No-frills carrier Spirit Airlines is planning to cut routes in October as the bankrupt airline fights for survival, and rival carriers are taking the opportunity to pounce.
Spirit said in a statement to FOX Business that it will end service to 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; and San Jose, California, effective the week of Oct. 2. The carrier will no longer launch service at Macon, Georgia, which was scheduled to begin on Oct. 16.
United Airlines announced on Thursday it is moving to capitalize on routes that would be discontinued if Spirit goes out of business.
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The Chicago-based carrier announced Thursday that it’s adding flights to its winter schedule. Starting Jan. 6, there will be new routes to 15 cities, including Fort Lauderdale, Orlando and Las Vegas, according to the carrier.
This includes new routes from Houston to Orlando, Las Vegas, New Orleans, Atlanta, Baltimore and Miami, as well as other new routes from Chicago to Orlando, Fort Lauderdale, New Orleans and Las Vegas.
“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,” Patrick Quayle, United’s senior vice president of global network planning and alliances, said in a statement.
Spirit fired back at Quayle’s comment.
“While we appreciate the obsession certain airline executives have with us, we’re focused on competing and running a great operation,” said Duncan Dee, Spirit’s senior vice president of corporate communications. “Suggesting anything else is wishful thinking on the part of a high-cost airline looking to eliminate a low-cost competitor so they can fulfill their ultimate goal of charging American travelers the highest fares possible to visit the people and places they love.”
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The carrier said it is also adding extra flights between Houston, Chicago and Los Angeles and will fly larger aircraft between Chicago and New York’s LaGuardia Airport, catering to customers outside of United’s hubs.
Frontier Airlines, another low-cost carrier that competes with Spirit, recently announced it will add 20 new routes, including flights from Fort Lauderdale, which is Spirit’s main hub.
Spirit in late August filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection for the second time in less than a year after it was unable to regain financial solvency.
The carrier filed for bankruptcy for the first time in November 2024 after two failed mergers over the previous two years with Frontier and JetBlue.
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In its latest filing, Spirit CEO Dave Davis wrote in an open letter to customers that the Chapter 11 restructuring process would “ensure the long-term success of our company so we can continue to serve our Guests well into the future.”
Spirit added that “virtually every major airline has used these tools to improve their businesses and position them for long-term success.”
| Ticker | Security | Last | Change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UAL | UNITED AIRLINES HOLDINGS INC. | 105.89 | -0.27 | -0.25% |
| ULCC | FRONTIER GROUP HOLDINGS INC | 5.13 | -0.45 | -8.06% |
The carrier said in a Securities and Exchange Commission filing that it continues to be affected by “adverse market conditions,” including continued weak demand for domestic leisure travel in the second quarter of 2025. The persisting challenges created a “challenging pricing environment,” the airline said. It will continue to operate normally throughout the bankruptcy process.
Here are all the new United routes:
There will be 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
There will be two new routes between Newark/New York and Columbia, South Carolina, and Chattanooga, Tennessee.
There will be three new weekly flights between Houston and Guatemala City, Guatemala, and San Salvador, El Salvador, and one new weekly flight between Houston and San Pedro Sula, Honduras.
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