Washington, United States: US air carriers on Saturday mobilized to help passengers and crew members stranded by the overnight shutdown of Spirit Airlines, after the low-cost carrier's last-minute talks with creditors and the White House collapsed.
Spirit, known for its bright yellow planes, succumbed to crushing fuel prices and announced in the early hours that it was "winding down its global operations, effective immediately," with all flights canceled and customer service no longer available.
Other carriers -- including American, Delta, United and JetBlue -- moved quickly to scoop up Spirit's customers, offering what some dubbed "rescue fares" to those waking up with cancelled itineraries.
Some airlines said they would increase the number of flights or schedule larger planes in and out of airports where Spirit had a significant presence.
Carriers also sought to support marooned Spirit staff -- and hire them.
Spirit has been in and out of bankruptcy since 2024, and the White House was recently considering a bailout.
"The recent material increase in oil prices and other pressures on the business have significantly impacted Spirit's financial outlook," the company said in a statement.
"With no additional funding available to the company, Spirit had no choice but to begin this wind-down."
It has promised refunds.
The company had nearly 7,500 employees at the end of last year, according to filings. Unions representing them slammed the failure to reach a deal.
"The pain of this decision will not be felt in boardrooms.
It will be felt by pilots, flight attendants, mechanics, dispatchers, and ground crews, and by the families and communities that depend on them," said the Air Line Pilots Association.
