YORK. AND WE TURN NOW TO OUR REPORTER, RACHEL WILLIAMS, WHO IS AT THE FORT LAUDERDALE HOLLYWOOD AIRPORT, WHICH SERVED AS THE MAIN HUB FOR SPIRIT AIRLINES. SHE’S BEEN THERE ALL DAY AND HAS REACTION FROM EMPLOYEES AND PASSENGERS. RIGHT NOW, WE’RE SEEING PEOPLE TRYING TO GET THEIR FLIGHTS REBOOKED ONTO OTHER AIRLINES. AS WE KNOW, SPIRIT AIRLINES IS HEADQUARTERED HERE IN SOUTH FLORIDA. SO NOT ONLY ARE PASSENGERS AFFECTED, BUT SO ARE LOCAL EMPLOYEES. IN JUST 24 HOURS, CHRISTINA DOWNS WORLD TURNED UPSIDE DOWN AS SHE WOKE UP SATURDAY MORNING UNEMPLOYED. THIS MORNING I WOKE UP. WE GOT A LETTER FROM DAVE AND OUR EMAILS ADVISING THAT WE HAVE SHUT DOWN OPERATIONS EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY. THAT’S WHEN I SCRAMBLED TO JUMP ON A LAST MINUTE FLIGHT. SHE SPENT THE PAST FEW DAYS IN NEW YORK CITY CELEBRATING HER FIANCE’S BIRTHDAY, AND WHILE ENJOYING SOME TIME OFF, SHE STARTED HEARING RUMORS ABOUT THE POSSIBILITY OF OPERATIONS CLOSING DOWN. SO I SPENT MY DAY IN NEW YORK. HOPEFULLY WAS PLANNING TO HOPEFULLY HEAR GOOD NEWS I DID NOT. I THINK THURSDAY I WAS KIND OF HEARING THINGS AROUND, BUT I DIDN’T WANT TO THINK IT WAS A POSSIBILITY. BUT FRIDAY IS WHEN IT HIT HOME. WHEN WE WERE REALLY STARTING TO SEE THE LINES, U.S. TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY SEAN DUFFY SAID ON SATURDAY THAT SPIRIT HAD A RESERVE FUND SET UP FOR CUSTOMERS WHO BOUGHT DIRECTLY FROM THE AIRLINE TO GET REFUNDS. PEOPLE WHO BOUGHT FROM THIRD PARTY VENDORS, LIKE TRAVEL AGENTS WOULD HAVE TO SEEK REFUNDS FROM THEM. I WAS GOING TO COLUMBIA. MY FLIGHT IS SUPPOSED TO BE AT TOMORROW AT TEN. THEN I SAW AN INTERNET AND FOR A FAMILY. THEY TOLD ME THAT A SPIRIT WAS CLOSED, SO I NEEDED TO COME BECAUSE THEY WERE SELLING IN THE AIRPORT. THEY’RE GIVING DISCOUNTS OR THEY’RE GIVING US A NEW FLIGHT. SO I COME TO A SEARCH WHICH WHICH ONE? I CAN EVOKE. DUFFY ALSO SAYS UNITED, DELTA, JETBLUE AND SOUTHWEST WERE OFFERING $200 ONE WAY FLIGHTS FOR PEOPLE WHO COULD CONFIRM THAT THEY HAD A SPIRIT CONFIRMATION NUMBERS AND A PROOF OF PURCHASE FOR A LIMITED TIME. THAT DISCOUNT FOR FRONTIER IS UP TO 50% OFF USING THE PROMO CODE SAVE NOW. AFTER CHRISTINA SPENT 11 YEARS WITH THE COMPANY, IT’S THE END OF AN ERA FOR THE AIRLINE AND HER CAREER WITH SPIRIT AIRLINES. IT’S BEEN A LOT OF EMOTIONS. MY SPIRIT FAMILY HAS REACHED OUT TO ME. WE’VE BEEN COMMUNICATING, JUST WAITING TO HEAR NEXT STEPS. I HAVE STUFF IN THE OFFICE, SO I’M HEARING LIKE, WHEN CAN WE GO PICK UP OUR THINGS? WAITING TO HEAR MORE FROM OUR MANAGEMENT TEAM. BUT I ALSO BELIEVE IN REDIRECTION. SO EVEN THOUGH THIS ALL HAPPENED TO THE AIRLINE, I HOPE WE ALL FIND NEW JOBS SOON. DUFFY ALSO SAID OTHER AIRLINES WOULD HELP SPIRIT AIRLINE EMPLOYEES WHO MIGHT BE STRANDED RIGHT NOW, AS WELL AS OFFERING THEM A SPECIAL APPLICATION PROCESS WHILE THEY LOOK FOR
‘It’s been a lot of emotions’: Spirit Airlines shutdown leaves passengers, employees stranded
Spirit Airlines ceased operations immediately Saturday morning.
