Spirit Airlines trims 11 routes in 2nd Chapter 11 round—rivals swoop in to fill the void
September 5, 2025
Spirit Airlines, North America’s largest ultra-low-cost carrier, has made a sweeping reduction of its route network following its second bankruptcy filing in under a year. Competitors—including United and Frontier—are seizing the opportunity to expand their presence and capture displaced travellers.
Spirit Airlines cuts 11 cities from its network
Following its renewed Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing, Spirit will cut its service to 11 cities, beginning October 2.
The cuts will be made at:
- Albuquerque, New Mexico
- Birmingham, Alabama
- Boise, Idaho
- Chattanooga, Tennessee
- Columbia, South Carolina
- Oakland, California
- Portland, Oregon
- Sacramento, California
- Salt Lake City, Utah
- San Diego, California
- San Jose, California
The airline also cancelled its plans to launch a new route from Fort Lauderdale to Macon, Georgia, which was scheduled for mid-October.
In a statement to SFGATE, Spirit apologised to its customers “for any inconvenience” and said it was reaching out to those reservations to provide options, “including a refund.”
United Airlines responds aggressively to Spirit route cuts
Responding swiftly, United Airlines announced plans to roll out 15 new winter routes, including some that Spirit cut from its network, launching sales immediately.
The airline’s new flights (starting January 6) include:
- One additional daily round-trip flight between:
- Houston and Orlando, Las Vegas, New Orleans, Atlanta, Baltimore and Miami
- Chicago and Orlando, Fort Lauderdale, New Orleans and Las Vegas
- Newark/New York and Orlando and Fort Lauderdale
- Los Angeles and Las Vegas
- Two new routes between Newark/New York and Columbia, South Carolina and Chattanooga, Tennessee.
- Three new weekly flights between Houston and Guatemala City, Guatemala and San Salvador, El Salvador
- One new weekly flight between Houston and San Pedro Sula, Honduras
United is adding flights between Houston, Chicago and Los Angeles. It will also add capacity by upgauging aircraft in Chicago and New York LaGuardia to ease customer connections.
“If Spirit suddenly goes out of business, it will be incredibly disruptive, so we’re adding these flights to give their customers other options if they want or need them,” said Patrick Quayle, United’s senior vice president of Global Network Planning and Alliances in the company’s announcement.
Spirit responded to United’s statement, telling Reuters that it plans to stay in business “for many years to come.”
Frontier adds 22 new routes
Frontier Airlines has previously tried and failed to acquire Spirit. In February of this year, Spirit Airlines rejected Frontier’s most recent proposal, valued at around $2.16 billion.
This week, Frontier announced it would add 22 new routes to its network, increasing service across the United States, the Caribbean and Latin America.
The new routes will launch in November and December. While not directly targeting Spirit’s abandoned cities, they do establish a stronger presence in overlapping markets and reflect the airline’s commitment to expand its network.
The route announcement includes new services from Atlanta, Dallas-Fort Worth, and Chicago, as well as new international destinations in Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico.
The airline will also launch a new service at Providenciales International Airport in the Turks and Caicos (PLS) and resume operations at Lynden Pindling International Airport in Nassau, The Bahamas (NAS).
“We are on a mission to increase service domestically and internationally, and in the process redefine air travel by demonstrating that it can be comfortable, convenient and affordable,” said Josh Flyr, vice president of network and operations design, Frontier Airlines.
Ultra-low-cost Spirit Airlines model under strain
Spirit, which has $2.4 billion in long-term debt and posted a negative free cash flow of $1 billion at the end of the second quarter, filed for its second bankruptcy in less than a year at the end of August.
“Since emerging from our previous restructuring, which was targeted exclusively on reducing Spirit’s funded debt and raising equity capital, it has become clear that there is much more work to be done and many more tools are available to best position Spirit for the future,” said Dave Davis, President and Chief Executive Officer. “We have evaluated every corner of our business and are proceeding with a comprehensive approach in which we will be far more strategic about our fleet, markets and opportunities.”
The new Spirit Airlines restructuring plan includes:
- Redesigning its network: Focusing on key markets and reducing its presence in specific markets.
- Optimising its fleet size: Spirit will adjust its fleet to match capacity. The airline expects this will “significantly lower” its debt and lease obligations, generating “hundreds of millions of dollars in annual operating savings.”
- Addressing its cost structure: By optimising efficiencies across the business.
- Push forward with its new business model that includes Spirit First, Premium Economy and Value fares: The airline said it will “expand the opportunities for travellers to choose premium options.”
The once successful ultra-low-cost model is under strain as mainline carriers adopt more low-cost tactics of product unbundling and improve their ancillary strategies. In response, low-cost carriers are pivoting from one-seat-fits-all cabins to differentiated premium products.
Davies assured the airline’s customers that they could “continue to rely on Spirit to provide high-value travel options and connect them with the people and places that matter most.”
