Fort Lauderdale, Fla. — Pioneering discount carrier Spirit Airlines has ended after flying passengers for three decades.
“All Spirit flights have been cancelled, and Spirit Guests should not go to the airport,” stated a statement distributed by Spirit Aviation Holdings Inc.,
On its final day, the airline “safely flew more than 50,000 passengers,” a spokesperson said by email. And “management was working to transport more than 1,300 crews safely home to their bases.”
Spirit’s shutdown has ended careers for 17,000 employees.
Sara Nelson, the AFA-CWA national president said, “The Administration must take immediate action to protect the workers whose lives are hanging in the balance. The lives of the workers must be a top priority of this administration and the bankruptcy court as this process continues.”
The airline had been operating under Chapter 11 protection and the airline was close to exiting the process. However, the U.S. war with Iran caused jet fuel prices to spike resulting in a renewed financial crisis for Spirit.
The message on the website stated: “To our Guests: all flights have been cancelled, and customer service is no longer available. We are proud of the impact of our ultra-low-cost model on the industry over the last 34 years and had hoped to serve our Guests for many years to come.”
“Spirit Airlines played an important role in expanding access to affordable travel and bringing more low fares to more people,” said Bobby Schroeter, Frontier’s chief commercial officer. “We recognize this is a difficult time for their customers and team members.”
