Spirit Airlines: Here's how many jobs were lost in Florida after airline shutters

What Spirit Airlines' shutdown means for travelers

Spirit Airlines has officially shut down after 34 years in business, shocking both workers and travelers alike. Dr. Sean Snaith with UCF Institute or Economic Forecasting, joined FOX 35's Garrett Wymer live over Zoom to discuss what comes next.

ORLANDO, Fla. - Nearly 5,000 jobs were lost in Florida when Spirit Airlines grounded its planes, canceled flights, and abruptly shut down during the morning hours of Saturday, May 2.

Spirit Airlines job losses in Florida

Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Notices (WARN) filed with the Florida Department of Commerce list where the positions were lost.

According to that notice, slightly more than 4,800 positions were lost, a majority of them at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport and Orlando International Airport.

• Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport: 2529
• Orlando International Airport: 796
• Miami International Airport: 181
• MCO Inflight & Operations Center: 796
• Spirit Support Center (Dania Beach): 551

Why did Spirit Airlines shut down?

Spirit Airlines had been dealing with financial struggles for several years. 

The Florida-based airline filed bankruptcy twice and attempted mergers with Frontier and JetBlue. However, the Frontier deal failed after JetBlue came in with a competing offer. That merger was then reportedly blocked by the U.S. government, citing antitrust concerns.

In its most recent statement, Spirit Airlines blamed the increase in fuel costs amid the ongoing war in Iran, as well as a lack of cash flow from the U.S. government. 

What they're saying:

"The need to cease operations and abandon our efforts to reorganize was a result of the recent dramatic and sustained deterioration in business conditions – primarily the material and sustained run up in fuel prices -- resulting from geopolitical events of the last few weeks. In the face of these unforeseeable developments, we sought relief from our lenders and from the United States Government, and were in intense discussions with both on new financing until very recently when were advised that additional funding for operations would not be provided. This recent development left us with insufficient liquidity to continue operations. These conditions – including war in the middle east and a massive run up in fuel prices that will cost US airlines billions of dollars this year -- were not foreseeable by the Company, and developed with a speed and severity that precluded the Company from giving earlier notice as we fought to save Spirit" - Spirit, via WARN Notice

Here's what customers need to know

Refunds

• Refunds will be issued automatically to customers who paid with credit or debit cards.
• Travelers who booked through third-party agents should reach out to those providers directly.
• Any reimbursement for vouchers, travel credits, or loyalty points will be handled as part of the bankruptcy proceedings.

Discounted flights

• Several airlines, including American, JetBlue, Frontier, Delta, Southwest, and others, were offering discounted and fare-capped tickets for Spirit Airlines customers.
• Some of those airlines were also offering jump seats to help Spirit pilots and flight attendants get home.
• Airlines were also reportedly building portals in case Spirit employees wanted to apply for jobs with other airlines.

What you can do:

You can visit https://www.spiritrestructuring.com/ for more information.