshitballs@reddit
There is a pilot shortage and it’s only getting worse. Any sensible airline will vacuum these guys up in a heartbeat. High fuel prices are a short term problem. Padding the number of pilots you have for the future is a great long term play.
Morganrow@reddit
Your hearts in the right place but that’s not reality
FluffyLittlFlyingCow@reddit
You could perhaps explain why they’re wrong you know…. for the sake of knowledge? That was a pretty sensible comment but I’d love to know how it doesn’t match reality. Your comment wasn’t very helpful
Morganrow@reddit
Jet A is $4 a gallon. Discretionary spending is at an time low. Use your head
FluffyLittlFlyingCow@reddit
That doesn’t address the fact that fuel shortages are temporary and that pilot shortages have been affecting airlines continuously for decades.
Morganrow@reddit
Pilot shortage about to go out the window because of your fantasy fuel price prediction. 2400 pilots on the market
undernopretextbro@reddit
The shortage only stops existing if those pilots are getting hired. So which is it? Are we seeing them all go unhired or not?
Picking up pilots on the cheap due to a sudden glut is a huge opportunity, fuel shortages are a temporary issue, some normalcy can be expected within the year. Being greedy and picking up pilots at a discount smooths the runway for expansion over the next decade.
Polecat_Ejaculator@reddit
Can you both just stop
At this point you are both wrong and it’s pointless
FluffyLittlFlyingCow@reddit
About to go out the window? I thought it was already so. I was told in this thread none of those pilots would get jobs because the shortage has been over. Which is it?
Morganrow@reddit
Is talking in the present tense prohibited?
Difficult_Limit2718@reddit
Earnings are quarterly. The other commenter is correct.
FluffyLittlFlyingCow@reddit
That doesn’t make any sense.
Difficult_Limit2718@reddit
Then you don't understand money and finance.
Stock prices drive the behavior of executives. It's part of how they manage cash flow of businesses.
Airlines are knowingly going to have 2-3 bad quarters where fuel costs are high and fuel will be short so planes and pilots will be sitting idle.
Airlines aren't high margin businesses, so while they're not making money they definitely do not have free cash available to lose more money faster by hiring more pilots who will also sit around not making money (in fact costing more because of training expenses).
Airlines would have to take out loans to hire these pilots, and loan rates are tied to stock performance, making the loan high cost and high risk...
It's not going to happen.
FluffyLittlFlyingCow@reddit
Oh so you’re just an asshole. Got it! Carry on
HistorianOrdinary833@reddit
No, these airlines operate at a razor thin margin. They're not going to be hiring the most expensive staff they have while they're cutting flights and have no idea when things will go back to normal.
MidNCS@reddit
The pilot shortage ended. The airlines are now oversaturated with them.
FluffyLittlFlyingCow@reddit
Source? I did some surface level research and it indicates otherwise
Putrid-Truth-8868@reddit
why did bros downvote this guy for just asking a QUESTION??????????????????????
bringbackrall@reddit
Because it was stupid.
yesitsmenotyou@reddit
In addition to the (seemingly?) obvious petroleum factor, remember that Spirit catered almost entirely to a leisure market. I doubt they had many corporate accounts…it’s all just people on personal travel - people that have increasingly less disposable income to spend on airline tickets.
70125@reddit
I would but we're not allowed to talk politics on this subreddit
Morganrow@reddit
The had an arrangement with their creditors in bankruptcy agreements that hinged on jet fuel being \~$2/gallon. It’s over $4/gallon
EqualPerception3266@reddit
A part of why spirit is collapsing is due to the rising price of oil which is in turn mainly caused by the strait or hormuz being closed for last few weeks
Spanton4@reddit
Expensive jet fuel killing profitability
Agreeable_Gris90@reddit
I personally loved flying spirit - great customer service. Frontier on the other hand...
Main_Violinist_3372@reddit
Wild to think that 10 or so years ago they had double percentage profit margin, relatively “good” finances and now the whole company is coming to an end
Mysterious-Rock2820@reddit
Wonder what happened roughly 10 years ago that may have ruined the economy and every other thing it touches.
tonysopranosalive@reddit
We all like to rag on airlines like Spirit because yeah, they’re easy targets.
But the truth is, we need these kinds of carriers to survive in the market so it helps balance prices. These “shitty” airlines keep the bigger guys in check and keep them from running up prices.
Single_Lunch1085@reddit
I haven’t flown Spirit myself, but it’s interesting how the reputation doesn’t really match the safety record. Shows how much perception can outweigh actual data sometimes.
Relevant-Net1082@reddit
With a shortage of modern finish goods aircraft, I would expect that there will be plenty of other carriers pouncing to retire older aircraft to get a deal on Spirit's metal. Guess it just matters how long it would take to upfit cabins and paint the aircraft and what the cost would be.
Pilots certified on Airbus aircraft would be likely very attractive to major carriers with existing airbus fleets. FAs, Ground Ops folks could walk to the next gate/pier.
Landing slots may be an opportunity for all.
Overheated_Turbo@reddit
Nobody will say it but I will. Pratt and Whitney had a hand on this indirectly with their GTF fiasco. Disgrace of an engine manufacturer.
midsprat123@reddit
Fucking facts.
Sensitive_Worry2499@reddit
The death of something can whitewash its reputation forever
AdditionalAsk159@reddit
Spirit was never meant to be in competition with United or Delta. Many of us in this forum would never fly Spirit.
But to many Americans, it was the only choice; the option between flying somewhere with just a stuffed backpack and food from home or not visiting a place at all.
I hope their vacuum is filled well and the market continues to have ultra budget fares
ZoMgPwNaGe@reddit
I would never step foot on a spirit plane, and I fly a lot. My friend has flown once in her life and it was on spirit, because that was the only airline in her budget to go to a once in a life time opportunity. I'm definitely having way more feels thinking about her and people like her with this news.
_PaamayimNekudotayim@reddit
For me, it wasn't about the low cost. They offered a direct flight on a route that no other airline offered. I took that route every year once they offered it. It probably wasn't a very profitable route for them (I would have gladly paid more). I guess now I'll have to go back to a multi-stop.
Whites11783@reddit
As someone who primarily flies out of DTW, our #1 is Delta, and #2 is spirit. We already pay some of the highest rates for flights out of DTW, I worry that if Delta had even more of a monopoly here the prices will go up even more.
Altruistic-Bake-8931@reddit
Fun fact, up until recently Southwest had more daily departures from DTW than Spirit did despite it being a spirit base. Of course SW raised their prices and shrunk places like DTW from their operation, so your only real option for a direct is Delta now if you don’t want to start every trip with a flight to another airlines hub.
Excellent-Gur-8547@reddit
Just look at Minneapolis. Delta will be charging you $900 to get tk and from NYC any second.
