Travel plans upended as Spirit Airlines shuts down, leaving passengers scrambling for other options

By Alaa Elassar, Gloria Pazmino, CNN

(CNN) — Terminal A at LaGuardia Airport sat unusually quiet Saturday morning — no lines at the counters, no Spirit Airlines staff anywhere, just a sheet of paper taped over a cardboard sign.

“We regret to inform you that Spirit Airlines has ceased global operations,” read the sign in Terminal A, where Spirit operated in New York City for years. “All Spirit flights have been cancelled, and customer service is no longer available.”

Above it, a departures board flickered with a string of red notices: nine Spirit flights bound for cities across Texas, Florida, Michigan, North Carolina and South Carolina — all marked simply, “cancelled.”

Saturday’s shutdown of Spirit — the pioneering budget airline that reshaped low-cost travel — has stranded thousands of passengers nationwide. The company canceled all flights, halted customer service and told travelers not to come to the airport. Customers are being issued refunds and instructed to rebook with other airlines.

Spirit’s collapse marks the first time in 25 years a major US airline has gone out of business due to financial trouble. The company, in its second bankruptcy, had been struggling for years and failed to secure a last-minute rescue deal, forcing it into an immediate wind-down after 34 years in operation.

Brandon Keene, a pilot who joined the company in 2023 and was laid off, told CNN’s Brian Abel the only communication staff got was an email from the chief pilot between 6 and 7 p.m. Friday, and later, another email from Spirit’s CEO at 1:16 a.m. Saturday, stating the company was closing.

As of 7 a.m. Saturday, a handful of passengers were still arriving at LaGuardia Airport’s Terminal A, where the confusion stretched from urgent family trips to long-planned getaways as more travelers arrived to find their plans unraveling in real time.

One woman and her elderly mother told CNN they had a flight to Charlotte for a family funeral and had not received notifications about their canceled flights.

Alexandra Merino, who had been planning a trip to Florida for Mother’s Day, told CNN from outside of LaGuardia Airport she did not realize what was going on until she arrived.

“I just got here, and the people that were standing here just said, ‘There’s no flights, Spirit went out of business,’” Merino said, adding she hadn’t checked her email and didn’t know if any notice had come overnight. “We’re trying to get Expedia to book a new flight … Happy Mother’s Day to me.”

Nearby, another traveler caught off guard said he only realized what had happened after getting to the airport for a flight to Orlando, where he was supposed to attend his Master of Business Administration graduation ceremony.

“This is wild,” Danny Nunez told CNN, explaining everything appeared normal when he checked his flight the night before. At a kiosk, he was told his flight had been canceled and to see an agent — but there were none. “(I’ll) try to find a way to hopefully make my school ceremony this afternoon, at two,” he said. “I’ll probably head back into the office right now and see what I can figure out.”

Emergency relief rolls out for passengers and employees

Amid the confusion and mounting disruption, other airlines are rushing to step in and fill the void.

Stacked behind a wall of digital check-in monitors were several news releases from other major airlines – Frontier, Southwest, American and United – offering assistance for stranded passengers looking to rebook their travel. JetBlue Airways and Delta Air Lines are also offering capped ticket prices.

A mother and her son lingered just outside the terminal doors, scanning hastily taped flyers listing phone numbers for other major airlines – one of the signs of help in an otherwise empty space.

The airlines say they’re offering capped “rescue fares” — most around $200 — to help stranded Spirit passengers rebook flights across the country, while American and United also included links to job portals for suddenly unemployed Spirit workers. But in the confusion and shock of the shutdown, few travelers appeared to notice, or make use of, the offers.

In a message to flight attendants early Saturday, the Association of Flight Attendants said, “We are delivering the hardest news of our lives that Spirit will cease operations at 3:00 AM Eastern Time on May 2, 2026.”

Flight attendants are now being sent home or back to their bases, with flights and hotels covered, according to the union.

“While the country has had a blast making Spirit the butt of the joke, we’ve built a strength together that could withstand anything that anyone throws at us. And that is no joke,” the union said. “This has been the honor of our life to fly with all of you and we are with you now. Spirit is in our blood and that makes us family.”

US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said on X the federal government is coordinating with airlines to “bring relief to Spirit customers and its workforce” following the carrier’s collapse, outlining a mix of capped fares, discounted rebooking options and employee support measures.

Duffy added major carriers are extending travel privileges for Spirit employees and creating hiring pipelines, including dedicated job portals at American and United.

