About this episode

The episode discusses the government's involvement in the downfall of Spirit Airlines, the first major airline to shut down in the U.S. since 1991.

Spirit is the first major airline to have abruptly shut down in the U.S. since 1991. Jon Ostrower, Brian Sumers and Brett Snyder explain how the government, from the Obama Administration to now, all had a role in the company's demise. Thanks to Plusgrade for sponsoring this episode.

People in this episode

Guests: Jon Ostrower, Brian Sumers, Brett Snyder

Topics covered

• airline industry
• government role
• business failure
• aviation news
• Spirit Airlines

Keywords

• Spirit Airlines
• government involvement
• airline shutdown
• aviation history
• business collapse

Sponsors

Plusgrade

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Obama Administration, Spirit

More episodes of The Air Show

• The Government is Making Things Worse · April 22, 2026 · 29 min
• We Have to Talk About Mergers · April 16, 2026 · 25 min
• Breeze's Lukas Johnson Sounds Off · April 9, 2026 · 42 min
• Oil, and the Rest of the World · April 2, 2026 · 27 min
• United’s Media Day Extravaganza · March 26, 2026 · 29 min
• Euphoria Sweeps the Airlines · March 19, 2026 · 39 min

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the The Air Show podcast page.