Updated: 11:20 PM EDT May 2, 2026
Spirit Airlines, headquartered in South Florida, shut down operations immediately Saturday morning after 34 years, leaving passengers with canceled flights and employees suddenly unemployed. At Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, travelers were seen trying to rebook flights with other airlines. Christina Downs, a former Spirit Airlines employee, shared her experience of waking up to the news. “This morning I woke up, we got a letter from (Spirit Airlines CEO) Dave Davis in our emails advising that we have shut down operations effectively immediately. That’s when I scrambled to jump on a last-minute flight,” Downs said. Downs had been in New York City celebrating her fiancé’s birthday when she began hearing rumors about the airline’s closure. “So, I spent my day in New York hoping and was planning to hear good news, but I did not,” she said. “I think Thursday I was kind of hearing things around, but I didn’t want to think it was a possibility. But Friday is when it hit home. We were really starting to see headlines.” U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said Spirit Airlines had set up a reserve fund to refund customers who purchased tickets directly from the airline. Those who booked through third-party vendors, such as travel agents, would need to seek refunds from those sources. Juan Quimbayo, a Spirit passenger, described his situation after learning about the shutdown. “I was going to Colombia; my flight is supposed to be tomorrow at 10 a.m. Then I saw on the internet, and a friend told me that Spirit was closed, so I needed to come here because they said in the airport, they were giving discounts, or they are giving us a new flight, so I came to search for which one I can book,” Quimbayo said. Duffy also said United, Delta, JetBlue and Southwest were offering $200 one-way flights for affected passengers who could provide Spirit confirmation numbers and proof of purchase. Frontier Airlines announced discounted “rescue fares” covering many of Spirit’s former routes, with savings of up to 50% using the promo code “SAVENOW.” For Downs, the closure marked the end of her 11-year career with the airline. “It’s been a lot of emotions. My Spirit family has reached out to me, we’ve been communicating, just waiting to hear next steps. I have stuff in the office, so I’m hearing, like, when can we go pick up our things? Waiting to hear more from our management team,” she said. “But I also believe in redirection, so even though this all happened to the airline, I hope we all find a new job soon.”Duffy said other airlines would assist Spirit employees who might be stranded and offer them a preferential application process as they look for new job opportunities.
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. —
Spirit Airlines, headquartered in South Florida, shut down operations immediately Saturday morning after 34 years, leaving passengers with canceled flights and employees suddenly unemployed.
At Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, travelers were seen trying to rebook flights with other airlines. Christina Downs, a former Spirit Airlines employee, shared her experience of waking up to the news.
“This morning I woke up, we got a letter from (Spirit Airlines CEO) Dave Davis in our emails advising that we have shut down operations effectively immediately. That’s when I scrambled to jump on a last-minute flight,” Downs said.
Downs had been in New York City celebrating her fiancé’s birthday when she began hearing rumors about the airline’s closure.
“So, I spent my day in New York hoping and was planning to hear good news, but I did not,” she said. “I think Thursday I was kind of hearing things around, but I didn’t want to think it was a possibility. But Friday is when it hit home. We were really starting to see headlines.”
U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said Spirit Airlines had set up a reserve fund to refund customers who purchased tickets directly from the airline. Those who booked through third-party vendors, such as travel agents, would need to seek refunds from those sources.
Juan Quimbayo, a Spirit passenger, described his situation after learning about the shutdown.
“I was going to Colombia; my flight is supposed to be tomorrow at 10 a.m. Then I saw on the internet, and a friend told me that Spirit was closed, so I needed to come here because they said in the airport, they were giving discounts, or they are giving us a new flight, so I came to search for which one I can book,” Quimbayo said.
Duffy also said United, Delta, JetBlue and Southwest were offering $200 one-way flights for affected passengers who could provide Spirit confirmation numbers and proof of purchase. Frontier Airlines announced discounted “rescue fares” covering many of Spirit’s former routes, with savings of up to 50% using the promo code “SAVENOW.”
For Downs, the closure marked the end of her 11-year career with the airline.
“It’s been a lot of emotions. My Spirit family has reached out to me, we’ve been communicating, just waiting to hear next steps. I have stuff in the office, so I’m hearing, like, when can we go pick up our things? Waiting to hear more from our management team,” she said. “But I also believe in redirection, so even though this all happened to the airline, I hope we all find a new job soon.”
Duffy said other airlines would assist Spirit employees who might be stranded and offer them a preferential application process as they look for new job opportunities.