It’s the end of an era for the bright yellow airplanes flown by Spirit Airlines pilots. The airline ceased operations after 34 years of offering budget-friendly flights. As the war with Iran rages on, the cost of fuel has become far too high for Spirit to continue.
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“In March 2026, we reached an agreement with our bondholders on a restructuring plan that would have allowed us to emerge as a go-forward business. However, the sudden and sustained rise in fuel prices in recent weeks ultimately has left us with no alternative but to pursue an orderly wind-down of the Company,” Spirit’s President and Chief Executive Officer Dave Davis shared in a news release. “Sustaining the business required hundreds of millions of additional dollars of liquidity that Spirit simply does not have and could not procure. This is tremendously disappointing and not the outcome any of us wanted.”
Air Traffic Control Sent Spirit Airlines Off with Kind Words
CBS News posted video of the final Spirit Airlines pilot’s Air Traffic Control conversation. It was a kind and loving send-off that touched the hearts of many people.
Air Traffic Control: “Spirit Wings 1, just want to say our thoughts are with you and your colleagues over there at the bananas as the next couple of days unfold.”
Spirit Pilot: “Hey, man, we really appreciate that. Thank you. It’s hard to believe this is it.”
Air Traffic Control: “Yeah, no kidding. It’s always a pleasure to talk with you guys on the radios. Hope you all make it out OK.”
American Airlines Pilot: “Hey Spirit, from us at American, good luck to you all. Sorry to hear what happened.”
Spirit Pilot: “Is there any other Spirit flights coming in after us?”
Air Traffic Control: “Let me see. I don’t see anything, so you might be the last one.”
Spirit Pilot: “Might be a repo flight, but yeah, I guess this is it. Probably the last revenue flight tonight.”
Air Traffic Control: “Well, it was a pleasure working with you guys, and I wish you the best.”
Spirit Airlines Pilot: “Thank you very much”
“Best wishes to these folks and hope they find other jobs soon. They are humans with families and lives to take care of,” someone shared.
“Best of luck to the mechanics and the workers affected from this,” another person added.
This story’s featured image is by GIORGIO VIERA / AFP via Getty Images.
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