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 shut down overnight. The carrier failed to secure a financial lifeline to continue operating, ending the discount air travel pioneer’s time in the sky, costing some 17,000 jobs and thousands of cheap flights in the market.
“Spirit is winding down all operations,” reads its website as of Saturday morning, replacing the functioning booking homepage that was up for less than 24 hours.
Travelers with Spirit tickets could be understandably rattled. While there have been some U.S. airlines that have shut down in recent years, the budget carrier is larger than most recent airline failures and links major cities like New York, Miami, Detroit, and Los Angeles — and many others in between, including destinations throughout Latin America and the Caribbean — with its Airbus jets.
Here’s what travelers need to know:
You have a Spirit ticket. What should you do?
Spirit said it will automatically refund tickets purchased through the airline with a credit or debit card.
Travelers who booked through a travel agency need to request a refund from the agency. Spirit said that if they used loyalty points, a voucher, or a credit, reimbursement “will be determined at a later date through the bankruptcy process.”
Henry Harteveldt, founder of Atmosphere Research Group, a travel consulting firm, said, however, that the odds of receiving compensation for loyalty point reservations are slim to none.
Would Spirit be able to help you at the airport?
Spirit told customers not to go to the airport.
Spirit’s thousands of employees have lost their jobs, so there won’t be customer service agents to assist them. That could leave passengers with fewer answers than they’d like, but other airlines are saying they will cap fares for customers.
Airlines that offer last-minute fares, likely with some discounts, will be available to travelers at airport ticket counters or other channels.
How can another airline help?
United Airlines, JetBlue Airways, Frontier Airlines and American Airlines are among the carriers that have said they are ready to assist Spirit customers and crews, similar to what they do during a hurricane or other natural disaster.
JetBlue said it will cap fares for affected travelers at $99 for one-way tickets through May 6. Travelers will have to show proof of a Spirit itinerary and call 1-800-JETBLUE. It will also cap fares between Fort Lauderdale and San Juan, Puerto Rico, for new purchases made May 1 through May 8 at $299, a route Spirit flew.
“With major operations in Fort Lauderdale and San Juan, we’re in a unique position to help Spirit customers get where they need to go and ensure flights remain affordable despite greater demand,” said JetBlue CEO Joanna Geraghty.
Southwest Airlines is capping domestic fares at $200 for one-way trips of up to 500 miles, at $300 for up to 1,000-mile trips, and more than…
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