Spirit Airlines is closing down. Thousands of employees and travelers are impacted.

NBC News reports that Spirit Airlines has ceased all operations effective immediately, canceling thousands of scheduled flights and affecting approximately 17,000 employees. The airline, which had filed for bankruptcy twice in less than a year, announced an "orderly wind-down" after failed negotiations with the White House over a proposed $500 million financial assistance package, with the article attributing the collapse partly to soaring jet fuel costs linked to the Iran conflict. The reporting is grounded in direct company statements and includes substantial historical context—tracing Spirit's rise from a bare-bones carrier valued at $6 billion in the mid-2010s through its failed JetBlue merger attempt (blocked by the Justice Department on antitrust grounds) and subsequent bankruptcy filings. Independent coverage from NPR and CNBC corroborates the operational shutdown and mentions the failed White House negotiations, while The Points Guy provides consumer guidance; no material discrepancies appear across sources. Watch for clarity on passenger refund processes, employee severance arrangements, and whether the White House provides any post-facto assistance or if this triggers broader scrutiny of the airline industry's financial fragility.