Sean Duffy

That would have to be a conversation that does happen with Congress, and there would have to be a real need.

And so sometimes what can happen is when there's a conversation about Spirit Airlines and a potential bailout, if you will,

What other airlines see as an opportunity?

Is this an opportunity for us to get money as well to help our airline out?

Not necessarily based on need but based on opportunity and I think that's what was happening when the low cost carriers put out a request for $2.5 billion.

The president was like a dog on a bone.

trying to figure out a way to keep Spirit afloat.

He was concerned about the employees of Spirit.

I was in the Oval many times hearing him talk about the employees and the customers.

In the end, this was a creditor issue.

Again, they have the final say of whether they want to do a deal with the government.

But also from the government's perspective, we oftentimes don't have a half a billion dollars laying around in a spare account that we can put into a bailout of an airline.

I would say that at this point, I don't think it's necessary.

They do have access to cash.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy spoke Saturday morning at Newark Airport, but not everyone had gotten the memo in time.

Spirit announced their closure around 2 in the morning Eastern, leaving some travelers surprised and upset when they arrived at the airport.

Those who paid by credit card were promised refunds, and other U.S.

airlines offered to cap tickets for them at $200.

But problems run deeper.

Spirit's cheap-seat, no-frills approach helped launch budget travel more than three decades ago.