“Most major U.S. carriers are extending travel pass benefits and spare jump seats to Spirit pilots, flight attendants, and other employees who need to return home,” a news release from the Department of Transportation said. “They have also offered Spirit team members preferential employment interviews to ensure they jump the queue.”

Duffy also reminded customers Spirit will issue automatic refunds and advised passengers to consider credit card chargebacks, travel insurance claims, or bankruptcy filings for additional recovery options.

Travelers share memories of Spirit flights as airline disappears

Travelers across the country reacted with a mix of disbelief, gratitude and sadness as Spirit Airlines ceased operations, upending plans and marking the end of a carrier that, for many, had become a lifeline for affordable travel.

Southwest spokesperson Lynn Lunsford told CNN that as of late Saturday afternoon, the airline flew more than 20,000 stranded Spirit passengers.

Lyndee Domka told CNN affiliate WESH she had been preparing to head to Orlando International Airport Saturday morning for her Spirit flight back home. Instead, she and her family rerouted entirely, choosing to drive 17 hours from Walt Disney World to Ann Arbor, Michigan.

“We booked a car on Enterprise, and we’re just going to take the drive home,” Domka told WESH. “It’s going to be long. We’ve done it before, so we’ll get there.”

Others reflected on Spirit’s role in their lives beyond the disruption. Under the announcement of the airline’s shutdown on the Orlando International Airport’s Facebook account, one person described the airline as “a lifeline” during the Covid-19 pandemic, saying they were able to fly to Florida for as little as $13 one way as a front line worker.

“I honestly don’t know how I would’ve made it through that time without those moments to regroup,” the person wrote, adding they would “always be grateful — and loyal — to this airline.”

Former passengers recalled deeply discounted fares and routine trips made possible by Spirit’s low-cost model. “(Orlando International Airport) to (Atlantic City International Airport) for $11.40,” one user wrote. “The convenience, the flexibility, the staff. I will miss that,” they wrote, while another said the airline was their “go-to” for visiting family.

Some described years of positive experiences, with one person noting Spirit had provided “many wonderful memories.” Another called it their favorite airline, praising its affordability and staff.

A flight attendant also reflected emotionally on the shutdown, writing, “I’m broken … and lost. Thank you (Orlando International Airport) for being the best base EVER.”

One Spirit flight crew member delivered an emotional speech reflecting on their time with the airline on one of its last flights early Saturday after landing in Dallas from Chicago, according to Rachel Danso, the passenger who took the video, who said it was also the moment she learned the airline was shutting down.

“It’s funny as we sit here, I’ll speak for myself, I don’t remember any of the bad times. Just the good ones,” the crew member says while choked up. “So, thank you for your support over the years, and onward and upward.”

Other passengers on the flight were sad after hearing the message, Danso said.

What’s next?

Business journalist and NPR “Full Disclosure” host Roben Farzad told CNN on Saturday that while Spirit’s collapse is disruptive, key parts of its business are unlikely to sit idle for long.

“Don’t shed too many tears for the Marine Air Terminal at LaGuardia,” he said, pointing to the value of routes and airport slots.

“The other airlines — discount, legacy, otherwise — they’re all licking their lips right now,” he added, describing a rush to pick up assets and market share through the bankruptcy process.

Farzad likened Spirit to “the 2006 Nissan Altima of airlines,” saying it was a no-frills experience passengers understood came with trade-offs.

“It’s passing you on the highway. Three out of four hubcaps are missing. The other one is taped to the tire,” he said, noting he had long been familiar with the airline from personal travel in South Florida. “It was very seat of the pants… there was a bit of a roulette element to it.”

Looking ahead, Farzad said multiple carriers are likely to bid for pieces of Spirit rather than the whole company, including Frontier Airlines and JetBlue, both of which had previously explored deals. He also pointed to interest from Breeze Airways and Southwest Airlines, saying airlines are more likely to acquire routes, planes and slots “in parts in bankruptcy” rather than taking on the full operation.

Despite the shutdown, Farzad said there are signs of resilience in the broader industry, particularly for workers. With airlines already offering capped fares to Spirit’s stranded passengers, he said carriers are also “fast-tracking employee transfers,” especially for in-demand roles like pilots and flight attendants.

“You’re seeing capitalism really in fast action,” he said.

This story has been updated with additional details.

CNN’s Fredricka Whitfield, Maria Sole Campinoti, Pete Muntean, Chris Isidore, Emma Tucker and Taylor Galgano contributed to this report.

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