BigDiesel07@reddit
As a DTW traveler, I cannot imagine how negatively this impacts pricing
WIlf_Brim@reddit
Ed popping a cork on some of his older DP tonight at 12;01 AM for sure.
archseattle@reddit
I hope so too, but I feel like this might not be the case. With 10% of Americans doing 50% of the spending, I think airlines may be more inclined to cater to wealthier passengers such as United’s move to reduce the number of economy seats to make room for more premium seats.
discipleofchrist69@reddit
That's basically just going back to how it used to be, "economy premium" was just called "economy" and everyone got more legroom etc, and flights were just more expensive all around
AdditionalAsk159@reddit
Perhaps. Our K shaped economy is a weird thing to behold, to say the very least
archseattle@reddit
Yeah, sometimes I wonder if it will start to look a bit like some Latin American economies in the next decade where the middle class is the minority and lower income classes just need to save more for longer to afford certain things.
saveyourtissues@reddit
Spirit’s demise is definitely a sign of declining middle and working class. Airlines are (somewhat) trying to upgrade their service, but it comes at a cost of higher fares for everyone.
Visible_Device7187@reddit
The fares that Spirit offered just wouldn't work with modern airlines cost of operations especially aircraft and airport costs have gone up dramatically without really any revenue growth. I'll be surprised if frontier keeps bankruptcy at bay for long term
tangowhiskeyyy@reddit
Not just Americans. It's a central American airline of choice as well.
Visible_Device7187@reddit
Spirit was huge in South and Central America and extremely popular with immigrants from there. It will be a huge gap to fill since state airlines are too expensive to fill it and most legacy can't sell enough for those smaller cities
AdditionalAsk159@reddit
Oh awesome! I only ever used Spirit for cheap transcons but it will certainly be missed.
AceCombat9519@reddit
Spot on and when my brothers friend mother did ATL-EWR on NK they knew how cramped NK is
unurbane@reddit
I think this is the bigger issue. Each season airlines are dropping routes left and right. Spirit dropping altogether exacerbates an incoming crisis.
michimoby@reddit
It’s an injustice that vueling lasted longer than spirit.
Darius2112@reddit
Sad to see a low cost carrier go under.
ThatUsernameIsTaekin@reddit
Spirit was a huge factor in pressuring other airlines to compete in price. Unfortunately, that is what started all of the games with hidden fees and misleading pricing schemes.
So, now it will be interesting to see if the other carriers simply go back to their previous model where that all charge higher flat fees and stop gauging you. Probably not though since consumers are now permanently used to price shopping.
pbesmoove@reddit
Hahaha
discipleofchrist69@reddit
as long as it's transparent I think it's great personally, like we shouldn't have to pay for all the features if we're not using them
mochatsubo@reddit
Agreed. Less choice and less competition is never good for us little guys.
GHz-Man@reddit
Who? Poor?
-CosmicCactusRadio@reddit
Please be literate before you try being such an embarrassing douche
GHz-Man@reddit
Why? If they had few customers, what was the market?
AUIH22@reddit
Which airline is going to be next to endure the customer class that populated Spirit? Brawls on the plane and boarding area will have to find a new carrier. I am looking at you Breeze.
MelodiesOfLife6@reddit
Flew spirit a few times, never honestly had any issues (and I travel with a cumbersome power chair)
HaltandCatchHands@reddit
There goes ACY.
mongojob@reddit
No one here praising spirit is over 5'8
Octoclops8@reddit
So many little things they could have done for customers to make their experience better at almost no cost. But they passed on anything and everything that could have made their customers less miserable.
Fantastic_Market_271@reddit
Wholeheartedly agree. By the time I was done adding on the carry on fees and seat selection to ensure I sat with my kids, it was the same price or more than major carrier. I flew spirit once years ago on a 6 hr cross country flight from Miami to LA. They would not even provide a bottle of water for less than a $5 charge. That’s inhumane.
Mid-CenturyBoy@reddit
This is a real bummer. I didn’t prioritize travel for a long time because of money and Spirit made traveling a whole lot more attainable. I went on many solo trips and just traveled with a large carry on bag. They never charged me for having too big of a bag. I’d also bring an additional backpack and they didn’t ding me either. I’ll pour one out for Spirit
Similar_Mistake_1355@reddit
Goodbye to my $30 dfw-atl runs I did working a job in Dallas while living in Atlanta. Only worked because of spirit.
TheDocCrystal@reddit
After flying spirit: yeah I'd rather die
Tusan1222@reddit
The no crashed probably had a lot to do with airbus aircraft too.
Nervous_Ad_6998@reddit
Used to fly Spirit in their early years. Detroit to NYC, $29.00. Sorry they are going under. This is the first I’ve heard of it.
gnartato@reddit
My first flight ever was on a spirit maddog.
abyssazaur@reddit
Literally I thought they were just doing the rich people bankruptcy thing where it gets news coverage for no reason then the ceo makes $13 million and nothing changes
Evil_Mel360@reddit
they already did bankruptcy twice in the past 2 years. They don’t let you keep doing that forever in the business world. Eventually nobody will finance you.
Hour_Reindeer_192@reddit
Unless your the president
Alittle2Clever@reddit
Spirit basically had a campaign against them organized by other airlines. It never was bad. It was just bare bones travel. I used it several times and if you could consolidate bags with family members or ship them by mail, it was very cheap. As for safety, they have a better record than other major airlines like Delta.
csbsju_guyyy@reddit
Everyone, punch your seatmate and start a brawl to pay respects to a fallen king!
Kind-Shallot3603@reddit
Don't forget to poop in a biohazard bag!!! Hey!!!!!!
CharmingAnywhere7828@reddit
That was Carnival, a cruise ship.
VladtheImpalee@reddit
The Spirit of the sea
antiramie@reddit
Is that chicken or tuna?
ScooterMcTavish@reddit
Thought this was describing Ryanair.
Except they'd charge you to poop in the bag.
T1Demon@reddit
The Carnival of the sky
EconomicalJacket@reddit
Okay just one sec!! Let me just finish this phone call that I have on speaker
xredbaron62x@reddit
I had a customer of mine call me up when they were taking off. She even said she was.
Over the phone I could clearly hear the engines revving up (sounded like an Airbus too) and about a min later the call dropped.
Probably wasn't Spirit, but it definitely was Spirit behavior.
Biuku@reddit
Ryanair as well. Which seems crazy as they’re like pulling out window shades and magazine sleeves to sell tickets for $19. But they never fuck with safety.
