Transportation

These airlines stand to benefit most after Spirit collapse: Analysis

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by Sarah Davis - 05/09/26 1:14 PM ET

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by Sarah Davis - 05/09/26 1:14 PM ET

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Several of America’s largest airlines could profit from the recent demise of Spirit Airlines, according to a new report — if only by a little.

A YouGov analysis released on Friday found that people who previously considered booking flights through Spirit also rank United Airlines, Delta Air Lines and American Airlines among their top choices.

Around 62-64 percent of those in this group named all three of these airlines, while 60.9 percent also indicated they would consider flights with Southwest Airlines.

Budget airlines JetBlue and Frontier received 47 percent and 44 percent consideration, respectively, from this group.

Spirit buckled under financial pressure last Saturday, after filing for bankruptcy twice in the last year. The airline’s CEO, Dave Davis, blamed the collapse on rising jet fuel costs amid the U.S.’s war with Iran.

The airline was attempting to work out a bailout deal with the U.S. government, but it was unsuccessful in this venture.

“The sudden and sustained rise in fuel prices in recent weeks ultimately has left us with no alternative but to pursue an orderly wind-down of the Company,” Davis said in a statement. “Sustaining the business required hundreds of millions of additional dollars of liquidity that Spirit simply does not have and could not procure.”

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy pushed back on the idea that rising jet fuel costs led to Spirit’s decline, telling reporters last Saturday that the airline was in “dire straits” before the Iran war began.

The Association of Value Airlines, which represents a group of budget airline companies, is requesting $2.5 billion in relief from the federal government to offset the impact of rising fuel costs.

The trade group oversees Allegiant, Avelo, Frontier, Sun Country and formerly Spirit Airlines.

Duffy said that this loan is not necessary “at this point” and that the requests are “based on opportunity,” not immediate need.

“If they want to come to the U.S. government, we would be a lender of last resort,” Duffy said. “If they can find dollars in the private markets, I think that’s better for them.”

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