Spirit set to cease flights at 3am tomorrow, sparking fears of brawls at airports - although doomed airline's website is STILL letting passengers book flights

By WILL POTTER, US SENIOR NEWS REPORTER Published: 22:24, 1 May 2026 | Updated: 22:29, 1 May 2026 Spirit Airlines is reportedly set to cease operations at 3am on Saturday.  The airline, which began air operations in 1990, had been hoping for a $500 million lifeline from the federal government, but the deal has not been finalized, reports the Wall Street Journal.  Sources told the outlet that the budget airline has failed to get sufficient support from bondholders and the government to secure the funding before running out of cash.  The collapse of the airline could leave passengers stranded across the nation, and places over 14,000 jobs at risk.  Despite the reported end of its operations, Spirit's website is still allowing customers to book flights before the reported 3am deadline.  The carrier previously filed for bankruptcy twice between November 2024 and August 2025, and it currently remains under Chapter 11 protection.  Spirit Airlines could dissolve as soon as today and leave passengers who have already booked tickets stranded at airports around the country  No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.