Spirit Airlines halts flights and shuts down. Can you get a refund or rebook?

South Florida-based Spirit Airlines, known for its yellow planes, low fares and low frills, shut down operations on Saturday morning after several years of financial struggles.

The halt came after a last-minute deal for a federal taxpayer bailout failed. Spirit had filed for bankruptcy twice and was running out of money.

“It is with great disappointment that Spirit Airlines has started winding down its global operations, effective immediately,” the airline said in a statement on Saturday. “All flights have been canceled, and customer service is no longer available.”

Spirit, which has a hub at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport and a new headquarters building in Dania Beach, said it would “automatically process refunds” for flights that were purchased with credit or debit cards. Compensation for passengers who booked flights with a voucher or Free Spirit points “will be determined at a later date through the bankruptcy court process,” Spirit’s statement said.

The U.S. Department of Transportation on Saturday announced a relief program for passengers of the low-cost carrier. The measure included capped ticket prices on United, Delta, JetBlue and Southwest for travelers who need to rebook canceled flights. The DOT also said American and Delta are offering reduced fares on popular Spirit routes.

“In a matter of hours, we’ve activated our airline partners to ensure passengers are not stranded, communities maintain route access, fares do not skyrocket, and Spirit’s workforce is connected to new job opportunities,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy.

Jet Blue, another discount carrier that had a deal to merge with the financially troubled Spirit, offered to assist passengers affected by the shutdown. “We’re here to help,” JetBlue said.

The airline announced Saturday that it is offering $99 rescue fares to stranded Spirit travelers and also expanding service in Fort Lauderdale with 11 new destinations to help fill the void.

Frontier, another possible merger partner of the past, also put out a hand: “We are ready to support customers ... with a focus on helping people continue their travel plans with low-fare options.”

American Airlines, with a major presence at Miami International Airport, said it is offering “rescue fares” on select routes to help Spirit customers. And Avianca is offering to return stranded Spirit passengers “with no airfare charge” depending on availability.

FLL issued a travel advisory on Spirit’s shutdown: “All flights to and from Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport and across the network are canceled. If you have a ticket booked on Spirit, the airline is advising travelers not to go to the airport.”

Miami International Airport encourages Spirit passengers to contact other airlines: “We understand this news may be frustrating and disruptive to many travelers.”

Spirit has posted guidance for travelers with tickets on how to get refunds and retrieve lost luggage.

Some passengers trying to fly just ahead of the shutdown already felt the impact.

Roger Hayder showed up at FLL after his flight was canceled.

“I made a reservation, and I tried to get the boarding card ... and it said canceled. I tried to text them and talk to them, nothing,” Hayder told Miami Herald news partner CBS News Miami.

The 34-year-old airline had been seeking a $500 million government bailout to keep flying, but negotiations failed to nail down a deal. President Donald Trump said his administration had given the company a “final proposal” for a taxpayer takeover. Like other airlines, Spirit has recently been struggling with increasing fuel costs with the recent conflict in the Middle East.

Ailing Spirit Airlines had been on a roller-coast ride for a couple of years, adding flights and cutting back, sometimes at the same time.

This year, Spirit, with more than 17,000 employees, reached a deal to exit its second bankruptcy filing in two years. But the airline continued service and even added some new features and destinations.

In August 2025, Spirit warned investors and passengers of trouble to come — that it may no longer be in business in a year from then even after a successful bankruptcy restructuring and attempts to generate new sources of revenue.

That doomsaying prophesy in a Securities and Exchange Commission report came after the airline announced new flights from FLL, to Grand Cayman, Belize City and Key West. The airline also appointed a new CEO and introduced “premium” offerings like extra legroom.

And just a year before, Spirit opened a gleaming new headquarters building at Dania Pointe, a restaurant and shopping district in South Broward. Spirit’s headquarters first arrived in South Florida in 1999, when it moved from Detroit to Miramar.

But even with the additions, Spirit was having a hard time, and said it was cutting back some routes, downsizing its aircraft fleet and furloughing flight crews.

The airline’s shutdown blows a hole in airline service at the Fort Lauderdale airport. In 2025, Spirit carried more passengers who traveled to or from FLL than any other airline, with 28% of market share there.

“We are proud of the impact of our ultra low-cost model on the industry for the last 33 years and had hoped to serve our guests for many years to come,” Spirit said Saturday morning after it announced the airline’s shutdown.

This breaking news report will be updated.

This story was originally published May 2, 2026 at 4:29 AM.