Philly travelers brace for possible Spirit Airlines shutdown: ‘It's not right'

An industry source familiar with the situation tells NBC News that Spirit Airlines could shut down as soon as tomorrow without a last-minute intervention.

Now, Spirit customers are left uncertain about what comes next, including whether their purchased tickets will become worthless.

“It looks very much like Spirit is shutting down. And it may happen overnight. Tonight or sometime this weekend,” said Scott McCartney, who spent decades covering the airline industry for The Wall Street Journal.

McCartney said planes currently in the air would complete their trips, and the airline would likely try to return aircraft to its base in Fort Lauderdale.

“There are planes in the air, but they will eventually complete their trips, and typically an airline would want to get all their aircraft back home — so to Fort Lauderdale in this case — and it’s tough,” he said.

Spirit Airlines has already filed for bankruptcy twice and is now seeking help from the Trump administration. The White House has stepped in with a final proposal for a federal bailout, but it has faced pushback from Capitol Hill and some travelers.

“The government does enough bailouts, I think, but I would like to see them find a way through bankruptcy court or whatever to sustain themselves,” said Dave Sweas of Chicago.

In the short term, experts warn the biggest concern is for passengers with upcoming travel plans.

“There are going to be people who have tickets on Spirit for travel this weekend, for travel this summer. And those tickets are going to be worthless,” McCartney said.

Other airlines say they are preparing to step in if Spirit ceases operations.

American Airlines said it is immediately implementing fare caps on main cabin tickets for routes where it competes directly with Spirit.

United Airlines said in a statement: “We’re preparing to support Spirit customers and employees in the event of a shutdown and we’ll likely have more to share later.”

A Frontier spokesperson said the airline would “support customers who may be impacted if Spirit Airlines ceases operations, with a focus on helping people continue their travel plans with low-fare options.”

Some travelers are already worried about getting home.

“I’m going to be stuck somewhere. And it’s not right that, you know, if I go to return ticket, I expect to be able to get back on,” said one passenger, Gordon.

If Spirit does shut down, experts say getting a refund could be difficult.

If you paid with a credit card, McCartney said your best option is to contact your credit card company and request a refund.

However, if you used a debit card, there may be little protection — and you could lose the full amount you paid.

This story was originally reported for broadcast by NBC Philadelphia. AI tools helped convert the story to a digital article, and an NBC Philadelphia journalist edited the article for publication.