Spirit Airlines shuts down, leaving passengers scrambling

• Spirit Airlines has suspended operations due to long-standing financial issues.
• Getting refunds for tickets or rebooked on other airlines will be challenging for affected travelers.
• The airline's frequent flyer program miles will likely lose all their value.

Spirit Airlines announced on May 2 that it was suspending operations after years of financial hardships, compounded by a recent spike in fuel prices.

All flights have been canceled, and the line's customer service is no longer available.

“For more than 30 years, Spirit Airlines has played a pioneering role in making travel more accessible and bringing people together while driving affordability across the industry,” Dave Davis, Spirit’s president and CEO said in a statement. “The sudden and sustained rise in fuel prices in recent weeks ultimately has left us with no alternative but to pursue an orderly wind-down of the Company. Sustaining the business required hundreds of millions of additional dollars of liquidity that Spirit simply does not have and could not procure. This is tremendously disappointing and not the outcome any of us wanted.”

The airline had gone through multiple bankruptcies but had been unable to balance its books. A proposed bailout by the Trump administration also failed to materialize in time to keep the airline flying. 

Now, passengers are left scrambling as flights were immediately canceled across the airline’s network.

Spirit was trying to come out of its second bankruptcy filing in recent years before rising fuel costs pushed it over the edge.

“Spirit, for all the talk about how small the (ultra low cost carriers) are individually, it’s a pretty big route map,” William J. McGee, senior fellow for aviation and travel at the American Economic Liberties Project, told USA TODAY. 

What happens to passengers with issued tickets? 

Unfortunately, for passengers whose flights were canceled, there’s not much help available to them immediately. By ending its operations, Spirit was effectively acknowledging it was incapable of getting people to their destinations.

"It is with great disappointment that on May 2, 2026, Spirit Airlines started an orderly wind-down of our operations, effective immediately. To our Guests: all flights have been cancelled, and customer service is no longer available," a statement on the now-defunct airline's website says.

Even getting rebooked on other flights is likely to be a challenge. A statement from Spirit on social media said it would not be able to assist with rebooking.

“It’s a really awful situation. You could be stranded on the road. We often think of it, of those who are about to depart on a trip. What about those who are already on a trip?” McGee said.  

He warned that across the board, flights are fuller than ever, meaning other airlines have limited ability to accommodate Spirit passengers who are stranded. 

Will passengers actually get a refund on tickets? 

Spirit Airlines said it would automatically process refunds for flights purchased through a card to the original form of payment. But those who booked flights through a voucher, existing credit, airline points, or another means will be determined through the bankruptcy court process.

The airlines pointed customers to claims agent, Epiq, which can be reached by email: [email protected], or phone: (855) 952-6606 (for toll-free U.S. and Canada calls) or (971) 715-2831 (for international calls).

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said in a statement that travelers who booked with a credit card should consider filing for a chargeback with their issuer.

The statement also said that travelers should check if their travel insurance covers "insovency" or "service cessation."

For those who choose file for compensation through the formal bankruptcy process, Duffy warned the process would take time and may not result in a full refund.

What happens with Spirit’s reward program? 

Free Spirit points are no longer valid, according to the airline.

"Given Spirit Airlines’ immediate wind-down of operations, Free Spirit points are no longer redeemable, and there are no flights available for purchase. Plans for the loyalty program will be determined at a later date through the bankruptcy process," a statement on the restructuring website says.

What happens to Spirit-branded credit cards? 

Every airline liquidation is different, according to McGee, so it’s hard to say exactly what will happen with co-branded credit cards, which are issued by Bank of America. 

Most likely, the cards will continue to work for purchases but will no longer generate airline points or miles. 

Bank of America may offer cardholders the option to convert their points to another of its partner programs or could let future purchases on Free Spirit credit cards generate points in the bank’s own reward ecosystem, but the bank has not yet released a statement on its plans. 

How did we get here? 

Spirit Airlines has had financial issues for years, compounded by engine problems that kept many of its planes grounded and an uneven recovery across the travel industry following the pandemic. 

Although the Trump administration floated the idea of the government receiving warrants for a 90% stake in the airline in exchange for $500 million, Spirit’s existing shareholders balked and the deal never came together.

Spirit Airlines was losing ground in the U.S. market, with sharp declines in passengers, market share and future capacity, according to preliminary domestic data from Cirium, an aviation analytics company.

In February 2026, Spirit carried about 1.7 million domestic passengers, giving it a 3.9% market share, down from 5.1% a year earlier – a 24% drop in share. Year over year, the airline flew roughly 500,000 fewer passengers domestically compared with February 2025. Meanwhile, competitors including Southwest Airlines and American Airlines either grew or held steady, underscoring Spirit’s relative decline.

Spirit had scheduled just 1.65 million seats for May 2026, representing 1.77% of total U.S. capacity – far behind the largest carriers. That figure marked a 51.6% year-over-year reduction in capacity, the steepest drop among major airlines tracked by Cirium, even as overall U.S. airline capacity is set to rise slightly.

The airline’s network remains concentrated in major leisure markets like Fort Lauderdale, Orlando and Las Vegas, where passenger demand is generally strong year-round, so vacationers are more likely to be affected by its shutdown than business travelers.

This story was updated to add new information.

Zach Wichter is a travel reporter and writes the Cruising Altitude column for USA TODAY. He is based in New York, and you can reach him at [email protected].