Spirit Airlines planes at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood Airport, Florida, on May 2, 2026. GIORGIO VIERA/AFP
Donald Trump's war in Iran has claimed its first major economic casualty in the United States. Spirit Airlines, an American pioneer of the low-cost airline model, ceased its operations on Saturday, May 2, canceling all upcoming flights and advising its customers not to go to airports. The White House's attempt to save the airline made no difference: It had run out of funds, and the global rise in fuel prices following the closure of the Strait of Hormuz hastened its collapse.
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The global energy crisis came as the final blow for a company whose financial stability had already been undermined by the Covid-19 pandemic, just like many of its competitors. Spirit Airlines had not turned a profit since 2019 and recorded several billion dollars in losses in recent years. The company's management filed for bankruptcy twice, in 2024 and 2025. Unfortunately, the third filing proved decisive for the approximately 17,000 employees, who were notified about the airline's fall at dawn on Saturday.
