What the End of Spirit Airlines Means for the Future of Flying

About this episode

<p>When Spirit Airlines shut down over the weekend, it brought an end to a company that had revolutionized air travel in the United States with its ultra-low-cost approach.</p> <p>Niraj Chokshi, who covers aviation for The New York Times, discussed why the company unraveled and whether those problems could spread to other airlines. And Lynsea Garrison, a producer for “The Daily,” spoke to a Spirit flight attendant about what the airline represented.</p> <p>Guest:</p> <ul> <li><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/by/niraj-chokshi" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><strong>Niraj Chokshi</strong></a>, a reporter at The New York Times covering aviation, rail and other transportation industries.</li> <li><strong>Colleen Burns</strong>, a flight attendant for Spirit Airlines.</li> </ul> <p>Background reading: </p> <ul> <li><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/02/business/spirit-airlines-shutdown.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Spirit Airlines shuts down</a> after years of struggle.</li> <li>Here’s how the demise of Spirit <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/03/business/spirit-airlines-shutdown-fares-industry-impact.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">could help other airlines</a>.</li> </ul> <p>Photo: Tom Brenner for The New York Times</p> <p>For more information on today’s episode, visit <a href="http://nytimes.com/thedaily?smid=pc-thedaily" rel="noopener noreferrer"><strong>nytimes.com/thedaily</strong></a>. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. </p> <p><p>Subscribe today at <a href="http://nytimes.com/podcasts">nytimes.com/podcasts</a> or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher">https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher</a>. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.</p></p><br/> <p>Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.</p>