I wonder too whether the cost imperative of having a single type or very low diversity of types also improves safety. Even basic stuff like, you have only one maintenance manual and one linear progression for maintenance career development — you’d get better results than spreading that across different types.
throughalfanoir@reddit
Having accidents is expensive, can't risk it
Ryanair and Wizzair both have near impeccable safety records (maybe easyjet too, I just have personal beef with them so I won't check). ULCCs are a benefit to the aviation world no matter how much we love to meme them
OnTheEveOfWar@reddit
When I was 20 I lived in Europe and was borderline broke. I used Ryanair to travel all over and stayed in cheap hostels. I think I flew from Spain to Italy for like 35 euro round trip. Good times.
I_like2TimeTravel@reddit
You could still find prices like that. I did a few years ago in Austrian Airways. Italy to Belgium .
kirkbywool@reddit
Definitely does. When the 737 max had crashes Ryanair as the largest all Boeing fleet actually sent emgineers to Boeing to help figure it out. As mich as a menace O'Lesry is he is adamr that safety and maintaining the planes is the onr area they will never scale back on.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-67994140
TandyColorComputer3@reddit
Biuku, who hides all of your comments: Correlation not being causation, what is your evidence they "never fuck with safety"?
FrankReynoldsCPA@reddit
Why are you the way that you are?
-Kerby@reddit
0 fatal accidents is a start
fuckkilldestroy@reddit
Just how bad could this be for people who almost have to fly on a budget? What other options could there be after this? Wow
glennshaltiel@reddit
Spirit allowed us to see parts of the country we could normally never afford, and visit family who we don't get to see too often. I will miss them.
Kushgaw@reddit
This is fucked up
OwlHorror1392@reddit
I haven't flown Spirit, but I did fly with Frontier and the thing with ULCCs is:
Everything's up front. Frontier hides nothing; all extra fees, etc. are disclosed before booking. They make it abundantly clear what you're getting & how much it will cost.
I suspect that Spirit was the same way and I agree that more competition is always better.
KinkySFGreek@reddit
Qantas has never had a fatal crash either and is a way better airline.
Qantas has flown longer, more miles, and longer routes.
To say Spirit has never had a fatal crash doesn’t really mean that it meets standards for a good airline.
SlopulismCritic@reddit
Look at the end of the day an airlines job is to get people from A to B safely. Everything extra on top of that is just fluff.
Spirit and Qantas have vastly different niches and served different markets. And the competition from Spirit made more competitive and cheaper even if you didn't fly them. They will still be missed at the end of the day, if not by the people that flew them then by the people who will pay more for their routes.
tat-eraser@reddit
Is America Great Yet?
Matuteg@reddit
Before I had my non-rev benefits I would fly spirit all the time. If you knew how to pack, and buy tickets at the airport, you could fly for $20-25 to a lot of places
Altruistic-Bake-8931@reddit
This is probably why they went under lol. For the last 6 years investors have basically been subsidizing everyone’s fare. It’s actually insane when you think the 2 pilots up front cost the airline ~$400 an hour alone much less the thousands of pounds of fuel for each flight. That’s a lot of snack upsells is all I’m sayin.
I_like2TimeTravel@reddit
Man, I am having FOMO from reading all these Spirt stories. The airlines only operated in my area for a few years, before shutting down because of competition from other low cost carriers. And their prices were never that low.
GrassLongjumping3901@reddit
whoa. talk more about this buying tickets at the airport thing!
a2thenthony@reddit
If you were flying Spirit and bought your ticket at the airport, you could sometimes save up to $40 round-trip. They removed some fees that would get added to all online bookings if you purchased at the airport counter. And you could even buy the ticket well in advance too. I loved doing this back in the day to save even more on my Spirit flight.
OccupyMyBallSack@reddit
I've heard you can do this on Breeze. A pax told me but I never looked into it.
olemiss36@reddit
Everything not airborne is being returned to gate. Best of luck to all the employees finding other employment quickly.
big-papito@reddit
Can you imagine being on the taxiway and then "ladies and gentlemen, we are turning back because this airline no longer exists".
new_check@reddit
The same goes for literally every extant America based carrier except AA and Alaska. American based carriers currently in business have been involved in 4 lethal crashes since spirit's founding.
Recent-Ad-1885@reddit
this is the worst day ever
NYRtcs96@reddit
My wife and I fly spirit a few times a year from New York City to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina as they had some sort of exclusive deal flying out of LaGuardia Airport. Had some issues and was stranded twice but it could always be worse.
saveyourtissues@reddit
It’s bad for everyone, even the people who would never fly it (in my case, they didn’t fly where I was going). Fares will trickle up more. I hope some of the smaller airlines can get Spirit planes, there’s a void to fill.
msweet168@reddit
That was fast
Equal_Ad5595@reddit
I flew Spirit once to Vegas from Pittsburgh. Non stop flight. About 4 hours. I heard all the jokes about them being cheap and crummy but I was trying to save some money. It was shortly after my wife had passes away and I was taking her Mom out there to see family, which was something we both really needed at the time. Anyway, the flight was fine. There and back. No problems at all and the flight attendants were accommodating. Nothing fancy and we didn't need anything fancy. Just a decent flight for a cheap price and that's what we got. I feel bad for all the employees suddenly out of work. I've been through that too.
Pyewickets@reddit
"This is one of the only fleets with an all Airbus fleet, if you were inclined to avoid Boeing for any reason."
What is another airline with an all Airbus fleet?
ElFarts@reddit
Damn. Feel for everyone losing a job. Gotta be and feeling if you’re on an overnight somewhere.
MotorCaterpillar9786@reddit
Yea they left me and a group of others stranded, we had a layover in Florida , they were supposed to take us to Chicago at 6 am, but bcus they decided to shut down right now, we are now stranded in Florida with no way to get home or to Chicago unless we cough up HUNDREDS of dollars that I can't afford.
eyy_gavv@reddit
Booo I loved using them for flights between San Diego and Vegas. Devastated when they stopped operations in San Diego. Frontier is the only choice now
102Mich@reddit
Good thing that there is one less carrier in the skies today; I'd love to see only the biggest air carriers of the world rule the skies (i.e.; Delta, Lufthansa, ANA, United, KLM, among others).
dehydrogen@reddit
Spirit Airlines not ever having a crash isn't a compliment because if there was a crash it would be deadlier than with other major airlines. The budget costs had to come from somewhere.
LilDigaKnow@reddit
Flew to NYC on a hundred dollar spirit flight once had a layover in Detroit where they told us the flight would be delayed for 3 days that’s right 3 days. They said sorry bout your bad luck and that’s it. Everyone else was in a panic and obviously could not afford to book a same day flight on a more expensive airline. I luckily had a friend in Detroit and waited out the 3 days. I can’t image what everyone else on my flight did. Especially the lady eating corn on the cob who was sitting next to me. Anyhow sorry to the employees but Spirit didn’t care about it’s customers so I will never care about them. It’s literally the greyhound of the airlines.
