Final hours before major US airline pulls out of hub dubbed No.1 ‘mega airport’
A MAJOR US airline has announced it will no longer conduct flight operations out of one of the country’s busiest airports.
Budget-friendly Spirit Airlines announced in late September that it will cease service in a midwestern city as part of the company’s restructuring effort to prioritize stronger markets.
Beginning on December 1, Spirit Airlines will no longer serve passengers at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport.
The budget-friendly airline has been struggling financially following its second bankruptcy filing during the summer.
“We apologize to our guests for any inconvenience and will reach out to those with affected reservations to issue a refund,” the company said in a statement at the time.
Minneapolis is among several cities where Spirit Airlines will exit.
Impacted cities include Macon, Georgia, Albuquerque, New Mexico, Birmingham, Alabama, Boise, Idaho, Chattanooga, Tennessee, Columbia, South Carolina, Portland, Oregon, Salt Lake City, Utah, and four cities in California, Oakland, Sacramento, San Diego, and San Jose.
Around the same time, Spirit Airlines confirmed that it would be laying off around one-third of its flight attendants, according to CBS News.
Then, on October 31, Hartford, Connecticut became the latest city Spirit Airlines ceased to conduct service in.
Spirit cut its services out of Bradley International Airport, calling the continued halts to its services “very difficult.”
Grim future for Spirit Airlines
Spirit Airlines has suffered through some major financial blows in the past year.
The budget carrier admitted it hasn’t turned a profit since 2019.
In November 2024, the airline filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, making it the first major US carrier to do so since American Airlines 13 years ago.
The brand pulled itself out of bankruptcy in March with a plan to “operate as efficiently as possible,” the company said in a statement.
The brand has also slashed its routes by 24% in the last year.
In August, managers revealed they were worried for Spirit’s immediate future in a filing with the Securities Exchange Commission.
The filing read that executives had “substantial doubt as to our ability to continue as a going concern within 12 months from the date these financial statements are issued”.
‘INEXPLICABLE DECISION’
However, Spirit is not the only airline facing financial woes, Avelo Airlines also announced it would stop services at Bradley International Airport.
The airline cited financial struggles as the main reason for leaving the Hartford airport.
However, officials disagreed with the decision as leaving the airport also removes the only direct flight to Montego Bay, Jamaica, from Connecticut.
“The CAA is especially disappointed on behalf of the community, which has fought so hard to secure nonstop service to Jamaica over recent years,” the Connecticut Airport Authority stated.
“The decision to cancel the MBJ route is inexplicable, given the strong ridership, subsidies received, significant airport incentives, and community support.”