Spirit Airlines, the airline known for its yellow planes, poor customer experience, and long delays, was forced to shut down operations after 34 years of service.
The news came after a peak of turmoil over the last week, including skyrocketing jet fuel prices due to the war in Iran and chatter of a government bailout. By late last week, the operation was too fragile to continue, and it grounded all its flights the morning of Saturday May 2nd, ceasing operations and leaving hundreds of people stranded while canceling future flights of other paying customers.
Aya’s frustration is not unique. The Spirit Airlines website has a registration form for customers with unused and paid tickets which states they are prepared to refund all fees, but the mechanism is not clear for people who used third parties like Expedia and Travelocity or for those who used travel agents. Airports across the country reported long lines and confusion as passengers tried to rebook travel at the last minute.
“Honestly, I am not surprised,” said senior Gianluca Sperman. “They were known for treating people horribly. There are so many videos on TikTok of Spirit employees being rude and just removing people from planes for no reason.”
The airline, the seventh largest in the U.S. and carrying around 50,000 passengers daily, operated on an ultra low cost model where customers paid extra for seat selection, baggage, and even printing boarding passes. With that model came other issues, including frequent delays, cancellations, and overbooking, which led to an overall poor experience for many passengers. These problems built up over time, and the company was not able to recover. Even attempts to cut costs and adjust pricing were not enough to fix the deeper issues. In the end, Spirit Airlines could not stay financially stable, leading to its decision to file for bankruptcy.
“It’s a shame. The yellow planes were iconic,” said senior Alessandra Alvarez. “They tried to be lighthearted and unique as an airline, but eventually became the butt of jokes as the reputation turned from casual to just cheap, and that was never going to last.”