Polly1011T121917@reddit
While I didn’t like Spirit Airlines because of its reputation, I loved the colour of their Airbus A319s, A320s, and A321s (applies to A20N & A21N). Who also agrees with me here?
testthrowawayzz@reddit
I haven't been following the reason besides they're declaring bankruptcy and closing. What got them in trouble this time? (aside from the failed $500 million bailout the past two weeks)
New planes or rising fuel prices?
JBR409@reddit
Started with other airlines adding Basic Economy in 2017/2018, then Covid, then engine issues that still exist today (with Covid-related supply chain issues initially exacerbating it), then the Russia/Ukraine War causing fuel costs to greatly rise, then the Iran war causing fuel costs to rise even more being the final death below.
In short, Basic Economy, Covid, engine issues (tons of parked planes), and sky high fuel costs. Oh and a horrible brand reputation on top of that.
testthrowawayzz@reddit
Thank you for the response! This topic is going to be my Friday night reading for sure.
Engine issues is the PW engine issues on A320neos I've been hearing about, right? That's still not resolved?
JBR409@reddit
Correct, and still not resolved. We’ll be waiting for the “Why Spirit Airlines Failed” video on YouTube lol
rg2004@reddit
And all their pilots are going to China. Good work America.
hgttg@reddit
How many jobs lost?
av8or234@reddit
I flew spirit exactly once on a one way flight to pick up my truck and drive it home. It was a two hour flight with my son and it served its intended purpose perfectly. It was booked a week or so in advance and was affordable. We got there safely and on time. I could have asked for more but I did not need it.
Was Spirit my go to airline? Absolutely not. But they were adequate the one time I used them and I’m always sorry to see any form of competition in the airline industry go.
As a former airline employee myself, all of you current employees have my deepest sympathies and best wishes for rapid job replacement.
Possible_Holiday3219@reddit
Cornball
omi_one@reddit
Spirit was the best airline I’ve flown for my self employed business. Was exactly what I expected and I was only delayed maybe 5 times. Shitty when things went wrong for sure but I’d rather fly for cheap than pay $100 extra for 2 biscoffs and a soda
saladet@reddit
Me too!! I used Spirit and r/onebag to get used to packing for weeklong vakays in an underseat bag. I learned a lot.
Kind-Shallot3603@reddit
Do you happen to sell propane or propane related accessories?
T1Demon@reddit
Damnit Bobby why would you go and ask a thing like that
av8or234@reddit
Sure don’t, but I use propane and propane accessories
ConsciousSkyy@reddit
Good. They are the absolute worst
simmeh024@reddit
I wonder how many tiny places are now being cut off. They litteraly went to places delta, united, did no go to.
In my eyes Spirit connected those towns. Correct me if I am wrong.
CV880@reddit
From my understanding, the only airport currently served by spirit and nobody else is Latrobe Pennsylvania
simmeh024@reddit
Atlantic City as well,
Old Spirit routes prob will have other airlines now add capacity, so prices will rise. (less competition)
CV880@reddit
I believe Breeze is already there
leftovercoldrice@reddit
all flights showing as sold out now on their website.
QuietAd7139@reddit
So I'm not going to be flying on May 11th spirit?
Chaxterium@reddit
Nope. They're done. Hopefully you paid with a credit card.
Opposite_Oil1053@reddit
Do I wait until they cancel my flight to chargeback?
Racer_Space@reddit
I'd start now.
haarschmuck@reddit
That's correct.
Hot_Confusion_7805@reddit
spirit spread its wings in 1992, and flew many of you, with no fatalities due to an unfortunate miscue, the fares were aligned, with savings in mind, to the appropriate kind of traveler in mind, with this i dismiss the unfortunate crises, of spirit airlines to the economic abyss
FEMA_Camp_Survivor@reddit
People looked down on Spirit but competition benefits everyone.
Club0utrageous@reddit
It's strange, I only ever had good experiences with Spirit. I just travel with under seat bags so I suppose I never used their 'full' service. From my home airport, it went non stop or 1 stop to places for lower than the other low costs, like MUCH lower. It was a ridiculous $200 flight to Medellin! I really like Spirit, and I'm sad to see it like this.
dschubes@reddit
In the years post college / covid, spirit gave me some unforgettable memories. At least once a month I drove to the airport after work and paid less than $100 to go to a new city for the weekend. The only way I was able to visit most cities in this country is because I had a network of friends I could crash with and a big yellow bus to get me there for the price of a weekend of bars and brunches in my home city. I would even consider them my preferred airline because I could get around so cheaply. I’ll miss them greatly.
Club0utrageous@reddit
It's strange, I only ever had good to decent experiences with Spirit. I just travel with under seat bags so I suppose I never used their 'full' service. From my home airport, it went non stop or 1 stop to places for lower than the other low costs, like MUCH lower. It was a ridiculous $200 flight to Medellin! I really like Spirit, and I'm sad to see it like this.
Kids_Learning_Tube@reddit
Rip spirit airlines 🙏😭
SnooDogs1340@reddit
Spirit was my first flight. It got me from LAX to IAH and back. It was enough and my only complaint was the odd bag requirement. I love it's livery. Sad as an alternative in a world where trips are getting more and more expensive.
JBR409@reddit
There are some people who have no idea about this that are booking Spirit flights right now, and will be doing so until 3:00am ET on the dot. They’re essentially giving out a free loan that may never be paid back
usernametaken78523@reddit
It's on the company. They're openly scamming people.
PreferencePossible59@reddit
They're not scamming anyone. Literally the money will be refunded. But good to know you're rooting for people to be on the street that have families to take care of. Fuck you!
usernametaken78523@reddit
The money will NOT be refunded you clown. Customers are on the BOTTOM of the list in liquidations. And rarely, if ever, get their money back when a company folds it's books. You obviously don't know how any of this works.
PreferencePossible59@reddit
Unless you’re paying cash in person, you will receive your refund. Businesses are required to maintain sufficient funds to process refunds when using credit card systems—this is standard practice to ensure customers aren’t left without recourse. Frankly, your statement reflects a misunderstanding of how these systems work.
usernametaken78523@reddit
No. You file a dispute and the bank takes the loss. Not the company. Customers are the LAST people to ever see a penny, if they ever do.
redlegsfan21@reddit
Only if paying with a debit card.
joshmv@reddit
I just tried to login and it wouldn't let me. Had to go look at the website one last time because I'm weird like that.
Senior-Cantaloupe-69@reddit
Maybe this and all of Southwest’s changes will stop the race to the bottom when it comes to basic comfort.
turtleisaac@reddit
I’d say Spirit is going to a better place, but we all know they never paid the extra fee for that
cat_prophecy@reddit
People talk a lot of shit about Spirit but I have always been happy with their service. I'm sad to see them go and I hope the best for everyone.
Alepale@reddit
Ryanair is the same position as Spirit in regards to all the memes, I feel. Super safe, reliable and on-time.
