Spirit Airlines, a budget airline that operated hundreds of daily flights and employed about 17,000 people, has announced it is ending operations immediately. All flights have been canceled and customer service is no longer available. The airline, which had considered a government bailout to prevent it from going under, advised customers to expect refunds, but no assistance in booking travel on other airlines. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced that Spirit could offer special prices on a group of other airlines for a limited time, and other carriers would help Spirit pilots and flight attendants return to their home cities. Spirit has been in bankruptcy proceedings twice in less than two years due to rising operating costs and growing debt. The company filed for Chapter 11 protection in November 2024, losing more than $2.5 billion since the start of 2020.