Spirit Airlines said it has refunded most of its clients after ceasing its operations and cancelling all flights on Saturday.
The airline left passengers and staff stranded in the U.S. and overseas after collapsing under financial pressure. Most of the crews have also been able to return to their home bases.
The airline had more than 4,000 domestic flights scheduled through May 15, Reuters detailed, citing data from aviation analytics company Cirium.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said on ABC's "This Week" that the company was "bleeding money" and its collapse had been "in the works for some time."
The company said on its website on Saturday morning that it had "started an orderly wind-down of our operations" and has cancelled all its flights. Customer service is no longer available and the company advised passengers to not go to the airport.
"We are proud of the impact of our ultra-low-cost model on the industry over the last 34 years and had hoped to serve our guests for many years to come," reads another passage of the parting message.
President Donald Trump had not ruled out rescuing the company on Friday afternoon, saying he was still "looking" at the possibility. "We're looking at Spirit and if we can help them, we will. But we have to come first," he said. However, a deal was not reached.
Spirit had been struggling to exit Chapter 11 bankruptcy for the second time in under a year. The airline initially filed for bankruptcy protection in November 2024 after reporting heavy losses and debt pressure, and again in 2025 following a failed restructuring attempt.
Rising jet fuel prices had also significantly undermined Spirit's turnaround plan. The surge in fuel costs, linked in part to geopolitical tensions, particularly the war in Iran and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz increased operating expenses to a level that some creditors believed made the restructuring plan unworkable.
The possibility had also led others to also ask the government for a bailout. The Association of Value Airlines (AVA), a trade organization for value airlines, said that its members were working collaboratively and looking for help from the Trump administration. Last week, member air carriers, which include Spirit, Frontier, Avelo Air, Allegiant Air, and Sun Country, met with Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy.
AVA said that it has asked for the creation of a $2.5 billion liquidity pool to be used only to offset "incremental fuel costs, as a necessary and targeted measure to stabilize operations and keep airfares affordable."