They just get shit on because they're cheap, despite doing the passengers a massive fucking service by actually pushing down prices and allowing people to visit their loved ones without paying out of their asses.
Less competition is literally always bad and most likely this will raise the prices in the U.S. in the coming years.
AeroWolfDeer@reddit
I flew Spirit a short distance from San Diego to SFO and back a couple days later, the departing flight was on Christmas Day and the crew had decorated the gate for the occasion and were amazing the whole flight, despite being on Christmas, I had no complaints on either flight. Thanks for the memories,Spirit
psychotic20@reddit
Yep! Stellar safety record! Will miss it dearly.
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Top_Gun_2021@reddit
Do you have to DB Cooper it if you are on a Spirit red eye?
jetstrea87@reddit
I can imagine all the passport bros in Medellin worried
Gullible_Goose@reddit
Just like with Ryanair, they were IMO a scapegoat/unfairly represented by people who don’t understand their service. They’re obviously very flawed but people paying the cheapest amount possible for a plane ticket and expecting anything more than a glorified flying coach bus is delusional and is actively hurting ticket prices for everyone else by demanding more out of their barrel bottom ticket fares.
Iohet@reddit
The death wish comment is because DVT
whatdahelldamnguy@reddit
Only now that it’s gone will people realize just how important of a service they provided to regular people wanting to travel without breaking the bank. Very sad.
r23w@reddit
Congrats feds for not letting them merge with JetBlue! The skies will be so much more competitive tomorrow!
redlegsfan21@reddit
Would have been better to have merged with Frontier
https://ir.spirit.com/news/news-details/2022/Spirit-Announces-Termination-of-Merger-Agreement-with-Frontier/default.aspx
RhinoGuy13@reddit
I feel for the employees. Good luck to you all.
Both_Designer3408@reddit
Godspeed Spirit. You will be missed. I was a flight attendant for 6 years with them. I hope all the employees find work soon. I’ll be praying for y’all.
Traditional_Use_2155@reddit
Update this may be the final flight from spirit it landed in Washington DC
Traditional_Use_2155@reddit
Here a bit of proof
Wonderful_Lecture708@reddit
I never flew Spirt. By the time I priced their cost with bag fees and everything it was cheaper to fly American or Southwest. Looks like some other Airlines will get to pick up some used Airbus planes.
Traditional_Use_2155@reddit
Wish this never happened but Rest in peace spirit airlines 1983-2026
smelly-pooper@reddit
As a seasoned traveler on a no frills airline, I loved spirit. I know the rules of flying, I know my bag sizes, I know every penny pinching tactic they used. And I had a remarkably unremarkable flight with them every time. Who else would take me from SJC to LAX or LAS at a moment's notice, well under $100? I'll miss NK.
leftovercoldrice@reddit
Heard the pilot of the last flight just ask ATC if there were any other Spirit flights coming in after them into DFW. Tower said no, and Spirit pilot said that 1833 was probably Spirit's last revenue flight.
Lucky_Outside_2009@reddit
Ryan Air is also a ULCC on the other side of the ocean, an actually successful one running an all Boeing fleet with 0 fatalities. Why should any sane person be sad about Spirit going bankrupt for the reasoning being it is an all Airbus airline without fatalities, not to mention their fleet uses objectively the least reliable engines in the market today. Maybe if they used 737s they would've been profitable AND would've had 0 fatalities
FrankReynoldsCPA@reddit
To be fair to Spirit, it wasn't their choice of airbus that fucked them, but their choice of P&W engines.
Should have gone CFM.
chorizo727@reddit
I wouldnt want my family to fly on a Boeing jet.
Nilzy16@reddit
NK1833 has landed in DFW and thus marked the end of operations of Spirit
Vspeeds@reddit
Latest from WSJ at 21:52 EDT
Spirit Airlines’ time ran out Thursday evening.
In a 15-minute phone call, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Spirit Chief Executive Dave Davis agreed that the budget carrier had run out of options.
Davis, an industry executive picked to lead the embattled airline about a year ago, thanked Lutnick for his efforts leading the rescue talks, people familiar with the discussions said, and the Commerce secretary referred him to the Transportation Department for help winding down the Florida airline.
The brief conversation, as recounted by people familiar with the matter, marked the end to a weekslong saga featuring negotiations between members of President Trump’s inner circle, executives leading major U.S. airlines, and investment firms wrapped up in Spirit’s bankruptcy—and which could determine the airline’s fate
FeelsGoodMan2@reddit
TLDR: We don't have enough to bribe you to make it worth our while.
SummerInPhilly@reddit
It seems they’re still allowing bookings though, that seems risky
usernametaken78523@reddit
They're openly scamming people.
dagelijksestijl@reddit
Pretty sure it’s a peculiarity of bankruptcy law where a company can’t engage in any activity prior to bankruptcy that would make bankruptcy inevitable, such as ceasing to take money even if it shafts customers.
t-poke@reddit
I’m guessing the IT guy whose job it is to pull the plug on the website isn’t exactly feeling the motivation to do so right now. Can’t blame them.
whatdahelldamnguy@reddit
This is really messed up
Comfortable-Dish1236@reddit
I’ve worked for a major for almost 37 years. I have 8 more work days until I retire. I just spoke to Spirit’s line and hangar maintenance crews in my station to let them know we are hiring. My interactions with their maintenance department has shown me that they are very professional. I’ve weathered a strike, three mergers, two bankruptcies and 9/11. But not going under. I feel for these people.
JBR409@reddit
A minute away from the final touchdown. NK1833, DTW-DFW
start3ch@reddit
They definitely had the most distinct livery of any modern airline.
And they operate extremely efficiently. I almost never has a spirit flight get delayed. With airlines like American, it seems to happen every third flight
psnow11@reddit
In America certainly but after flying Condor to Germany last year, I think they definitely are the most unique.
ACooperSucks@reddit
I flew spirit once and told myself never again. Haven’t flown them since and I’m confident many other consumers felt the same as me.
Not sure why they went under and it sucks for all the employees but the nickel and diming was just too much.
Either way, could possibly be a strong sign of the U.S. economy going sour and fast.
TwoPsychological1155@reddit
Man spirit came in clutch so many times for me… it really saddens me 😔 RIP to a legend
memostothefuture@reddit
with no trouble
yeah... no.
H3NDOAU@reddit
I don't know why but their full yellow paintjobs have always looked nice to me, they just stood out against the rest I guess.
VeiledMindFactory891@reddit
southass@reddit
They had great customer service and flight attendants too, never had an issue with them.
PorkChop8088@reddit
Currently taking what might be my last dump on spirit time. Just waiting for the final word.
Hammerjaws@reddit
Hell, last person to take a dump on spirit time
hopewhatsthat@reddit
Are you the guy who pushes the button to put the website into bankruptcy mode?
