Trump says he’s considering deal to bail out Spirit Airlines
A lawyer for Spirit told a U.S. Bankruptcy Court a week ago that the airline was in advanced talks with the government on a financing deal that would allow it to exit Chapter 11 protection.
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Friday said he’s still weighing a taxpayer-funded takeover of Spirit Airlines.
The president didn’t offer details about the proposal but told reporters as he prepared to leave the White House for a trip to Florida that he would have an announcement on the matter Friday or Saturday.
“We’re looking at it. If we could do it, we’ll do it. But only if it’s a good deal,” Trump said.
Trump said he would like to save jobs at the airline and his administration gave Spirit “a final proposal.”
“We’re looking at Spirit and if we can help them, we will. But we have to come first,” he said.
He likened it to the deal his administration struck to make the U.S. government into a major stockholder of semiconductor manufacturer Intel, but said it was “a different kind of a thing.”
Last week, Trump floated the idea of a taxpayer-funded takeover of Spirit and suggested the U.S. government could later resell the airline for a profit once oil prices pushed up by the Iran war drop.
A lawyer for Spirit, meanwhile, told a U.S. Bankruptcy Court a week ago that the airline was in advanced talks with the government on a financing deal that would allow it to exit Chapter 11 protection.
Spirit last year cut routes, including a couple out of PHL, because of its financial struggles. From Philadelphia, the airline cut service to Atlanta and Los Angeles entirely. The airline had 1,500 fewer flights through Philadelphia in 2025 compared to 2024.
Spirit was among the top-five most flown airlines out of PHL in 2024, bringing more than 1.7 million passengers through Philadelphia, but it dropped off that list last year.
Between three and seven Spirit Airlines flights depart the Philadelphia airport each day, according to airport spokesperson Heather Redfern. The flights go to Charlotte, Detroit, Orlando, Miami, Fort Lauderdale, and San Juan, all destinations that are served by other carriers, Redfern added.
“Travelers should check directly with the airline for the latest updates on their flights,” she said.
Supporters of the airline’s rescue included labor groups representing Spirit’s pilots and flight attendants, who argued that allowing the low-cost carrier to collapse would hurt workers and push fares higher.
Critics, including both Republican and Democratic lawmakers, have raised concerns about the use of taxpayer dollars and questioned whether federal support would amount to a bailout of a company unlikely to recover.
With the Iran war driving up jet fuel costs for all airlines, creditors last month expressed doubts about Spirit’s ability to keep operating, raising the possibility that the airline recognized for its bright yellow planes would be forced to sell its assets and stop flying.
Lizzy McLellan Ravitch and Erin McCarthy contributed to this story.