NFL
By: Mark T. Wilson
With the crushing news that Spirit Airlines has closed its doors, the world is split down the middle when it comes to sentiments. Many are applauding, while others are in disbelief and sad. Where do you stand on this?
As a person in the airline industry, I’m crushed. Many people are now out of work, and while you may say they should have seen this coming, well, that offers no solace. This industry is hard. Prices go up on everything. Just as well as eggs and bread can skyrocket from your neighborhood market, gas prices can do the same for an Airline.
Not saying that was the cause for Spirit Airlines going out of business, but it didn’t help either. Now, to the nitty-gritty here.
Spirit going out of business is bad in my eyes. Workers have no job and can’t provide for their family, but it’s also more than that. Spirit was an ULCC (Ultra Low Cost Carrier) that went in the opposite direction of the big boys, such as Delta, American Airlines, and United. Their motto was to be affordable. It served them well, until it didn’t. But Spirit was never wrong in their approach.
You can check social media and find some type of damaging video where customers are fighting or workers are arguing, and make a strong case against them. But do not for one second believe those issues were isolated just to Spirit. It went on everywhere, but since Spirit had a reputation, it made news. So wrong.
Spirit catered to those looking to save money. Hell, the rich stay rich because they like to penny pinch. Spirit offered a service to those people looking to save on flying, and they followed that blueprint all the way to the end.
Yes, there were issues along the way. And like most are doing through the media, they are gladly pointing them out. What losing Spirit will do is cause widespread havoc. Spirit was designed to help the average American save money on flights, and now that they’re gone, those same flyers will have to dig a bit deeper into their wallets. Frontier is still around, but do they have the same routes that Spirit flew?
Despite what people may say regarding their product, they served a purpose. With a homebase based in Florida, Spirit Airlines became a go-to company with flights in and out of a high-traffic state with great prices. Not anymore. Slots will be picked up by other airlines, and that’s where the problem will arise, and the customers will start to rethink how they treated and talked about Spirit.
What Airline is not charging for bags? What airline doesn’t offer paid seats? No, they did not provide complementary drinks and snacks, but with their ticket prices, what did you expect, cheaper flights, free Pepsi, and Goldfish Crackers? Customers expected first-class service on a budget, and that wasn’t their motto.
Even with rumors dating back to 2024, Spirit Airlines still managed to serve over 40 million customers in 2025. So now, where will those 40M customers go? They flew mainly due to the prices, and the legacy carriers will likely pick up the slack. However, those same customers doing all the laughing at Spirit will be the same ones complaining they can no longer get the comfort of flying for a discounted price.
