Moneybox Who Killed Spirit Airlines? The abrupt collapse of the ultra-low-cost carrier ignited a big, misleading blame game in Washington. By Enter your email to receive alerts for this author. Sign in or create an account to better manage your email preferences. Unsubscribe from email alerts Are you sure you want to unsubscribe from email alerts for Alex Kirshner ? May 05, 2026 1:45 PM Photo illustration by Slate. Photos by Sean Rayford/Getty Images, Bill Pugliano/Getty Images, Eric Lee/Getty Images, Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images, and David McNew/Getty Images. Sign up for the Slatest to get the most insightful analysis, criticism, and advice out there, delivered to your inbox daily. Spirit Airlines has crashed down to earth. On Saturday, the ultra-low-cost carrier abruptly shut down operations, leaving customers and crew members stranded across the U.S.…