Joel Rose

Without Spirit, advocates worry that prices will go up for everyone.

Joel Rose, NPR News, Washington.

In a message posted online overnight, Spirit Airlines told its passengers not to go to the airport.

Customers who bought tickets directly from Spirit will get an automatic refund, the airline said.

while other airlines said they would cap fares for passengers who had tickets with Spirit.

Spirit Airlines faced mounting financial pressure because of rising jet fuel prices, but its problems had been building for years.

The airline filed for bankruptcy twice since 2024, and its market share had been shrinking.

But even with a small footprint, consumer advocates say Spirit could still have an important effect on fares by providing added competition on the routes that it flew.

Without Spirit, advocates worry that prices will go up for everyone.

Joel Rose, NPR News, Washington.

Spirit Airlines faced mounting financial pressure because of the war in Iran, which sent the price of jet fuel soaring.

But its problems ran much deeper than that.

Spirit was a pioneer among ultra-low-cost carriers, keeping its fares down by stripping away amenities the travelers had previously taken for granted and then charging extra for them.

But the airline faced increased competition from its larger rivals, which adopted their own basic economy fares.

The Florida-based airline has filed for bankruptcy twice since 2024.

Spirit has been seeking a $500 million federal bailout, but those talks failed to yield a deal, leaving the airline no choice but to stop flying and prepare to liquidate its assets.

Joel Rose, NPR News, Washington.

Hi, Scott.

High fuel costs certainly did not help.

I mean, as you said, the whole industry has been dealing with a spike in the price of jet fuel since the beginning of the war in Iran, which has disrupted the supply of crude oil and jet fuel coming out of the Persian Gulf.