Spirit Airlines set to shut down. What travelers need to know
Spirit Airlines check-in Kiosks sit idle at Oakland International Airport on August 13, 2025 in Oakland, California.
Justin Sullivan | Getty Images
Spirit Airlines may close at 3 a.m. ET on Saturday, according to people familiar with the matter. Although the carrier has not commented on the potential closure or its plans, it has failed to provide a financial lifeline to continue operations.
About 290 Spirit flights are scheduled for Saturday, according to aviation website Flightradar24. Another 381 is planned for Sunday.
Passengers with Spirit tickets may be understandably shaken. While there have been a number of US airlines that have closed in recent years, the budget carrier is larger than most recent airline failures and connects major cities like New York, Miami, Detroit and Los Angles, and many other cities in between, with Airbus jets.
Here’s what travelers need to know:
You have a Spirit ticket. What should you do?
Immediately? Nothing.
Passengers who book a Spirit flight, as this CNBC reporter did later this month, will likely receive a refund if they purchase their tickets with a credit card.
Henry Harteveldt, founder of travel consultancy Atmescent Research Group, said that if the ticket was purchased with a debit card or loyalty points, the chances of recovering the money were close to zero.
“If you have a reservation for a flight on Spirit, do not proactively cancel it. Wait for the airline to announce its closure,” he said.
Can Spirit help you at the airport?
Don’t trust this.
Spirit declined to comment on a potential closure. If it confirms the end of operations, the carrier will likely have information about travelers’ next steps on its website.
Harteveldt said passengers should not go to the airport hoping to find Spirit staff if the airline ceases operations. Call centers are likely to be overwhelmed if they are still staffed.
This may result in passengers receiving less response than they would like, but other airlines are likely to assist affected customers.
Airlines offering last-minute fares, possibly with some discounts, will be available to passengers at airport ticket counters.
How can another airline help?
United Airlines, JetBlue Airlines, Border Airlines And American Airlines Spirit is among carriers that say they are ready to help customers and crews if the carrier closes.
This may mean scheduling additional flights to transport stranded passengers, similar to what they do during a hurricane or other natural disaster.
Why might Spirit shut down?
Spirit, known for its bright yellow planes, low fares and fees for everything else, has been successful for years, but this week it teetered on the brink of liquidation after failing to reach an agreement with bondholders on a $500 million government bailout from the Trump administration.
Last year, Spirit filed for bankruptcy for the second time in less than a year, but there were plenty of problems before then.
JetBlue’s acquisition plan has been blocked. Rising costs disrupted the business model. An engine failure caused dozens of planes to crash into the ground. More generally, luxury travel has become more popular with consumers and increased airlines’ profits.
At the same time, large, legacy airlines were selling their own basic economy fares similar to what Spirit offered, but with larger networks.
What does this mean for onward travel?
Airlines have been adding flights on some routes and at major airports since Spirit filed for bankruptcy last year. They will most likely continue to do this.
Experts said they expect fares to rise in at least some markets if the discounter is gone, even though the carrier is shrinking significantly.
