Spirit Airlines has announced it will discontinue service to five additional destinations effective January 2026, marking the latest round of cuts as the budget carrier continues restructuring operations following its second Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing in less than a year.
The Dania Beach, Florida-based airline will end service to Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport, Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, Frederick Douglass Greater Rochester International Airport in New York, St. Louis Lambert International Airport, and Bucaramanga Palonegro International Airport in Colombia.
Strategic Network Realignment
The service cuts represent part of Spirit’s broader strategy to “better position the airline for the future” and align operations with its significantly reduced fleet size, according to an airline spokesperson. Spirit will pull out of three U.S. airports on January 8, 2026, while ending service to Milwaukee and Bucaramanga on January 13, 2026.
These latest exits bring Spirit’s total airport departures to 18 destinations since filing for bankruptcy protection. The airline previously withdrew from 11 airports, including major West Coast markets like Oakland, Portland, Sacramento, and San Diego, as well as newer additions like Chattanooga, Tennessee, and Columbia, South Carolina.
Fleet Reduction and Job Cuts
The route eliminations coincide with Spirit’s announcement of approximately 150 additional job cuts among salaried employees. The airline’s fleet has been reduced to just 132 aircraft, nearly half its size from earlier this year, through early aircraft retirements, storing new planes, and rejecting future aircraft leases…