Spirit Airlines said Monday that it has filed for bankruptcy protection and will attempt to reboot as it struggles to recover from the pandemic-caused swoon Spirit Airlines filed for bankruptcy with a plan to hand over control to bondholders after failing to agree on a merger with rivals. Jonathan Randles reports NEW YORK (AP) — Spirit Airlines, the largest budget carrier in the U.S., filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection Monday. The airline said customers should not see any disruption to their travel plans while the process unfolds. The filing followed years of struggles for the Florida-based Budget airline Spirit was soaring in 2022 as Frontier and JetBlue engaged in a bidding war to buy out the smaller airline. Now, Spirit is filing for bankruptcy. WSJ's Alison Sider explains. Spirit Airlines is filing for bankruptcy ahead of the busy holiday travel season. The budget airline has faced multiple setbacks recently, including rising labor costs and a failed merger with The Brief. Spirit Airlines filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Monday morning. The airline tried to merge with JetBlue, which was blocked by regulators, and merger talks with Frontier Spirit Airlines, the airline of choice for many budget travelers, filed for bankruptcy protection Monday, raising questions about the viability of no-frills airlines in the post-pandemic era, as Spirit Airlines filed for bankruptcy protection Monday, as mounting losses, unaffordable debt, increased competition for bargain-seeking airline passengers and the inability to merge with other Spirit flew slightly more passengers in the first half of this year compared with the same period in 2023. But those passengers paid nearly 20 percent less in fares per flight. Spirit Airlines says it will continue flying as it files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Monday's announcement follows years of losses and a failed merger attempt for the low-cost carrier.