An illustration of a Spirit Airlines plane flying through a storm.
North America

8 Origins of Spirit’s Downfall

North America

8 Origins of Spirit’s Downfall

September 2025
50 min read
Gordon Smith and Jay Shabat
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Skift Take

Spirit Airlines went from being a profit all-star in the 2010s to a poster child for dysfunction in the 2020s. Filing for bankruptcy again, having just exited court protection in March, the ULCC is deeply distressed and losing alarming sums of money. In this week's feature story we discuss where it all went wrong, and identify possible survival strategies for the ailing carrier.

Issue Overview

Spirit Airlines went from being a profit all-star in the 2010s to a poster child for dysfunction in the 2020s. Filing for bankruptcy again, having just exited court protection in March, the ULCC is deeply distressed and losing alarming sums of money. In this week's feature story we discuss where it all went wrong, and identify possible survival strategies for the ailing carrier.