Spirit Airlines shutdown prompts swift response from Trump Transportation Sec

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced several measures to help Spirit Airlines customers and employees on Saturday.

America’s four major airlines — United, Delta, JetBlue and Southwest — “are all pricing tickets specifically for Spirit customers who now need to rebook canceled flights,” Duffy said in a Saturday post on X. The airlines will offer Spirit customers who confirm their Spirit flight reservations a one-way ticket worth about $200, Duffy said at a Saturday morning press conference.

“I would recommend that if you have a ticket with air that you will really try to book with these airlines as soon as possible, these programs will not be open forever,” he said.

The press conference followed Spirit’s earlier statement on Saturday that the company would close operations.

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Additional measures to help customers and former Spirit employees will also be implemented, including a selective interview process for employment at other airlines, Duffy wrote.

“There is a need for airline workers. Therefore, even American and United have created microsites for Spirit employees to jump the line, jump the line and get special treatment in the application process of many airlines that are now hiring, whether they are pilots, flight attendants, baggage personnel, or even those who have worked in call centers, you can go to the websites of individual telephone companies, you can go to the websites of individual companies. Duffy said.

Spirit Airlines announced the shutdown early Saturday morning.

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“This morning at 3 a.m., Spirit Airlines stopped operating. So that means Spirit has no flights in the air as of this morning. Also, their call centers are closed, and they don’t have staff at the ticket counters. So if you have a flight scheduled with Spirit Airlines, don’t come to the airport. There will be no one to help you,” said Duffy.

Duffy also criticized Democrats, particularly the Biden administration, for what he said was their role in ending the failed Spirit-JetBlue merger.

“Why are we here today?” Duffy asked. “There was a proposed merger between JetBlue and Spirit, and Joe Biden and [Biden Transportation Secretary] Pete Buttigieg, along with the Biden DOJ, have decided they don’t want that merger to happen. ”

A Spirit Airlines flight is scheduled to depart from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport on Feb. 12, 2024, Austin, Texas. (Photos by Brandon Bell / Getty Images)

“And at the time, the Biden and Buttigieg DOJ bragged and said, as they canceled the option for this merger, that this was a victory for American travelers who deserve lower prices and better choices,” Duffy continued.

“This merger should have been allowed. And this, today will show that this is not good for travelers. This is not better for prices. This is not better for competition. In fact. It is worse. We had an airline that went down because the markets were trying to allow two airlines to merge, make them stronger and give more competition to the American consumer,” he said.

Duffy also accused Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., for promoting the ban on integration.

“Elizabeth Warren at that time was the chairman of the blocking of the merger, saying… this was a win for Biden for the flyers. So again, I think it’s important that we keep a close eye on when the airlines want to merge. We care about the prices for consumers,” said Duffy.

Additional measures to help Duffy were announced included reduced fares from American and Delta on Spirit’s high-volume routes and price freezes on routes it shared with Spirit. Allegiant Air, a budget airline similarly priced to Spirit, will offer 50% off fares through May 10, Duffy announced.

Duffy revealed that the Trump administration was looking at all ways and means to get Spirit out.

President Biden and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg during an event at the White House in Washington, DC, Monday, Nov. 27, 2023. (Michael Reynolds/EPA/Bloomberg via Getty Images/Getty Images)

“There were a lot of ideas floating around about how the government could step in and help Spirit Airlines. The president was like a dog on a bone trying to find a way to save Spirit,” Duffy recalled.

“Ultimately, this was a creditor issue. And, they have the final say on whether they want to make a deal with the government, but also, from the government’s point of view, we usually don’t have half a billion dollars sitting in a reserve account to put into an airline bailout. So there was some smart thinking about how it could happen, those two things didn’t happen.”

Duffy also downplayed the broader risks to the budget airline industry, rejecting the idea that the ongoing war in Iran played a role in Spirit’s downfall.

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“Air was in trouble for a long time before the war with Iran. They had filed for bankruptcy several times. Their model was not working. They could not find financial health. So this was not the impetus. The war was not the impetus for Air,” he said.

He addressed a recent request from other budget airlines for $2.5 billion, but said it was unnecessary.

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“You’ve heard that some airlines have talked about asking for a $2.5 billion bailout. I’m in regular contact, and my team is in contact with all the CEOs of the airlines. I can say that at this point, I don’t think it’s necessary. They have access to cash. If they want to come to the US government, we’re going to be a private dollar lender, I think they can get better dollars in the end,” Duffy said.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.