On April 21, 2026, President Trump appeared on Squawk Box where he was asked about rumors of a possible merger between United Airlines and American Airlines.

While President Trump said he didn’t like the idea of a merger between United and American, he quickly moved his attention to Spirit Airlines.

“I think I’d love somebody to buy Spirit, as an example. You know, Spirit’s in trouble and I’d love someone to buy Spirit. It’s 14,000 jobs and maybe the federal government should help that one out. You know, tell my people,” said President Trump.

Spirit is among a group of low-cost airlines in the US that is seeking temporary federal tax relief in response to higher jet fuel prices spurred on by the war in Iran.

The group of carriers, through the Association of Value Airlines, have asked Congress to temporarily suspend the 7.5% federal excise tax on airline tickets and the $5.30 domestic segment tax.

Reports have also recently surfaced that Spirit’s hopes of exiting Chapter 11 bankruptcy have been blunted with the possibility of an imminent liquidation.

On April 15, 2026, Bloomberg reported that a potential liquidation could rear its head as early as the end of last week.

Following President Trump’s CNBC call the Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy spoke with Reuters about the possibility of the federal government supporting Spirit.

“What we don’t want to do is ‌put good money after bad, and there’s been a lot of money thrown at Spirit, ‌and they haven’t found their way into profitability. And so would we just forestall the inevitable and then own that? Or does Spirit have some pathway to make it and I don’t know the answer to that,” said Secretary Duffy.

He also questioned why the federal government would want to buy Spirit “when no one else wants to”.

Credits: Spirit Airlines

The post Donald Trump floats Spirit bailout first appeared on AircrewNews.com.

A pair of Spirit Airlines pilots were admonished by air traffic control after flying too close to Air Force One.

A Spirit Airlines flight annoyed air traffic controllers by flying close to Air Force One.

The controller raised his voice and told the pilot: “Pay attention. Get off the iPad.”

Trump landed in the UK on Tuesday ahead of a state visit.

A pair of Spirit Airlines pilots were admonished by air traffic control after flying too close to Air Force One.

President Donald Trump was traveling to the UK on Tuesday for a state visit when the incident occurred.

Almost 30 minutes after taking off from Joint Base Andrews, the presidential jet was flying over Long Island, New York.

At the same time, Spirit Airlines Flight 1300 was also flying in the area, taking passengers from Fort Lauderdale to Boston.

As the Airbus A321 flew toward Air Force One, an air traffic controller intervened.

“Spirit 1300, turn 20 degrees right,” the controller said in an audio recording published by LiveATC.net. “Pay attention, Spirit 1300, turn 20 degrees right.”

The controller can be heard growing impatient and raising his voice, directing the pilots four times before they respond.

A map of Long Island, New York, shows the flight paths of Air Force One and Spirit Flight 1300 on Tuesday 16 September 2025.

“Traffic’s off your left wing by six miles or eight miles. 747, I’m sure you can see who it is,” he added.

Air Force One is a VC-25A, a militarized version of the double-decker Boeing 747 airliner.

“Keep an eye out for him, he’s white and blue,” he also said.

The planes’ flight paths later crossed over Long Island Sound, about a minute apart, with the Spirit plane 9,000 feet below Air Force One.

But the controller still made sure the A321 pilots knew he wasn’t happy with their communication.

“I got to talk to you twice every time?” he said. “Pay attention. Get off the iPad.”

Pilots often use tablets as electronic flight bags, replacing the physical version that contained paper maps and charts. Apps can also show live weather and GPS.

“Spirit Airlines flight 1300 followed procedures and Air Traffic Control instructions while en route to Boston and landed uneventfully,” a Spirit spokesperson told Business Insider.

“Safety is always our top priority.”

Air Force One landed at London Stansted Airport about 9 p.m. local time, five and a half hours after the incident.

Trump spent the night at the US ambassador’s London residence before meeting with King Charles III on Wednesday.

The visit also saw billions of dollars in tech investments announced, with Google and Nvidia pledging to help boost AI services in the UK.

Credits: Spirit Airlines

The post ‘Pay attention’: Spirit pilots got a slap on the wrist after flying too close to Air Force One while Trump was on board first appeared on AircrewNews.com.