{"id":254423,"date":"2026-05-01T20:04:07","date_gmt":"2026-05-01T20:04:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/254423\/"},"modified":"2026-05-01T20:04:07","modified_gmt":"2026-05-01T20:04:07","slug":"trump-says-a-final-proposal-to-rescue-spirit-airlines-is-under-consideration","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/254423\/","title":{"rendered":"Trump says a ‘final proposal’ to rescue Spirit Airlines is under consideration"},"content":{"rendered":"

WASHINGTON (AP) \u2014 President Donald Trump said Friday his administration is still weighing a taxpayer-funded takeover<\/a> of Spirit Airlines, with talks ongoing and no final decision yet on whether to move forward with a potential bailout.<\/p>\n

Speaking to reporters before departing the White House for Florida, Trump emphasized that a deal to rescue the financially strapped airline remained under review. The president did not provide details but said an announcement could come as soon as later Friday or Saturday. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re looking at it. If we could do it, we\u2019ll do it. But only if it\u2019s a good deal,\u201d Trump said.<\/p>\n

The possibility of a bailout first emerged publicly last week, when Trump floated the idea<\/a> of the U.S. government offering Spirit a financial lifeline to help keep the airline from going bust and out of business. <\/p>\n

The president suggested the government would be able to resell the airline known for its bright yellow planes and \u201cno frills\u201d service for a profit once oil prices<\/a> driven up by the Iran war<\/a> come down. <\/p>\n

\"NextFILE – A Spirit Airlines 319 Airbus approaches Manchester Boston Regional Airport for a landing, June 2, 2023, in Manchester, N.H. (AP Photo\/Charles Krupa, File)<\/p>\n

Photo: <\/p>\n

Lawmakers from both parties and members of the Trump administration have criticized the idea of using taxpayer funds to keep the ultra-low cost airline afloat. Speculation around the likelihood of a deal emerging has mounted with every day that passes without a resolution as Spirit\u2019s operating expenses and debts mount. <\/p>\n

The administration delivered what Trump described as a \u201cfinal proposal\u201d to the airline. He framed the possible federal intervention as an effort to preserve jobs but stressed that any financial arrangement worked out would have to benefit the government.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re looking at Spirit and if we can help them, we will. But we have to come first,\u201d Trump said.<\/p>\n

He likened the idea to his administration\u2019s previous move to take a stake in semiconductor manufacturer Intel, while noting the potential relief under discussion for Spirit was \u201ca different kind of a thing.\u201d<\/p>\n

A lawyer for the airline told a U.S. Bankruptcy Court last week that Spirit was in advanced talks with the government over financing that could allow it to exit Chapter 11 protection.<\/p>\n

Supporters of a rescue rescue \u2014 including labor unions representing Spirit\u2019s pilots and flight attendants \u2014 say that a collpase would cost jobs and reduce competition, likely pushing fares higher.<\/p>\n

Critics from both parties have questioned the use of taxpayer funds, warning that federal support could amount to a bailout of a company with a long history of losses.<\/p>\n

Spirit filed for bankruptcy protection<\/a> in November 2024 and again in August 2025 and has struggled financially for years.<\/p>\n

More recently, rising jet fuel costs tied to the Iran war have intensified pressure on the airline. Its creditors last month expressed doubts about whether Spirit could continue operating, raising the possibility that the airline could be forced to sell off assets and shut down.<\/p>\n

Spirit has been on shaky financial ground since the COVID-19 pandemic, weighed down by rising operating costs and growing debt. By the time of its first Chapter 11 filing<\/a>, Spirit had lost more than $2.5 billion since the start of 2020. <\/p>\n

The budget carrier sought bankruptcy protection for a second time after its parent company revealed in a quarterly report that it had \u201csubstantial doubt\u201d<\/a> about Spirit\u2019s ability to stay in business over the next year, citing \u201cadverse market conditions\u201d after its first restructuring \u2014 including weak leisure domestic travel demand and ongoing \u201cuncertainties in its business operations.\u201d<\/p>\n

__ <\/p>\n

Yamat reported from Las Vegas.<\/p>\n

Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"WASHINGTON (AP) \u2014 President Donald Trump said Friday his administration is still weighing a taxpayer-funded takeover of Spirit…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":254424,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[249,251,250],"class_list":["post-254423","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-fort-lauderdale","tag-fort-lauderdale","tag-fort-lauderdale-headlines","tag-fort-lauderdale-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/254423","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=254423"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/254423\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/254424"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=254423"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=254423"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=254423"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}