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One taxi driver claimed about 80% of Atlantic City airport arrivals were via Spirit Airlines
In the first three months of 2026, Spirit had flown 419,917 passengers to and from Las Vegas and was the eighth busiest commercial air carrier at Reid
Spirit Airlines, which began more than 34 years ago as Charter One, officially shut down early Saturday morning leaving countless numbers of passengers stranded. The most impacted airport was Fort Lauderdale.
Its Terminal 4 hub was mostly a abandoned Saturday as only a handful of other airlines operated along side Spirit.
Spirit's flagship airport was Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood with 85 daily flights, the most of any airline.
"Effectively immediately, @SpiritAirlines has ceased operations companywide. All flights to and from Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL) and across its network are canceled," the airport said. "If you have a ticket booked on Spirit, the airline is advising travelers not to go to the airport and has provided guidance on its website regarding refunds or rebooking. Visit www.spirit.com for more information. Several airlines have also offered to assist impacted travelers with alternative travel arrangements, where possible.
Spirit is a dominant carrier in Florida with 70% of the 277 flights canceled Saturday tied to Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood, Orlando, Miami International, Tampa International, Palm Beach. And all 378 flights scheduled for Sunday were canceled with 63% served by those airports.
For the New Jersey gambling city of Atlantic City, Spirit represented 94% of all flights in that airport. Its flight to and from Detroit, we are told, was actually quite profitable with a loyal passenger base.
"No business," said Hassan Bouzine, a taxi driver who waited outside the airport for hours without a fare.
Bouzine told CBS News roughly 80% of his customers typically arrive on Spirit flights and worries the shutdown will have widespread effects.
"Riders, visitors of Atlantic City, businessmen, taxi drivers, even [rideshare] will be affected, so we are sad," he said.
The shutdown’s impact at the South Jersey airport “is somewhat lessened” by the recent arrival of two carriers, Allegiant and Breeze airways, said Brian J. Tyrrell, a professor of hospitality, tourism and event management at Stockton University.
Las Vegas was the third most impacted in terms of passengers flown after only Fort Lauderdale and Orlando. Departing seats scheduled from May 2025 through April 2026 were listed at 2,203,018 out of Las Vegas. Detroit, an original Spirit Airlines hub and home to some top casinos itself, was listed as the 4th most impacted in terms of passengers served.
In the first three months of 2026, Spirit had flown 419,917 passengers to and from Las Vegas and was the eighth busiest commercial air carrier at Reid, according to the Las Vegas Review Journal.
Spirit’s busiest routes from Las Vegas was to and from Orange County’s John Wayne Airport in Santa Ana, California, and to Hollywood-Burbank Airport in Burbank, California, both also served by rival Southwest Airlines.
- Aaron Goldstein, Gambling911.com