Sorry about your job too.
EVE_OnIine@reddit
Hammerjaws@reddit
Spirit was at least always there for people who could barley afford to fly
Elios000@reddit
i figured Frontier would grab them for pennies last hour guess no one wants the routes
pagerussell@reddit
I loved spirit. I would upgrade to their big front seat, which was close enough to a first class seat for me and only cost like 50 extra bucks on an already cheap ticket. Absolutely loved it.
raven00x@reddit
less "death wish" and more "I'd fly literally anyone else that's available first" even if they have a reasonable safety record.
Lynnie_YaGorl@reddit
I work for Spirit (out of ORD) albeit with a contractor, but yea it’s kinda confusing rn. Like for the most part, I’m fine I’m sure the contract company has a plan for divvying up everyone, but… yes it’s just weird to have a job and then poof nothing.
CV880@reddit
Good luck 🍀
Lynnie_YaGorl@reddit
Thanks
Hammerjaws@reddit
Well Spirit, you had a good run. Many people relied on you for cheap air travel. Its was fun while it lasted, even if the planes were mediocre.
SlavkoStanic@reddit
Sad to see them go under. I’ve worked with the fight crew a lot as a sim tech at one of the simulator training facilities they used. They were a fantastic group of people. It’s too bad we are loosing another airline. The days of airline variety are quickly disappearing.
Kind-Shallot3603@reddit
Never flew ya, Never knew ya
If Northwest was brought behind the shed and shot, I won't shed a single tear for Spirit.
brongchong@reddit
Northwest lives on, merged with Delta.
deleted_by_reddit@reddit
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aviation-ModTeam@reddit
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Voivode71@reddit
Gurrrrrrrrrrl...
shelf6969@reddit
future generations will speak of their experience like aome speak of TWA or peak Virgin Air
RIP, they told you exactly what to expect and usually delivered.
chase844@reddit
ULCC's only work when their costs are low. Super tough in this economy.
FindingFoodFluency@reddit
Ah, yes, Europe's ULCCs primarily operates from a region known for its low costs of living, publicly-run airports, and petrol independence.
Bosh, flimshaw.
Visible_Device7187@reddit
I mean yeah kinda of Ryanair runs on some shitty airports that can't charge like main airports, staff that's all contractors and not Union, as well as barebone planes and more. They absolutely do thrive on low cost for everything and public ran airport that aren't big enough to charge anything.
jatawis@reddit
At the same time Ryanair serves many serious airports like Amsterdam-Schiphol, Madrid-Barajas, Barcelona, Fiumicino, Dublin, Lisbon, Athens, Vienna, Copenhagen, Manchester, Malpensa, Berlin-Brandenburg, Arlanda, Budapest, Edinburgh, etc
Visible_Device7187@reddit
Yes because they are profitable right now but that's not the business model they use for profits they absolutely go as cheap as possible and negotiate to get out of gate leases that other airlines pay for as well as flight slots that are ideal. They aren't known for being a great employer and paying for the same amenities as major carriers
aduck3000@reddit
That sucks
rand0m_g1rl@reddit
I avoid boring at all costs.
aviation-ModTeam@reddit
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wtsnack@reddit
Spirit was frequently my only affordable choice and I never had a bad experience. You will be missed
paparige@reddit
I use spirit for short 2-3 hour flights and for that purpose it's the best - efficient, affordable, clean enough ... I've never had issues. This kind of sucks.
No-Adeptness-7416@reddit
So the US government blocked the merger of Spirit and Jet Blue because it would be "bad for competition". How is Spirit going out of business any better?
AnyClownFish@reddit
JetBlue last posted a full year profit in 2019, which (shockingly) was 7 years ago now. After Spirit, they’re in worst financial position among major US airlines.
While you’re right that Spirit going under is terrible for competition, which was the reason for opposing the merger, there is absolutely no guarantee that the combined airline wouldn’t have gone down together, which would have been an even worse outcome.
The idea that you could combine two loss making airlines into a profitable company only really made sense by raising fares through reducing competition. Raising Spirits operating costs to JetBlue levels was never a path to profitability, and there really wasn’t much scope for ‘efficiencies’ apart from reducing head office headcount duplication. I personally think the merger sales pitch was far too optimistic, but we will never know now.
haarschmuck@reddit
Less ULCC's is a loss for everyone who flies.
RIP.
flynryan692@reddit
The cancellations are a result of the weather in the southeast. This is fake news.
Evil_Mel360@reddit
Some of the cancelations may be, but you can probably expect more in the morning. It’s literally cited by the mod a highly respected and cited by other sources Wall Street Journal article that puts 3 AM this Saturday morning as possible shutdown an e they are running out of money.
flynryan692@reddit
Perhaps there will be more in the morning that are related to a shut down. My point is that the cancels at LAS and LAX are unrelated weather cancels and do not suggest they are shutting down. I also don’t care who they cite as their source, I work for NK and I’d be involved in a tear down. As of now they haven’t communicated anything to us, so for now we will wait and see.
Evil_Mel360@reddit
So you are in the executive office? Have you ever been involved in a shutdown due to lack of funds?
They literally don’t tell anybody outside the top executives until the last minute in these situations. We haven’t seen a case as big as this since the late 80s and early 90s. Silver Airways was a very recent one and it was last minute told to everybody too.
Big newspapers like the WSJ only run things like this on a big tip from some insider at the airline or somebody on Wall Street that has been involved with the finance side of the last bankruptcy.
You stated in your post it’s fake news, but not only the WSJ, but multiple sources are reporting as early as 3 AM on Saturday for being the closing.
I feel bad for you since you work there, but just because you feel you’d be involved in the shutdown doesn’t mean you would actually know.
flynryan692@reddit
What does the original post here say? It says flights out of LAX are cancelled. OP is using that to say “they really are shutting down Spirit”. I’m simply here to say that the LAX and LAS cancels are weather related. Saying those cancels are signs of a shut down IS fake news. You’re right that I don’t know what’s going on at the c suite level, but I’m not talking about any of that. I’m simply saying the cancels on the west coast tonight are unrelated. Perhaps it will be shut down, but I can confidently and accurately say the cancels we have seen are unrelated to it so far.
Evil_Mel360@reddit
I guess dispatch knows more than you do.
flynryan692@reddit
Just caught up with a manager. It’s unofficially official.
flynryan692@reddit
Unofficially, but yeah based on the people at the executive level I see online in the middle of the night it might be the case.
undermidnightsun@reddit
Oooooops.
hb122@reddit
I was at one of those shutdown meetings at a carrier I worked for. That night when I flew back to my base the captain, who I knew, came back and sat next to me and said, “it’s over, isn’t it?”
I’m a woman and the passengers around me probably thought they were witnessing a breakup scene.
