Spirit pilot signs off as airline shuts down: ‘It’s hard to believe this is it’

Listen to a Spirit pilot sign off as the budget airline shuts down after a failing to secure a $500m (£368m) bailout from the Trump administration. On Saturday (2 May), the company announced it would cease all operations immediately after 34 years in business. Passengers have been left scrambling to rebook flights, whilst customer service is no longer available. Spirit had 4,119 domestic flights scheduled between May 1 and May 15, offering 809,638 seats, according to data from Cirium. In audio shared by ATC.com, a pilot can be heard telling tower staff at Chicago O’Hare International Airport that “it's hard to believe this is it”. “Yeah, no kidding,” they reply. “It's been a pleasure to talk with you guys on the radios. Hope you guys can make it out OK.”