Spirit Airlines
United States · SPIRIT WINGS · Active
Airline Identity
History
Spirit Airlines traces its roots to Clippert Trucking Company, founded in 1964, which evolved into a charter operator before being renamed Spirit Airlines and beginning scheduled airline operations on 29 May 1992. The carrier became one of the largest U.S. ultra-low-cost carriers, known for unbundled "bare fare" pricing, before running into severe financial distress: a proposed 2022 merger with JetBlue was blocked on antitrust grounds, and Spirit filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in November 2024, emerging in April 2025 under new leadership.
Current Operations
Spirit Airlines is no longer operating. It filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy a second time in August 2025, and after failing to secure a reported $500 million federal bailout amid sharply rising fuel costs linked to the 2026 Iran conflict, the airline ceased all flight operations on 2 May 2026 and began an orderly wind-down, with plans to move to Chapter 7 liquidation. As of mid-2026, Texas-based Mooney International had submitted a bankruptcy-court bid to acquire Spirit's assets and potentially revive the brand, but as of this writing no relaunch has been confirmed, no timeline exists, and the outcome remains unresolved; other U.S. carriers absorbed displaced Spirit routes and offered rebooking and hiring accommodations to affected passengers and employees.
Last verified 2026-09-02· Source: airline public disclosures, company press releases & aviation-industry reporting.