Spirit Airlines is cutting service as it navigates another bankruptcy.
Beginning in October, the budget airline will end service in 11 U.S. cities, including Portland and Salt Lake City
Michael Nagle/Bloomberg via Getty
Spirit Airlines is cutting service as it navigates another bankruptcy.
Beginning in October, the budget airline will end service in 11 U.S. cities, including Portland and Salt Lake City, according to The Points Guy.
They're Spirit’s first cuts as the airline re-enters the chapter 11 bankruptcy process, its second filing in a year. The company filed for bankruptcy protection in November, making it the first major U.S. carrier to file for Chapter 11 since 2011. The company emerged from bankruptcy in March after a court approved restructuring backed by creditors.
Then in August, Spirit raised major concerns about its ability to stay in business. In its second-quarter earnings, the company pointed to adverse market conditions, elevated domestic capacity, and continued weak demand for domestic leisure travel as major obstacles moving forward. The company reported a $245.8 million net loss on $1.02 billion operating revenue for the quarter that ended June 30.
The airline, known for its yellow planes and heavily discounted fairs, told investors that it continues to experience challenges and uncertainties in its business operations and expects these trends to continue for at least the rest of 2025.
To address these concerns, the company has made network and product enhancements, including its premium economy travel option. It attempted to reduce costs using sale-leasebacks of spare engines. In July, the company announced it would furlough 270 pilots and demote 140 more this fall, Reuters reported.
But Spirit’s management believed it was still likely the company would fail to meet its cash flow requirements and default on its loans, which could halt operations within the next year.
Spirit filed for its second bankruptcy last week and received court approval on Wednesday, according to a press release.
Here is the list of airports Spirit will no longer serve, as reported by the Points Guy:
Meanwhile, Frontier Airlines is going after Spirit’s customers. Last week, the budget airline rival announced 20 new routes beginning in late fall, many of which overlap with Spirit Airlines’ major markets. The new routes will include departures from Fort Lauderdale, Detroit, Baltimore, Houston, Charlotte, and Dallas and fares will start at $29.
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