Arnold Palmer Regional Airport travelers react to Spirit Airlines potential shutdown

Travelers at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport are hoping for the best amid reports that Spirit Airlines is making plans to cease operations as soon as Saturday.

CBS News reported that negotiations over a $500 million government aid package have stalled, leading to Trump administration officials being told that the bankrupt airline will cease operations in the next 24 hours.

The Florida-based airline has been the sole carrier at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport for the last 15 years. The last Spirit flight on Friday at the airport in Westmoreland County left for Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, around 6 p.m. People on the flight told KDKA they are not sure how they are getting home. 

"Little nervous considering I am flying out of Latrobe and I'm planning to fly back in a week," Spirit passenger Dani Harper said on Friday. "Not really 100% sure that I'll be coming back in Spirit if they are not in business."

"It would probably mean we're renting a car to get back to our five children and our dying dog," Spirit flyer Brenda Mator said. "So, we will be getting back somehow. But, yeah, that would be unfortunate."

In a statement to KDKA on Friday, around 4 p.m., Moe Haas, the executive director of the Westmoreland County Airport Authority, said, "As of right now, Spirit is still flying. The Westmoreland County Airport Authority has had no additional notification from them, so it's business as usual."

However, on Sunday morning, the Westmoreland County Airport Authority said, "Westmoreland County Airport Authority has received information that Spirit has ceased operations. No customer service agents are available to assist passengers at the airport."

Gabe Monzo, the previous executive director of the Westmoreland County Airport Authority, told KDKA last month that the airport has been making contingency plans since Spirit went into bankruptcy for the first time in 2024. The airport authority has also been working for months with a consulting group to land another budget carrier.

"I think we are ready for it," Monzo previously said. "I think we have prepared ourselves mentally for it."

If Spirit shuts down, there may be layoffs at the Arnold Palmer Regional Airport, Monzo previously told KDKA. 

"It'd be pretty devastating," Spirit flyer Darlene Silvestri said on Friday. "I think it's a shame. Hopefully, another airline would take over."