I feel terrible for the Spirit employees. I’ve been there and it’s painful.
SubarcticFarmer@reddit
Looks like tickets are now no longer for sale on the website.
JBR409@reddit
Still working as of 12:06am ET
SubarcticFarmer@reddit
Weird, maybe it's just me. I can't get anything to show up.
EWSpirit@reddit
This reminds me of Lynx Air from a couple years ago. I was a CSA for them when they ceased operations. It was really sad. I hate to see these airlines go away. I loved seeing the banana planes on the few occasions that I was able to, I’ll miss them.
Inevitable_Can1497@reddit
As an aviation worker, NOT Spirit, it makes me sad that they're going out of business despite how much shit I give them. RIP Spirit.
TechieGranola@reddit
I met my wife online while living across the country and $50 tickets between SanFran and DFW in the 2010s are probably the reason we’re married now. Was a nice time for traveling. We visited CO, MI, FL, CA, WA all on budget flights under $100.
xyeahtony@reddit
"zero passenger deaths" well when you're one of the youngest passenger airlines in the united states and have to compete with airlines that have literally been running for 100 years during times when aviation safety and planes were less safe; its not really a testament to spirit.
FindingFoodFluency@reddit
Absurd. It's still the world's busiest aviation market, with antiquated industry technology to boot.
xyeahtony@reddit
okay? and United Airlines (mainline) hasn't had any passenger deaths since Spirit Airlines started commercial service (1992) unless you're gonna count 9/11...
ClientPowerful@reddit
Good for them. It doesn't make it less impressive that Spirit did too. No one's saying they're the world's safest airline. But it was a nice run.
Department-of-Wario@reddit
It's because they had a reputation for attracting hostile passengers. So many viral moments online from altercations in the cabin.
PFalcone33@reddit
Wondering if Breeze and Avelo will see increased business from the void? Obtain more aircraft? Pickup new routes?
JBR409@reddit
Avelo/Breeze and Spirit’s networks are the complete of each other
RedditZhangHao@reddit
Were, and some former Spirit routes will be replaced by ongoing airlines. Potentially, some by Breeze or maybe struggling Avelo. For some time, other prior Spirit routes may not be serviced by any airline.
thespyguyy@reddit
My heart goes to the employees.
OldGoldenDog@reddit
Spirit, the city bus of the air.
Disgod@reddit
I was always partial to "Waffle House with Wings".
Significant-Cat8922@reddit
Could always get cheap direct flights to/from Las Vegas from KC. Less competition is not going to be a good thing. I feel for the employees.
texred355@reddit
The flight safety record was never a concern, it was the passenger safety from other passengers!!
Professional_Lack706@reddit
true lol. Saw a good amount of crazy ppl on spirit flights.
jetlifeual@reddit
I flew Spirit airlines many times. They canceled me in two instances but handled it properly. Beyond that, occasional delay, nothing else. Otherwise, it got me from A to B just fine. Pricing was usually great. This will only hurt us as consumers, but bailing them out only to likely fail anyway in a year or so wasn’t the right choice anyway. I feel for all the employees, though.
saladet@reddit
Wanna pitch in and say I was a big fan and very sorry to see it go and very sorry about all the people go lost jobs. I only took it on certain routes but totally reliable and that canary yellow livery always made me cheery.
Main_Violinist_3372@reddit
Could a merger/buyout from someone like Frontier or JetBlue be still on the table?
Awkward_Can_1516@reddit
Nope, but there are going to be a bunch of discount Airbuses for sale.
AP9384629344432@reddit
Funnily enough, a year ago JetBlue tried to merge with Spirit and a judge blocked it in the name of 'competition', despite it being obvious to everyone involved that Spirit's financial situation was dire, and then the most predictable thing happened.
MaterialSpot6541@reddit
No more fight fights at baggage claim, damn im gonna miss those videos
GardenDivaESQ@reddit
Bring out your dead!!
StandExisting@reddit
soooo if i have a spirit flight coming up in 10 days, paid on debit..... what should i do :(
Interesting-Rich-903@reddit
You’re screwed. Call right now and cancel and eat the $99 cancellation fee.
StandExisting@reddit
not worth it- i paid $75 for the flight
Interesting-Rich-903@reddit
Eh, yeah. You’ll just have to eat it. Sucks. Sorry.
hopewhatsthat@reddit
Some of this might help (might now on a debit card):
https://avgeeks.aero/news/spirit-airlines-could-be-shutting-down-tonight-heres-what-you-need-to-do-right-now/
I would act fast to save documentation. I bet they're website is in "bankruptcy mode" by the morning.
StandExisting@reddit
SIGH
harambe_did911@reddit
Turns out building a brand on being openly hostile towards your customers isn't a good long term strategy. Who knew.
r3dd1tburn3r@reddit
Pop Copy of airlines
frankonator22@reddit
I have a flight booked for Monday morning… what do I do?
hopewhatsthat@reddit
Whatever you want, you're not going on a Spirit plane.
As far as a refund:
https://avgeeks.aero/news/spirit-airlines-could-be-shutting-down-tonight-heres-what-you-need-to-do-right-now/
Interesting-Rich-903@reddit
Walk?
dinomax55@reddit
Shame, I’ve flown them many times and never had any complaints
realbobenray@reddit
I feel like most of the time someone complained or joked about Spirit they had never flown Spirit. I only discovered them a few years ago and they were perfect for this last minute planner who is cheap, flexible and travelled light. It was a bummer when they ended the super convenient coast to coast route near me, and worse when they ended service altogether at OAK.
boneful_watermelon@reddit
Spirit Airlines was the Waffle House of the skies. Never your first choice but they were always there for our lowest moments.
TealPotato@reddit
I've never flown with them, but I was intrigued by the 'big seat' concept.
I don't need (or want to pay for) fancy food or 'free' booze when I fly, but extra space does rule.
7-5NoHits@reddit
I wonder which flight will end up being the last Spirit flight to land
chairo_sakura@reddit
NK1833 from DTW-DFW
Flightradar24: Live Flight Tracker - Real-Time Flight NKS1833 Tracker Map | Flightradar24
Express-Way9295@reddit
We flew Spirit's Big Front Seats, BWI-DFW last year and it was a a good product at a great price. Unfortunately, a bankruptcy and liquidation talks prevented us from booking Spirit Air ever again. It's too bad about Spirit, the airline industry needs the competition
usernametaken78523@reddit
Why is spirit still selling tickets online to the public despite knowing they'll shut down? Isn't that basically scamming.
Once they go out, it will be nearly impossible to get your money back as customers are on the bottom of the list in a liquidation.
The only way is a credit card dispute. But customers shouldn't even go that far. They should halt selling tickets right this moment, as what they're basically doing is scamming people's money knowing they won't ever get it back.
