A Statement from The Aluminum Lady | Airlines for Airlines | May 4, 2026
Spirit Airlines is gone. Thirty-three years. Seventeen thousand jobs. And a fare that — if we are being honest, and we are being honest now because it is safe to be honest now — kept every one of our member carriers from charging whatever we wanted for much longer than was convenient. We see that. We are sitting with that. Growth moment.
"Airlines for Airlines would like to acknowledge that the way this industry treated Spirit was — in certain markets, at certain moments — more aggressive than we can now credibly deny."
Spirit’s employees were extraordinary. Flight attendants, pilots, gate agents, and ground crews who showed up every day and built something real. Something affordable. Something that, honestly, made the rest of us look bad on price for three decades. Airlines for Airlines sees those employees. We value them. We are currently designing a gesture that reflects that value without significantly impacting Q3.
When Spirit started flying into our markets, our member carriers built basic economy. We copied Spirit’s product almost exactly — the bag fees, the no frills, the stripped down experience — not because we believed in it, but because we needed to take their passengers. Once that worked, we dropped it and pivoted to premium. We are crediting Spirit for the innovation now, while it is too late to matter.
"The pivot to premium was presented to investors as visionary. It was also, we can see clearly now, very well timed relative to Spirit's declining health. Airlines for Airlines does not believe those two things are unrelated. We are forming a committee."
Then stories appeared in business media questioning Spirit’s survival. Bookings dropped. Nobody could find the source. Airlines for Airlines takes this seriously and intends to investigate at a pace that reflects that seriousness.
Then fuel prices doubled overnight due to the Iran War. Our member carriers absorbed it comfortably. Spirit — already weakened, already losing bookings — could not. On May 2nd, 2026, after thirty-three years, Spirit was gone.
"We capped fares for stranded Spirit passengers. We should mention that those fares had already doubled before we capped them. But capped is capped and we feel that deserves recognition."
Fares on former Spirit routes are rising. Flights are being cut. Four carriers now control eighty percent of American skies. Airlines for Airlines is forming a working group to study this, produce a report, present the report at a symposium, and distribute highlights in a newsletter that will arrive after the fare increases are permanent.
"We are committed to advocating for competition and affordability now that Spirit is no longer around to benefit from either."
To Spirit’s seventeen thousand employees — you deserved better. From this industry. From this organization. Airlines for Airlines is sorry for the role it played, the role it enabled, and the role it is still playing but has chosen not to include in this statement.
We are here for you.
Starting now.
With a gesture.
To be determined.
The Aluminum Lady is a satirical character. Airlines for Airlines is a parody of Airlines for America. This article is satire. The business practices described are based on publicly reported industry behavior. The thirty-three years Spirit’s employees dedicated to affordable aviation were real. So is the impact of their closure on passengers and workers alike.
I am 🥲 so sorry to see Spirit go. I’d flown them multiple times and the service was always excellent at a great price. The Spirit people were the best part.
I worked for Spirit for 10 years and we had a great family there. I will forever missed the many incredible people I worked with as well as the passengers who kept us flying for so many years.