Airlines

• Spirit Airlines collapsed on May 3, 2026, stranding passengers at airports like Newark who must pay higher fares on other carriers to return home. • White House economic advisor Kevin Hassett stated energy shocks from surging gas prices contributed to Spirit's demise but will impact airline profits only for the next quarter. • The shutdown raises concerns for other U.S. carriers' financial stability ahead of the summer travel season amid record fuel costs.

Budget airline left thousands stranded on Saturday after ceasing operations amid financial troublesSpirit Airlines shutdown: how to get home and get refundsPolitical blame game begins and passengers left adrift after Spirit ceases operationsSpirit Airlines has almost finished refunding customers for flights abruptly canceled over the weekend as the company folded.The budget airline left thousands of customers and staff stranded after deciding on Saturday to pull the plug on a business that was struggling for years, before a surge in the price of jet fuel blew a new hole in its budget. Continue reading...

Airport seeks deal with BA owner, Virgin and billionaire local landowner, who has own expansion plan, over cost and service issuesHeathrow’s new chair has opened talks with airlines and the billionaire local landowner Surinder Arora to defuse a row that threatens to further delay the £49bn plan to build a third runway at Europe’s busiest airport.Philip Jansen, who was appointed at the start of the year, is understood to have held meetings with the airport’s carriers and with Arora, who has been promoting his own £25bn expansion scheme, in the hope of finding the middle ground in a row over cost and service issues. Continue reading...

Carriers examining which flights can be cancelled with least disruption under plans to avoid summer travel chaosUK airlines will be able to cancel or consolidate flights this summer under new plans to conserve jet fuel as the war in the Middle East continues to disrupt supplies.The measures are being taken to avoid major disruption as Britons jet off on their summer holidays. Airlines are looking carefully at their timetables to see which flights can be cancelled in advance and cause the least delays. Continue reading...

Company had struggled to increase post-pandemic demand before war in Iran pushed up jet fuel costsSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxSpirit Airlines is preparing to cease operations after the beleaguered company ran out of cash and a rescue attempt by the Trump administration appeared to stall.The company struggled to make a deal with its creditors and secure funding to maintain operations, according to a Wall Street Journal report citing people familiar with the matter. Continue reading...

Rising costs have continued to plague the company, now facing soaring fuel costs due to the war with IranSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxThe White House is finalizing a financing package to help ailing US budget carrier Spirit Airlines, which could receive as much as $500m in loans as rising costs continue to plague the company.News of the potential deal comes as Spirit and others struggle with soaring fuel costs due to the war with Iran. Continue reading...

Ministers also asked to alter compensation rights and suspend emissions trading scheme amid Middle East warAirlines are lobbying the UK government to relax environmental and noise rules, modify passenger rights and cut taxes on flying, as they prepare for higher costs and a possible shortage of jet fuel because of the war in the Middle East.A list of policy requests submitted to ministers and the aviation regulator includes suspending the emissions trading scheme and relaxing limits on night flights, it has emerged. Continue reading...