Union representatives notified flight attendants roughly an hour before the company’s public announcement, according to employees.
HOUSTON — Spirit Airlines abruptly shut down operations early Saturday, ending 34 years in business and leaving thousands of employees without jobs.
The airline officially ceased operations at 3 a.m. Saturday. At George Bush Intercontinental Airport, travelers with Spirit tickets were told not to come to the airport. All flights were canceled, customer service lines went unanswered, and the airline’s check-in counters sat empty.
The shutdown affects about 17,000 employees nationwide.
Union representatives notified flight attendants roughly an hour before the company’s public announcement, according to employees.
“Almost 20,000 people in the middle of the night lost their jobs,” said Houston-based flight attendant Jazmah Bell, who had worked for Spirit since 2022.
Bell said company leaders had reassured workers late Friday that operations were continuing as normal.
“Until late last night, management and scheduling were telling us operations were fine,” Bell said. “We were ultimately thinking everything was going to go through, continue business as normal — and then, boom.”
Throughout the day Saturday, travelers and former customers stopped by Bush Airport to see the aftermath. Spirit’s once-busy ticket counter remained deserted.
One of the airline’s final flights landed in Dallas, where a pilot gave an emotional message to passengers.
“As we sit here, I don’t remember any of the bad times, just the good ones,” the pilot said.
Bell said she had anticipated trouble after Spirit struggled financially in recent years. The airline had not turned a profit since the COVID-19 pandemic and had filed for bankruptcy twice. Bell accepted a voluntary furlough last year and started teaching. She said she was considered a reserve flight attendant and had been thinking about returning, but is now focused on her future in education.
“I have things lined up,” Bell said. “But I can understand somebody who was trusting in their company. It’s hard.”
She said many of her colleagues are now stranded across the country.
“I have a few people that are stuck,” Bell said. “I’ve seen some people in New York, Miami and Orlando, and they’re depending on other airlines.”
Federal officials said other airlines are offering travel pass benefits to stranded Spirit employees. Some carriers are also offering reduced fares to customers holding Spirit tickets.
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