Spirit Airlines will exit five cities in January, the latest cutback for the bankrupt airline.
A spokesperson for Spirit confirmed to TPG that the Dania Beach, Florida-based discount store will cease service to Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport (MKE), Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX), New York’s Frederick Douglass Greater Rochester International Airport (ROC) and St. Louis Lambert International Airport (STL) on January 8, 2026.
Spirit will also end seasonal service to Palonegro International Airport (BGA) near Bucaramanga, Colombia, on January 18, 2026.
Spirit will end nine routes serving the five airports and reduce seats by about 1%, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium.
Spirit CEO Dave Davis told employees in a memo seen by TPG on Tuesday that the cuts were to “better align with our smaller fleet and focus on our strongest performing markets.”
Spirit, which filed for Chapter 11 for the second time in less than a year, has cut flights to these cities to 18 destinations since filing for bankruptcy last August. The cuts range from smaller cities like Chattanooga, Tenn., to larger cities like Minneapolis. The company is also seeking court approval to return more than half of its Airbus A320 family aircraft to leasing companies.
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In October, Spirit warned investors of further schedule cuts in 2026, equivalent to about 20% less than this year.
The airline said it will focus on several core markets, including Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (DTW), Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL) and Orlando International Airport (MCO), and as part of the restructuring plans to move its modest brand upmarket to meet a “value-seeking audience.” At the same time, it is in talks with possible merger partners.
Spirit Airlines was blocked from merging with JetBlue Airways in 2024 and rejected a takeover bid from Frontier Airlines earlier this year.
In response to Spirit’s woes, JetBlue continues to grow at FLL. The airline is adding new routes and flights from the airport, which JetBlue President Marty St. George called a “pretty big bet” on the market.
Cirium timetable data shows that here are the details of the nine routes that Spirit will end in January:
- BGA-FLL (no other air freight services)
- MKE-DTW (served by Delta Air Lines)
- MKE-Harry Reid International Airport (LAS) (served by Southwest Airlines and Sun Country Airlines)
- MKE-MCO (served by Frontier, Southwest and Sun Country)
- PHX-DTW (served by American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Frontier Airlines and Southwest Airlines)
- PHX-FLL (served by American Airlines, JetBlue and Southwest Airlines)
- ROC-MCO (served by Southwest Airlines)
- ROC-FLL (no other air service)
- STL-FLL (served by Southwest Airlines)
