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If the mention of Spirit Airlines triggers rage in any part of your soul, take heart. The highlighter-yellow carrier may not be long for this world. With multiple outlets reporting that Spirit could go under at any moment, “according to people familiar with the matter,” everyone even vaguely “familiar” with flying Spirit wants to pull the plug.
What, you don’t like paying extra for a carry-on bag, a pack of seven mini pretzels, and room-temperature water? Flying is annoying enough. Snacks should be free.
Claiming to offer a pleasurable flight without frustrating upcharges for amenities you don’t need (like basic WiFi), Spirit’s super-saver strategy has allowed it to masquerade as the most affordable ticket in the biz for decades. Banking on not serving customers, however, seems to have finally caught up with the economy brand. Not even two cocktails and a couple of “fun size” bags of pretzels for $38.99 can save Spirit now.
After a judge said no to a merger with JetBlue in 2024, and Spirit tried two Chapter 11 filings within the following year, the company may be headed toward an airline hangar estate sale. It attempted to slash overhead by curbing flight routes, downsizing staff, and limiting onboard service, but insiders now claim Spirit is set to liquidate its entire fleet. Apparently, high fuel prices were the final nail in the coffin on the ol’ bankruptcy exit strategy.
Dear Spirit, we see your Hail Mary with the extra row of “Big Front Seats,” but overpriced “pre-reclined” economy seating has never done it for us. Unlike cheap thrills on terra firma, we enjoy a little luxury at 35,000 feet. Y’all weren’t serving it because you didn’t think we were worth it. Don’t let the door hit you on the way out!
At this point in polite society, it is our custom to spend $7 billion airport dollars on squeezing into economy class with our knees folded into our chests, trying to be chill about the people in front of us reclining their seats into our faces and fluffing their hair over the headrests. It’s common for seatmates to remove their shoes and socks, wriggling sweaty toes into the carpet. If someone didn’t watch a movie at full volume while mouth-breathing airport Chick-fil-A on your arm, it didn’t happen. Pass me another one of those $70 Barbie-sized pinot grigios.
Air travel used to be elite. While you can still taste the good life by affording yourself a Four Seasons Private Jet charter, enjoying a shower with Bvlgari amenities mid-Emirates flight, or lying like a starfish in a two-person suite on Singapore Air, most of us don’t have an extra $10,000 to secure the comfort of an airborne lounge.
I flew Spirit Airlines once from Los Angeles to Puerto Rico. After an 18-hour round trip, I feel qualified to share my user experience. Zero stars.
I easily fell for Spirit’s bargain-basement pricing, lighting up a random booking site like I’d won a bare-bones experience at half the usual cost. Fully convinced that I didn’t need any of those pesky amenities that had been forced upon me by other airlines, I imagined saving myself from overpaying for whatever unnecessary cookies and warm washcloths were happening in business class. I was just flying from one place to another place. Other than a capable pilot and a 1950s car seatbelt, what else did I need?
I regretted my purchase immediately. As soon as I reached the ticket counter, I discovered I would be charged for everything but oxygen. (Maybe that, too. Hidden fees.) I got the feeling that Spirit marketing execs were watching us shuffle onto their Temu plane via satellite, congratulating themselves on tricking us into thinking we weren’t paying for extras, when really we wouldn’t receive essentials.
The interior design of the cabin did no one any favors. While they read chic in literally every other instance, all-black seats and tray tables made the plane feel like a communist cafeteria. I guess we didn’t pay for color, so no surprise there. I think someone checked for fastened seatbelts and mentioned oxygen masks in passing, and one person accidentally welcomed me for no fee. Since I didn’t pay ahead for snacks or drinks, there was no reason for the staff to pop in every now and then.
I eventually shelled out for ginger ale when I could no longer survive without liquids. (Pro tip: You unfortunately can’t drink outside alcohol on the plane, even if mini bottles pass security. Don’t believe everything you read on Reddit.) And no, I didn’t sign up for the Spirit credit card offered over the intercom. Vive la résistance!
With two and a half out of five stars from 33,000 customer reviews on Tripadvisor, one and a half stars on Yelp, and one star on TrustPilot, Spirit Airlines isn’t merely a victim of the recent spike in fuel prices. It’s cattle class service, no offense to cows.
As we wrap up Spirit’s funeral arrangements and keep an eye on this “fluid” situation, you might be wondering what happens if you’re currently booked on a Spirit flight. While things are running as usual at the moment, if operations shut down entirely, your flight will be canceled. A refund is most likely via credit card dispute. Sorry for your loss.
Let’s do the humane thing by booking our next flights on a different airline and putting Spirit out of its misery.
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