Spirit Airlines--The End?

Don't think I will be buying a ticket for travel. And anyone with a ticket would be wise to get busy with Plan B, sooner rather than later.

Based on this article--- https://aerospaceglobalnews.com/news/spirit-airlines-airbus-fleet-size-reductions/
it looks like a lot ( most?) planes are leased and their newest planes are being used for parts, rather than flight operations.

Other than gate slots I wonder what there is to 'liquidate', if most of its planes are leased?

I read one report last night that I could not find this morning by that indicated spirit was ferrying planes to Victorville

Victorville is where airlines store airplanes they don’t plan to fly for a long time. For example, during Covid tons of planes were sent to Victorville and basically mothballed You drain all the fluid you do things to protect the rubber, etc. if they are doing that it is not a good sign.

That's true. A few Spirit planes have gone to Victorville, a few are on their way today and more scheduled tomorrow.

There are also quite a few Spirit aircraft that are now being wet-leased to other budget operators around the globe. At least one budget carrier in Vietnam is flying ex-Spirit Airbus A321 CEO aircraft, per a recent Noel Philips YouTube video.

It's worth looking at FlightRadar24 or FlightAware to see where the Spirit aircraft are headed, just for sake of curiosity.

https://thepointsguy.com/news/spirit-airlines-liquidation-concerns-what-to-know/

If you have a Spirit ticket you should read the above article as it makes some good points about travel insurance applicability ( or lack of coverage) and credit card charge backs.

Well that’s timely, not that I would ever fly Spirit, having seen plenty of dispirited Spirit passengers wait and wait and wait as their flight is delayed. But passing that, I was looking into flights from Providence, RI to Orlando, FL for late May/early June. Yup, you guessed it, Spirit was selling tickets.

Victorville is where airlines store airplanes they don’t plan to fly for a long time. For example, during Covid tons of planes were sent to Victorville and basically mothballed You drain all the fluid you do things to protect the rubber, etc. if they are doing that it is not a good sign.

The airplane graveyard in Victorville area is quite the site to see. It’s not worth going there though. We just happen to drive through there to get from point A to B.

Of course they are selling tickets. It's legal but not exactly great business. (But they don't care if its good business, they are going out of business.)

If you bought a ticket for June, and the airline declares insolvency next week, you can't just cancel and claim a refund. You would have to put in a claim with the bankruptcy attorneys or court and get in line. You would not be high up in priority for payments. Meanwhile, the airline has your money to use.

Of course, a loss like that is probably tax deductible.

Looks like the end is near.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/01/business/spirit-airlines-shutting-down.html?unlocked_article_code=1.fFA.46E6.pTqzg5acofMS&smid=url-share

It's worth looking at FlightRadar24 or FlightAware to see where the Spirit aircraft are headed, just for sake of curiosity.

Even more so now than when RD posted this

No need for the "?" mark in the title anymore.

It is with great disappointment that on May 2, 2026, Spirit Airlines started an orderly wind-down of our operations, effective immediately. 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.
This website contains information about the wind-down process. If you have any further questions, please contact our claims agent, Epiq, by emailing [email protected] or calling (855) 952-6606 (for toll-free U.S. and Canada calls) or (971) 715-2831 (for international calls).

https://www.spiritrestructuring.com/

A couple years ago Spirit agreed to merge with JetBlue but the merger was blocked by the prior administration who claimed it would reduce competition in the industry. So now the perceived competition is gone anyway. Perhaps this is a lesson that the market, not government bureaucrats, is the best judge of business strategy.

Spirits has shut down. All flights have been canceled and customer service is no longer available.

I will make a separate posting on this.

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/transportation/spirit-airlines-has-shut-down