Spirit Airlines is halting service to 12 U.S. cities as it struggles to survive.
The company said Thursday that the cutbacks include Sacramento, California; Macon, Georgia; and Boise, Idaho.
Four of the 12 cities had direct service to Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport: Birmingham, Alabama; Columbia, South Carolina; Chattanooga, Tennessee; and Macon. Those flights will stop operating the week of Oct. 2, 2025. Spirit had planned to start serving Macon on Oct. 16.
What Spirit says about the cutbacks
“We have made the difficult decision to discontinue service” at several destinations, Nicole Aguilar, an airline spokesperson, said in an emailed statement.
She said the changes were made to focus on the airline’s best markets.
“As part of our efforts to transform our business and position Spirit for long-term success, we are adjusting our network to focus on our strongest performing markets,” she said. “We apologize to our guests for any inconvenience this may cause and will reach out to those with affected reservations to notify them of their options, including a refund.”
On Aug. 29, Spirit filed for bankruptcy protection for the second time in less than 12 months.
The discount airline with the bright yellow planes had warned on Aug. 12 that the company might not make it to next year despite already completing one restructuring.
That’s after adding more “premium” offerings like extra legroom, trying to leave behind its low-cost roots. The airline also laid off pilots and sold some company assets. Spirit appointed a new president, Dave Davis, on Feb. 20.
None of that appears to have been enough, for now.
Evaluating the Spirit Airlines flight network
When the company filed for bankruptcy protection on Aug. 29 it said in a statement that “guests can continue to book, travel and use tickets, credits and loyalty points.” But the airline said in the same statement that “redesign its network” would be one of its priorities during the current restructuring.
“Spirit will focus its flying on key markets to provide more destinations, frequencies and enhanced connectivity in its focus cities,” the company said on Aug. 29. “The company will also reduce its presence in certain markets.”
Over the summer, Spirit announced new service between FLL and Grand Cayman and FLL and Belize City. It also said it would for the first time start flights between Fort Lauderdale and Key West.
On Thursday, it announced no changes to those itineraries. But travelers would be prudent to regularly contact Spirit for updates.
Spirit, which provided FLL more passengers in 2024 than any other airline did, is an important airline there, and to the region.
Destinations cut
Aside from Macon, where planned service never started, here’s a list of places where flights have been halted:
- Albuquerque
- Birmingham-Shuttlesworth
- International (Alabama)
- Boise Chattanooga
- Columbia (South Carolina)
- Oakland
- Portland
- Sacramento
- Salt Lake City
- San Diego San Jose
