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Spirit to Exit Milwaukee, Phoenix, Rochester and St. Louis in January Under Chapter 11 Overhaul

The cuts align the carrier’s smaller fleet with a pivot to its strongest markets during a court‑supervised restructuring.

Overview

  • Service ends Jan. 8, 2026 at MKE, PHX, ROC and STL, and seasonal flights to Bucaramanga, Colombia, will end in January 2026.
  • Spirit says it will grow at Fort Lauderdale next year to about 100 peak daily departures and boost frequencies on more than 40 routes.
  • Since its August Chapter 11 filing, exits now total roughly 18 destinations, with the latest round cutting nine routes and about 1% of seats, according to Cirium data.
  • The airline will contact affected customers with options including refunds, and most impacted city pairs retain alternate carriers, though some nonstop links disappear.
  • Restructuring steps include shrinking the fleet, returning aircraft to lessors and eliminating about 150 salaried roles, with the company continuing to operate under court approvals.