Harry Reid International Airport released a statement Saturday morning providing advice to passengers after Spirit Airlines, which had been the second-most prolific carrier after Southwest Airlines, ceased operations after 34 years.
The low-cost airline has been in bankruptcy proceedings twice over the last two years and a bailout didn’t pan out.
Prior to this announcement, Spirit Airlines served 16 direct markets from the Las Vegas airport, all of which are currently serviced by at least one other airline. In Las Vegas, Spirit was the eighth-ranked airline service with the number of passengers in March at 138,019, down from 447,482 in March 2025.
“Impacted passengers are advised to contact their booking provider, if it was through a third-party, or credit-card issuer to inquire about refunds,” the statement said. “Travelers can also contact the other airlines serving their destination to explore available rebooking options. Airport customer service staff are available on site to assist passengers in the terminal.”
U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said Saturday that Spirit had a reserve fund set up for customers who bought directly from the airline to get refunds, according to the Associated Press. People who bought from third-party vendors, such as online travel agents, would have to seek refunds from them.
Duffy said United, Delta, JetBlue, and Southwest are offering $200 one-way flights for a limited time for people with proof of purchase of a Spirit ticket. He also said other airlines would help with Spirit employees who might be stranded, as well as offering them a preferential application process as they look for work.
Spirit has struggled financially since the pandemic, weighed down by rising operating costs and growing debt. By the time it filed for Chapter 11 protection in November 2024, Spirit had lost more than $2.5 billion since the start of 2020. The budget carrier sought bankruptcy protection again in August 2025, when it reported having $8.1 billion in debts and $8.6 billion in assets, according to court filings.
The carrier flew about 1.7 million domestic passengers in February, roughly half a million fewer than during the same month a year earlier, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium. Spirit also sharply reduced its capacity, with about half as many seats available this month than in May 2024.
