Federal government offers update as Spirit Airlines shuts down
Thousands of passengers stranded, airline employees face unemployment as ultra-low-cost carrier winds down operations
WASHINGTON (Gray DC) - The federal government is offering help for thousands of stranded passengers and suddenly unemployed airline workers following Spirit Airlines’ announcement that it is winding down operations and canceling all tickets.
Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy announced the federal response as the Miami-based carrier ceased operations after 33 years. The airline ceased operating Friday at midnight eastern.
Rising jet fuel costs proved the airline’s demise. GasBuddy estimates a gallon of jet fuel has effectively doubled in price, raising costs the airline could not sustain.
“So, United Delta, JetBlue and Southwest are capping their ticket prices for spirit customers. It’s going to vary between the airlines. You have to go to their websites to take advantage of these special offers. It is, normally going to be about $200 for a one way ticket,” Duffy said.
At one point, the White House considered a $500 million buyout of Spirit Airlines. The Trump administration has made other investments in other sectors of the economy.
Passengers on Spirit Airlines will have to find a different way home, and 17,000 airline employees will have to find work in an economy which has shown little growth in new jobs, according to recent reports from the U.S. Department of Labor.
Congress is asking questions about what happened to Spirit.
Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio) posted on X Saturday he wants the Senate Commerce Committee to investigate if anyone interfered with a previously proposed merger between Spirit and JetBlue.
The two airlines ended talks in 2024 after a federal judge blocked the proposed merger following a Justice Department lawsuit.
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