PyromaniacReapR96@reddit
United is buying them out
lost-American-81@reddit
Source?
Zealousideal-Bus5365@reddit
One thing people tend to forget is only negative experiences make it to the reviews. VAST majority is experiences are just a-ok/unremarkable. I’ve flown them countless times in my college days when I found $50 deals to go see my family and they were perfectly ok. This isn’t a great day for aviation or for the market. Monopolies are almost never good especially in aviation in my humble opinion
Agitated-Zebra4334@reddit
Keep up the spirit.
GhettoDuk@reddit
I only see 50 cancelled flights on FlightAware. Finding lots of flights available tomorrow on their site.
If it is happening, this isn't the sign.
jbowens87@reddit
lol only 50 cancelled. Thats not normal they just haven’t gotten around to cancelling tomorrows flights. It’s over.
Bitter-Income876@reddit
I was also gonna say the flight that I have scheduled for tomorrow still shows” on time “
killerkingbee9@reddit
I had a terrible customer experience with Spirit about 10 years ago and swore I would never fly them again. And I never did.
That said, impressive safely track record. And losing competition always hurts.
It's a shame they weren't allowed to merge with JB.
Content_Valuable_428@reddit
The last 25 years have been incredibly safe on the whole - not just Spirit and the ULCC’s.
redlegsfan21@reddit
Kinda sad I never got to fly them. Oh well...
ComfortableAd40@reddit
Not sure if this is relevant, but I had a flight with them in early June and they cancelled it (about a week and a half ago) without even sending an email.
Thankfully, I was checking my flight, noticed it “may have been changed or cancelled,” and got my refund a week ago. But I am worried about people who have flights booked right now. If the airline shuts down, can people still get refunds?
I can’t believe this. I love Spirit and fly with them all the time! I feel for my people in the same boat. Frontier is about to get a lot of new customers and demand lol
cheetuzz@reddit
> But the thing that actually matters: in their whole history (since the early 90s as Spirit namesake), they’ve never had a fatal crash. Zero passenger deaths. No major incidents.
don’t jinx it!
Content_Valuable_428@reddit
The last 25 years have been incredibly safe on the whole - not just Spirit and the ULCC’s.
Diligent-Money7288@reddit
I’ve been on several flights where the Spirit crew members were some of the nicest folks I have ever flown with. God bless those who are going to lose their jobs tonight. Not good for the average American.
Disgod@reddit
All Waffle House brawls on this day shall be dedicated to their fallen brethren of the sky.
Ignorance_Is_Boring@reddit
Well written post.
Away_Temperature_545@reddit
Spirit definitely gets the memes and the nicknames and yes we like to make jokes. But honestly Spirit carries a special place in my heart. I have always loved airplanes since I was a kid. Growing up whenever I saw an airplane I would always look up at aww and could only dream of actually getting to fly one day. Like many families across the world flying has always been looked at this super niche experience that my Mother as a single mom could never afford even just going from L.A to Vegas. But Spirit changed that and lil 18year old me was in a surprise of a life time when my mom surprised me with my very first flight. I remember every detail like yesterday and is one of my favorite memories with her. So I will be forever grateful and indebted to what Spirit was able to bring me as being the first airline I flew with. I love you Spirit thank you.💛
deleted_by_reddit@reddit
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RO16@reddit
big front seat, you will be missed
ae74@reddit
Looks like one of the last flights.
https://flightaware.com/live/flight/NKS4/history/20260502/0035Z/KLAX/KLAS
Naddyman2005@reddit
R.I.P Spirit😔. Sure, the were “questionable” but they were also budget friendly. It’s one of my goals to fly as many U.S airlines in my life and always assumed that Spirit would be somewhere on that list. Many “crappy” budget airlines that I’ve flown with have turned out to not mirror the hate they get all the time and I would like to assume that Spirit was the same way. I will miss seeing the flying bananas while plane spotting and the flightradar 24 screen will now seem more empty.
isnoice@reddit
This is terrible.
Less competition in this segment means higher prices.
Frontier and Allegiant will be more than happy with this.
Notsosmartboi@reddit
Goodbye you yellow boys, thanks for helping to keep fares lower 🫡
grobb916@reddit
I have flown them a lot. I really liked them. I will miss them. The all Airbus fleet was definitely a selling point. I don’t trust Boeing anymore, like a lot of US companies, who value money over the well being of their customers.
MysteriousSelection9@reddit
Sprit has officially become a sprit. Never thought I’d see the day.
EcstaticSplit5659@reddit
Viaje mucho por spirit, en vuelos internacionales con muy buen cumplimiento y con un personal de cabina amable,nunca tuvimos problemas con las conexiones y el manejo del equipaje fue muy bueno.
fighter_pil0t@reddit
Flying spirit is a death wish not because of the operations but because the Karen who is pissed she got charges $32 for a carry on is going to stab someone
refrad4Freedom@reddit
In honor of this catastrophe, I'll smoke a cigarette on the tarmac while I await to board, proceed to call the flight attendant a bitch so loud the whole plane can hear me, and then fight the 350lb woman sitting next to me.
In all seriousness, I flew for spirit for a year. Wasn't the best experience but it got me to where I am today and for that I am grateful.
forgottensudo@reddit
I’ve flown them quite a few times when timing or routing was the best for the occasion and while certainly no-frills, it was no disappointment either.
Hank_moody71@reddit
Despite the hate for actually flying on that airline I can say that man it sicks they’re shutting the door. About 9700 people no longer have a job. From customer service, baggage handlers, cabin cleaning, Gate agents, Pilots, and flight attendants some of who I know. It’s not good
c3abm581@reddit
I’ve flown spirit plenty. From the Midwest you are a four hour flight from anywhere, and they offered non stop to high traffic destinations. I have to be in LA often enough to find spirit convenient. I’m not big, so leg room etc was never an issue. I assume this isn’t good for consumers in the air, it’s really too bad.
usernametaken78523@reddit
Dosnt mean anything. They were introduced in 1992. Had they been as big as a legacy with multiple flights a day, in multiple conditions, and been introduced in the 60s, 70s or 80s during the shittiest time to fly, they would have a few... Or many.
Ordinary_Kyle@reddit
Ok cool, but they didn't, and the comment about no crashes or deaths or major incidents is true. What a beautiful bit of whataboutism you've done
Tony_Three_Pies@reddit
It's also just...wrong.
Most of the other major airlines in the US have had major incidents and/or passenger fatalities since 1992. Delta, American, United, Southwest, FedEx, UPS...
Spirit's safety record is something everyone there should be proud of.
PsychologicalCat7471@reddit
Good riddance
sealind@reddit
Gotta give it to them too, they really had hahht!!
JBR409@reddit
Spirit will live on in the form of American’s narrow-body interiors
post-explainer@reddit
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