The Daily What the End of Spirit Airlines Means for the Future of Flying
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May 7, 2026 
Colleen Burns, a former Spirit flight attendant, and Niraj Chokshi, a New York Times transportation reporter, unpack the fall of a scrappy airline that reshaped cheap travel. They talk about its playful culture, how ultra-low fares changed who could fly, why bigger rivals caught up, the failed merger drama, and what its collapse could mean for ticket prices and air travel’s future.
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Spirit Crews Built Loyalty Through Shared Humor
- Colleen Burns says Spirit crews forged an unusually playful, tight culture that made the airline feel special from day one.
- On her first flight, coworkers tricked her into collecting a fake cabin air sample in a trash bag for the cockpit.
Spirit Made Flying Cheap By Unbundling Everything
- Spirit's breakthrough was ultra-low-cost unbundling: keep the seat cheap and charge separately for bags, drinks, seat assignments, even printed boarding passes.
- Niraj Chokshi says the model let travelers skip extras and buy tickets cheap enough to make flying newly accessible.
The Spirit Effect Lowered Fares Beyond Spirit
- Spirit didn't just steal customers from rivals; it pulled in people who otherwise would not have flown at all.
- When Spirit entered an airport, competing airlines cut fares enough for researchers to name it the Spirit effect.