IN SAINT CLOUD. WE’LL GET TO THAT COMING UP IN JUST A FEW MINUTES. 602 AND RIGHT NOW WE’RE TAKING A LIVE LOOK AT ORLANDO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT THIS MORNING, WHERE A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE TRYING TO COME UP WITH NEW TRAVEL PLANS. AFTER SPIRIT AIRLINES SHUT DOWN OVER THE WEEKEND. SO STRESSFUL. THAT MOVE CANCELED DOZENS OF FLIGHTS TO AND FROM ORLANDO INTERNATIONAL. WESH 2’S BOB HAZEN LIVE AT THE AIRPORT FOR US THIS MORNING. AND BOB, SOME FAMILIES JUST HAD TO SCRAMBLE TO FIND A FLIGHT. AND THIS MORNING, IT’S BASICALLY A GHOST TOWN HERE AT THE SPIRIT COUNTER AT I A, YOU CAN SEE NOBODY’S HERE, AS YOU MIGHT IMAGINE. AFTER IT ALL SHUT DOWN, IT’S ALL QUIET. THE SIGNS UP THERE SAYING. HAVING THAT RED ALERT NOTICE THERE TELLING PEOPLE WHERE TO GO TO GET MORE INFORMATION IF THEIR FLIGHTS HAVE BEEN CANCELED AND SPIRITS STOPPED. ALL OF ITS OPERATIONS EARLY SATURDAY MORNING. OF COURSE, THERE HAD BEEN WARNINGS ABOUT IT FOR WEEKS. IT WAS IN ITS SECOND BANKRUPTCY, AND THAT BIG JUMP IN JET FUEL PRICES WAS JUST TOO MUCH FOR THE COMPANY TO HANDLE. THAT DID IMPACT A LOT OF PEOPLE HERE AROUND CENTRAL FLORIDA, INCLUDING HUNDREDS OF FOLKS IN TOWN FOR A BIG CHEERLEADING COMPETITION AT THE ORANGE COUNTY CONVENTION CENTER. SOME FLEW IN ON SPIRIT, THEN HAD TO SPEND THOUSANDS TO GET A FLIGHT HOME WITH ANOTHER AIRLINE. OTHERS HAD THEIR FLIGHTS CANCELED BEFORE THEY EVEN FLEW DOWN HERE. SHANE BOTH WAYS, BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE LOSE THEIR JOB, YOU KNOW, HAVE FAMILIES, BUT ALSO SPIRIT. WAS IT AFFORDABLE AIRLINE COMPARED TO ALL THE OTHER ONES THAT ARE OUT THERE NOW? IT WAS VERY EMOTIONAL. IT WAS VERY SAD. WE DIDN’T KNOW WHAT TO DO. WE DIDN’T WANT TO LET THE TEAM DOWN. AND SPIRIT HAS A LONG HISTORY HERE AT ORLANDO INTERNATIONAL. IT’S BEEN HERE FOR 33 YEARS. THE AIRPORT SAYS THE COMPANY HAD 160 EMPLOYEES BASED HERE. LAST MONTH, THE AIRLINE HAD ALMOST 500,000 PASSENGERS AT OIA, WITH 237 FLIGHTS TO 46 DESTINATIONS. SO THIS SHUTDOWN OBVIOUSLY GOING TO HAVE A PRETTY BIG IMPACT ON THE OPERATIONS HERE AT ORLANDO
Spirit Airlines shutdown disrupts travel plans at Orlando International Airport
Updated: 6:40 AM EDT May 4, 2026
Spirit Airlines shut down all operations early Saturday morning, canceling dozens of flights to and from Orlando International Airport and leaving travelers scrambling to make new arrangements. The airline, which had been in its second bankruptcy and had faced rising jet fuel prices, had warned of its impending shutdown for weeks. The closure affected many people in Central Florida, including hundreds of families in town for a cheerleading competition at the Orange County Convention Center. Some passengers who flew into Orlando on Spirit Airlines had to spend thousands of dollars on flights home with other carriers, while others had their trips canceled before they even arrived. “It’s a shame both ways because people lose their job, have families, but also Spirit was an affordable airline compared to all the other ones that are out there now,” said John Covino, a cheer dad from New Jersey. “It was very emotional, it was very sad, we didn’t know what to do, we didn’t want to let the team down,” said Tiffaney Wilson, a cheer mom from Texas. Spirit Airlines had operated out of Orlando International Airport for 33 years, employing 160 people locally. Last month, the airline served nearly 500,000 passengers at the airport, with 237 flights to 46 destinations. The shutdown is expected to have a major impact on operations at Orlando International Airport.
ORLANDO, Fla. —
Spirit Airlines shut down all operations early Saturday morning, canceling dozens of flights to and from Orlando International Airport and leaving travelers scrambling to make new arrangements.
The airline, which had been in its second bankruptcy and had faced rising jet fuel prices, had warned of its impending shutdown for weeks.
The closure affected many people in Central Florida, including hundreds of families in town for a cheerleading competition at the Orange County Convention Center.
Some passengers who flew into Orlando on Spirit Airlines had to spend thousands of dollars on flights home with other carriers, while others had their trips canceled before they even arrived.
“It’s a shame both ways because people lose their job, have families, but also Spirit was an affordable airline compared to all the other ones that are out there now,” said John Covino, a cheer dad from New Jersey.
“It was very emotional, it was very sad, we didn’t know what to do, we didn’t want to let the team down,” said Tiffaney Wilson, a cheer mom from Texas.
Spirit Airlines had operated out of Orlando International Airport for 33 years, employing 160 people locally.
Last month, the airline served nearly 500,000 passengers at the airport, with 237 flights to 46 destinations.
The shutdown is expected to have a major impact on operations at Orlando International Airport.