Your low-cost fare to Florida may quickly be much more costly.
After a failed merger with JetBlue Airways and two bankruptcies in underneath a yr, the as soon as ultra-low-cost big Spirit Airlines is on the brink of collapse and asking for a authorities bailout.
It hasn’t turned a full-year revenue for the reason that pandemic, squeezed by rising labor prices, engine points, and shifting demand — and is now warning of doable liquidation amid excessive oil costs.
Spirit has requested the Trump administration for a $500 million lifeline in alternate for an as much as 90% stake — a proposal Shark Tank panelist Kevin O’Leary informed NewsNation on Thursday is a “actually dangerous thought.” It is unclear whether or not the federal government will step in or let it fail.
But when Spirit disappears, fares are likely to rise.
A Enterprise Insider evaluation of home airline schedules and fare information from the aviation analytics firm Cirium discovered that airfares rose a mean of about $19, or 14%, throughout the roughly 90 routes Spirit exited between 2024 and 2025, as customers confronted fewer choices.
That compares with a few 6% to 7% improve — roughly $8 to $10 per ticket — in cities the place it continued to function, broadly according to typical airfare inflation.
As a result of fare information contains all carriers and connecting site visitors, the findings replicate total market pricing between metropolis pairs slightly than directional one-ways. These traits exclude extras like bag charges and seat choice.
Costs elevated in about 80% of Spirit’s exit instances total — providing an thought of what may occur if the flailing budget carrier folds and not using a purchaser.
“When any airline leaves a market, it ends in a drop within the provide of seats,” Mike Arnot, an airline business marketing consultant, informed Enterprise Insider. “That usually signifies that airfare will improve, and it would not a lot matter which airline departs a market.”
Kevin Carter/Getty Photographs
The development displays the “Spirit impact” — the concept that airways decrease fares when a finances service enters a market — however in reverse. Whereas different elements like demand and gas prices additionally have an effect on pricing, bigger will increase the place Spirit exited recommend its absence mattered — with some fares rising by greater than $100.
The most important hike was between Oakland and Newark, New Jersey, the place ticket costs greater than doubled, from about $135 to $288.
Spirit fully left Oakland in October 2025. Flight fares between Oakland and Houston and between Oakland and Los Angeles elevated by 25% and 31%, respectively.
Service between Kansas Metropolis and Newark additionally surged triple digits from about $161 to $268 a ticket.
In Florida markets, Fort Myers to San Juan rose practically 140%, from $92 to $219; between Fort Lauderdale and Salt Lake Metropolis — the latter Spirit additionally left in October 2025 — fares elevated by about $50, or 30%.
Flights between Las Vegas and Charleston and Richmond jumped about $30, or 15%.
Spirit generated about $3.8 billion in income in 2025, however regardless of its efforts to attract more premium flyers with a revamped cabin and flight expertise, it posted a web lack of about $2.8 billion — underscoring the severity of its monetary disaster.
The Dania Seaside, Florida-based airline has about 7,500 staff, down from about 13,000 at its post-pandemic peak in 2023.
Spirit focuses on low-cost home and leisure routes — suppose Florida, Las Vegas, and the Caribbean — providing ultra-cheap base fares, with practically all the things past a private merchandise and an unassigned seat costing additional.
That mannequin as soon as pushed airways like United Airways and Delta Air Strains to slash fares and roll out fundamental financial system. At the same time as extra travelers pay up for premium seats — and Spirit continues to lose site visitors — its presence nonetheless acts as a key pricing test.
Within the occasion of Spirit’s collapse, it is unlikely each market will see a dramatic bounce.
In some cities the place Spirit exited fully, like Minneapolis and Salt Lake Metropolis, will increase have been typically underneath $20 — suggesting rivals crammed the hole or that provide had already outpaced demand.
A handful of routes noticed fares fall after Spirit exited. Boston to West Palm Seaside and to Los Angeles dropped by $40 and $32, respectively, however most fare drops have been modest — lower than $19 — in contrast with the will increase that reached over $150.
