RIP Spirit Airlines

RIP Spirit Airlines

From Today, Explained by Vox

May 5, 2026 · 26 min

About this episode

This episode discusses the life and death of Spirit Airlines, exploring its impact and legacy.

Lessons from the life and death of America’s most beloved, most hated, most bootleg airline. This episode was produced by Hady Mawajdeh, edited by Jolie Myers, fact-checked by Gabriel Dunatov, engineered by David Tatasciore and Bridger Dunnagan, and hosted by Noel King. Spirit Airlines planes parked on the tarmac in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images. Listen to Today, Explained ad-free by becoming a Vox Member: vox.com/members. New Vox members get $20 off their membership right now. Transcript at ⁠vox.com/today-explained-podcast.⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

People in this episode

Host: Noel King

Topics covered

  • Spirit Airlines
  • aviation
  • business failure
  • customer experience
  • airline industry

Keywords

  • Spirit Airlines
  • aviation
  • business
  • airline
  • customer service
  • failure
  • Fort Lauderdale

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Spirit Airlines

Places: Fort Lauderdale, Florida, America

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