Spirit Airlines Grounds 11 Cities Overnight: What This Shocking Route Purge Means for Travelers and the Future of Budget Airfare

Ever wondered what happens when a budget airline decides it’s time for a serious makeover—mid-flight, bankruptcy style? Well, Spirit Airlines is about to shake things up big time by cutting ties with 11 cities come October. Yep, the Dania Beach, Florida-based carrier is trimming the fat, shutting down flights to places like Albuquerque, Portland, and San Diego as it navigates its second Chapter 11 bankruptcy in under a year. It’s a bold move, downsizing both its fleet and network, all in the name of clawing back to profitability. I can’t help but think about the travelers suddenly left rerouting their plans… tough luck or a clever reset? Whatever your take, Spirit’s gamble to refocus on key hubs like Fort Lauderdale and Detroit is one heck of a gamble worth watching closely. Want the full scoop? Check out the details here: LEARN MORE

Spirit Airlines will end service to 11 cities in October as it begins the hard work of overhauling its route map in bankruptcy.

The Dania Beach, Fla.-based airline will end service to the following cities during the week of Oct. 2, 2025, a spokesperson confirmed:

• Albuquerque International Sunport (ABQ) in New Mexico
• Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport (BHM) in Alabama
• Boise Airport (BOI)
• Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport (CHA) in Tennessee
• Columbia Metropolitan Airport (CAE) in South Carolina
• Oakland San Francisco Bay Airport (OAK)
• Portland International Airport (PDX) in Oregon
• Sacramento International Airport (SMF)
• Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC)
• San Diego International Airport (SAN)
• San Jose Mineta International Airport (SJC) in California

Spirit also suspended plans to add Middle Georgia Regional Airport (MCN) in Macon, Georgia, to its map on Oct. 16.

The cuts come days after Spirit filed for its second Chapter 11 bankruptcy restructuring in less than a year. The airline plans to shed planes, shrink its network and cut costs in the hopes of returning to profitability.

“Spirit is redesigning its network to focus its flying on key markets to provide more destinations, frequencies and enhanced connectivity in certain of its focus cities, while simultaneously reducing its presence in certain other cities,” Fred Cromer, chief financial officer of Spirit, said in a statement filed with the court on Sunday.

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Robert Milton, chairman of Spirit’s board of directors, told The Wall Street Journal that the carrier plans to refocus its map on key airports, including Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL), Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (DTW) and Orlando International Airport (MCO).

The 12 airports cut from Spirit’s map in October represent 3.9% of the airline’s total seats that month, schedule data from aviation analytics firm Cirium shows.

Las Vegas’ Harry Reid International Airport (LAS) will lose the most routes with the cuts, saying goodbye to eight nonstops, schedules show. FLL will lose four routes.

Many industry analysts expect further cuts at Spirit as it “significantly,” as Cromer put it, shrinks its fleet.

The airline operated 214 Airbus A320-family aircraft when it filed for bankruptcy on Aug. 28. However, only around 157 planes are in service, Cromer said.

Passengers booked on a canceled flight would be entitled to a refund under U.S. Department of Transportation policy.

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