How Both Biden and Trump Helped Kill Spirit Airlines |
Deregulation
How Both Biden and Trump Helped Kill Spirit Airlines
No single factor is wholly responsible for the low-cost airline's failure, but the government certainly didn't help.
Joe Lancaster | From the August/September 2026 issue
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(Illustration: Joanna Andreasson; Source images: iStock, Wikimedia)
In May, ultra-low-fare Spirit Airlines announced that it would ground all flights and shut down, effective immediately. That happened despite "extensive and comprehensive efforts to restructure the business" and "create a sustainable path forward," the airline explained in a press release.
Government meddling helped doom Spirit's attempts to save itself. In July 2022, JetBlue announced that it would acquire Spirit for $3.8 billion. Spirit, which had long thrived on low fares and high profit margins, struggled since the........