Detroit Metro Airport travelers react to Spirit Airlines ceasing operations

The check-in counter for Spirit Airlines at the Detroit Metro Airport is empty, its lights are turned down and a message informs passengers that operations have shut down.

"It was really very funny, because I had just checked in, I got my boarding pass. Everything looked normal," Timothy Taylor, whose flight was cancelled at the last minute, said.

Taylor and his friends, Shanelle Boluyt and her son Phoenix, were headed to Florida for vacation when they got the news.

"I actually woke up at like, 2:38 this morning, and I'm like, 'I'm going to check. Oh, it's canceled,'" Boluyt said.

Rumblings of a government bailout kept hope alive for many customers. Others made a backup plan.

"All we got was an email saying that we would get a full refund. And again, we're lucky. We booked on a credit card. So, worst case, we call the bank. We were able to find alternative arrangements on American Airlines," Taylor said.

Spirit may have been an easy target to poke fun at, but it was also an asset.

"They were very valuable to a lot of our friends, to a lot of family. You know, they made flying accessible to a lot of people," Taylor said.

Now it's unclear what the future holds for air travel.

"I worry that with the fuel prices going up, the prices of flights will go up, fewer people will fly. And if the demand were just the same, then theoretically, other airlines would pick up those pilots, and those flight attendants and everyone else. But I worry that with the demand going down, it's going to be harder," Boluyt said.

Spirit's roots in Detroit go back decades, with the airline launching as a charter service in 1983. 

Travelers at the Romulus-based airport on Friday, before Spirit's announcement, were pondering what was to come next. 

"I think that ... without spirit or without like cheaper airlines, the price of other airlines is going to shoot up, and I think that'll be a big problem, especially for me, because I fly a lot," said traveler Lucas Trivedi.

For many travelers, it's not just about convenience; it's about cost. They say that without lower-priced options like Spirit, flying home could become much more difficult.

For students, especially those traveling across the country, Friday's uncertainty changed how they plan ahead.

"I mean, I'd probably have to pick the next cheapest way. I don't even know what I'm going to do, probably look at Expedia and find the cheapest option," said traveler Mariel Vargas-vonBreymann.

"We wouldn't be able to fly as often as we do," said traveler Taylor Gonzales.

Gonzales says without lower-cost options, travel for her family could become much more limited.

"It would be like over $1,000 for us just for, like, one trip," said Gonzales.

At Detroit Metro Airport alone, more than 1.7 million passengers flew Spirit in 2025.

"I think it gives people freedom, and when prices go too high, it's just, I think it takes away people's freedom," said Trivedi.