Low-budget passenger carrier Spirit Airlines was known for being a no-frills affair that charged excessive fees for virtually everything, and was thus the butt of countless jokes. Here are a few if you need a good Sunday laugh:
- “Spirit charges a fee for carry‑ons, checked bags, and hope.”
- “On Spirit, breathing is free — exhaling is $19.99.”
- “Their loyalty program should be called ‘You Again?’”
That being said, the news of its demise Sunday is not a good thing for the traveling public, the 17,000 employees who will now be looking for new jobs, or the state of competition in the airline business.
RedState’s Nick Arama wrote on Saturday about how Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) was ratioed into next month for moaning about Spirit’s bankruptcy — despite her being a strong voice arguing in 2024 that a proposed merger between Spirit and rival JetBlue should be nuked by the Biden administration. The merger would have given the financially struggling Spirit a new lease on life, but the deal was killed by a federal judge at the urging of the Biden admin in 2024, and now, here we are.
Great job, Liz.
There’s plenty more blame to go around, however, and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy knows exactly where to place it: right at the feet of former President Joe Biden and his hapless transpo head, Pothole Pete Buttigieg. Appearing on ABC’s This Week on Sunday, Duffy said:
The Joe Biden-Pete Buttigieg administration and DOJ tanked that deal. Immediately after that, they filed for bankruptcy [the first time].
Watch:
Biden-Buttigieg could have prevented Spirit airlines from shutting down
— Secretary Sean Duffy (@SecDuffy) May 3, 2026
But the AIRLINES and @POTUS’ administration have moved with grace together to help passengers and employees get through this and avoid disaster 🇺🇸✈️ https://t.co/ZeAFG32v4g
PUSHED OFF THE CLIFF: From CFPB Block to Bankruptcy: How Democrats, Biden Regulators Grounded Spirit Airlines
Elizabeth Warren Gets Wrecked by Community Notes for Trying to Spin Spirit Airlines Comments
Duffy isn't the only Trump administration official blasting Team Biden and Liz Warren for the debacle, which has caused chaos at multiple U.S. airports as flyers are showing up only to find their flights have been cancelled. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, appearing on Sunday Morning Futures with Maria Bartiromo, agreed with his fellow cabinet member:
Had Spirit Airlines been allowed to merge with Jet Blue, it would have given them much more resiliency.
— Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent (@SecScottBessent) May 3, 2026
Thanks to @SenWarren, @PeteButtigieg, and all of their friends in the Biden Administration who backed their enthusiastic opposition to the Spirit-Jet Blue merger, dozens of… pic.twitter.com/JhtKcAEnFu
Had Spirit Airlines been allowed to merge with Jet Blue, it would have given them much more resiliency.
Thanks to @SenWarren, @PeteButtigieg, and all of their friends in the Biden Administration who backed their enthusiastic opposition to the Spirit-Jet Blue merger, dozens of regional airports will now lose service and thousands of jobs will now be lost.
Meanwhile, Duffy, his department, and even other airlines are working to help stranded flyers get to where they were going.
"Spirit does not have airplanes in the air flying as of this morning," Duffy said. "If you have a flight scheduled with Spirit Airlines, don't show up at the airport. There will be no one here to assist you."
The Department of Transportation coordinated with major carriers to mitigate disruptions, with airlines offering capped fares and discounted tickets for displaced passengers.
Duffy said multiple airlines stepped in to stabilize pricing and capacity in the immediate aftermath.
"United, Delta, JetBlue and Southwest are capping their ticket prices," Duffy said. "It is normally going to be about $200 for a one-way ticket."
The nation will obviously survive, of course, life will go on, and airlines and their passengers will adapt to the death of Spirit. In the meantime, however, thank you, Joe, thank you, Pete, and thank you, Liz, for interfering with the marketplace, taking away choice from customers, and reducing competition.
Great job.
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