Spirit Airlines apologizes after shock shutdown: 'Thank you and sorry to the American public'

U.S. newsSpirit Airlines apologizes after shock shutdown: 'Thank you and sorry to the American public'The defunct airline blamed a fuel "megaspike" on its collapse during a bankruptcy hearing on Tuesday. Listen to this article with a free account00:0000:00A Spirit Airlines yellow aircraft soaring through the sky in San Jose, Calif. in 2025.Wirestock / Getty ImagesShareAdd NBC News to GoogleMay 5, 2026, 2:54 PM EDTBy Mirna Alsharif, Kayla Steinberg and Anthony CusumanoSpirit Airlines apologized to the American public during a last minute bankruptcy hearing Tuesday morning just days after its shock shutdown. Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.The budget-friendly airline shut down with immediate effect Saturday, impacting thousands of passengers who became stranded and nearly as many employees.Marshall Huebner, an attorney for the former airline, took the stand in front of Judge Sean H. Lane in a White Plains, New York, courtroom to discuss the hardship it encountered that led to its shutdown, including a dramatic rise in fuel prices resulting from the U.S. and Israel's war with Iran. The fuel "megaspike," Huebner said, was projected to add hundreds of millions of dollars to the airline's liquidity needs for the year.Huebner also spoke about the breakdown of negotiations between the airline and President Donald Trump's administration that "almost made the impossible possible." “Thank you and sorry to the American public," Huebner said at the hearing. While the airline had been struggling to maintain consistent profitability since the Covid-19 pandemic, its shutdown took many by surprise, including its approximately 17,000 employees. NBC News obtained a letter that Spirit shared with around 4,000 of its employees in Florida on Saturday, laying them off with immediate effect. "This layoff will be permanent, and the Company's operations at the locations will permanently cease," the letter...