By Aamer Madhani and Rio Yamat, Associated Press and Howard Stutz, The Nevada Independent

The shutdown early Saturday morning of Spirit Airlines will affect 16 direct markets served by Harry Reid International Airport, all of which are currently serviced by at least one other airline, Clark County Department of Aviation officials said in a statement.

Spirit, based in West Palm Beach, Florida, announced it has gone out of business after 34 years. Up until last year, Spirit had been the second busiest air carrier at Reid Airport, serving markets such as Reno, Los Angeles, Atlanta and Houston.  

The bankruptcy reorganization caused its overall passenger count to decline 42 percent in 2025 to 4.6 million passengers. Spirit fell out of the airport's top five carrier rankings last October. In the first three months of 2026, Spirit's passenger count at Reid Airport was down 72 percent. 

The ultralow-cost airline that once operated hundreds of daily flights on its bright yellow planes and employed about 17,000 people said it had "started an orderly wind-down of our operations, effective immediately."

The airline said on its website that all flights have been canceled and customer service is no longer available.

In a statement, Reid Airport advised passengers to contact their booking provider, if it was through a third-party, or credit card issuer to inquire about refunds. 

"Travelers can also contact the other airlines serving their destination to explore available rebooking options," according to the statement. "Airport customer service staff are available on site to assist passengers in the terminal."

Reid Airport's largest air carrier, Southwest Airlines, said in a statement that customers "holding Spirit reservations can access special fares" at Southwest's ticket counters at their departure airport.

Las Vegas-based Allegiant Airlines also announced an effort to assist stranded Spirit passengers, saying travelers would receive 50 percent back through the company's rewards program for flights rebooked with the air carrier.

"While our current flight schedule only overlaps with some of the affected routes, our priority is to help reaccommodate passengers as much as we possibly can," Allegiant Chief Commercial Officer Drew Wells said in a statement. 

Allegiant launched service in destinations such as Atlantic City last year and had previously introduced roughly 500,000 additional seats in markets where it competed with Spirit.

In announcing the shutdown, Spirit Airlines said in a statement, "We are proud of the impact of our ultra-low-cost model on the industry over the last 34 years and had hoped to serve our guests for many years to come." 

The company advised customers that they could expect refunds but there would be no help in booking travel on other airlines.

The Trump administration had considered a government bailout for the cash-strapped business to keep it from going under, but a deal was not reached.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said that travelers booked on Spirit flights could access special prices on a group of other airlines for a limited time, and said other carriers would help Spirit pilots and flight attendants return to their home cities. In a statement, he said travelers could check with their credit card company or travel insurance policy about refunds.

Trump had floated the idea of a bailout last week after the airline found itself in bankruptcy proceedings for the second time in less than two years with jet fuel prices soaring because of the Iran war.

As late as Friday afternoon, President Donald Trump had said that "we're looking at it" and had given the budget carrier a "final proposal" for a taxpayer-funded takeover.

Spirit has struggled financially since the COVID-19 pandemic, weighed down by rising operating costs and growing debt. By the time it filed for Chapter 11 protection in November 2024, Spirit had lost more than $2.5 billion since the start of 2020.

Updated at 10:18 a.m. on 5/2/2026 to include a statement from Allegiant Airlines.