By SDCN Staff
Dania Beach, FL–Spirit Aviation Holdings Incorporated, the parent company of Spirit Airlines, announced Saturday that the carrier has begun an immediate and orderly wind-down of operations, resulting in the cancellation of all Spirit flights nationwide.
The airline advised passengers not to go to the airport, stating that all scheduled flights have been canceled effective immediately.
Company officials said the shutdown follows months of restructuring efforts aimed at stabilizing Spirit’s finances and securing a sustainable future for the ultra-low-cost carrier. Despite negotiations with creditors and attempts to obtain additional funding, Spirit said a recent surge in oil prices and ongoing financial pressures left the company unable to continue operations.
“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,” Spirit President and CEO Dave Davis said in a statement.
Davis said the airline had reached a restructuring agreement with bondholders in March 2026 that could have allowed Spirit to continue operating. However, rapidly rising fuel costs in recent weeks ultimately forced the company to cease operations.
“Sustaining the business required hundreds of millions of additional dollars of liquidity that Spirit simply does not have and could not procure,” Davis said, calling the outcome “tremendously disappointing.”
The airline also thanked federal officials, including Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and the U.S. Departments of Commerce and Transportation, for efforts to preserve jobs and minimize disruptions for travelers.
Spirit additionally expressed gratitude to labor unions, aircraft lessors, business partners and financial stakeholders–including Citadel, Cyrus Capital and Ares Management Corp.–for working with the company during the restructuring process.
The company said customers who purchased tickets directly from Spirit using a credit or debit card will automatically receive refunds to their original form of payment.
Passengers who booked through travel agencies are being instructed to contact their travel agents directly for refund assistance. Travelers who used vouchers, travel credits or Free Spirit loyalty points will have compensation determined later through the bankruptcy process.
More information regarding the shutdown and refund process is available on the company’s restructuring website.
