TAMPA, Fla. — Spirit Airlines has shut down all operations, canceling flights and leaving thousands of travelers across the country scrambling to make other plans.
The airline furloughed 17,000 employees as part of what it described as an orderly wind-down, effective immediately.
On its website, Spirit posted the following statement:
"It is with great disappointment that on May 2, 2026, Spirit Airlines started an orderly wind-down of our operations, effective immediately. To our Guests: all flights have been cancelled, and customer service is no longer available."
The airline had been operating 300 flights a day. Four of those flights were scheduled to depart directly from Tampa International Airport on Saturday.
Tampa International Airport released a statement addressing the shutdown.
"The airline was previously scheduled to operate 43 outbound flights per week at TPA, serving six destinations. We encourage Spirit customers to work directly with the airline for refunds as directed on their website."
At TPA, trash bags covered the baggage kiosks, and no signage had been placed in the ticketing area, though Spirit's signs remained up throughout the airport.
Brooke Ludke, a Tampa resident, was stranded in Chicago after her Saturday flight home was suddenly canceled.
"How are they canceling all these flights and telling us last minute, and how am I going to get back home?" Ludke said.
Ludke said she was caught off guard by the airline's closure.
"Honestly, it was kind of crazy because I feel like their flights are always packed, so I didn't see this coming at all," Ludke said.
John Sternal, who lives in Fort Lauderdale and has flown Spirit before, said he and his son came to TPA after hearing the news.
"I was pretty shocked. I mean, Spirit's been around for a long time," Sternal said.
Sternal said he had sensed trouble was brewing but still expected the airline to find a way through.
"I know that they've been having problems for a little while now, but it's still, it's one of those things where you always felt like they were going to find a solution, so it's pretty surprising that they just couldn't do it," Sternal said.
Other airlines are offering discounted rates through certain dates for travelers who need to rebook. Passengers are encouraged to check airline websites or visit the ticket counter at their departure airport for options.
Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy released a statement saying airlines are capping fares for Spirit passengers.
"To access these special prices, individuals will need to provide at a minimum a Spirit flight confirmation number and proof of payment," says Duffy.
Rebooking information for Southwest Airlines can be found here.
Rebooking information for American Airlines can be found here.
Rebooking information for Delta Airlines can be found here.
Rebooking information for United Airlines can be found here.
Rebooking information for JetBlue can be found here.
Rebooking information for Frontier Airlines can be found here.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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