Spirit Airlines Is Dead. Here’s What I’d Fly (or Ride) Instead
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Rest in peace Spirit Airlines, the butt end of every airline meme. We didn’t appreciate Spirit when we had it, and now it’s gone. If you were a semi-regular like me (somebody always looking for a flight deal), here’s my answer to what you can do now.
I think the answer requires some creative thinking. No single airline will replace Spirit. There is no new Spirit. It’s time to use a combination of…
- A better way to search. You guys don’t even know how to find the best deals.
- More flexibility in your mode of transit. If you’re not checking buses, trains, or combinations of those, you’re missing out on the best deals.
As I mourn Spirit (I’m only half-joking here), I think about a Spirit flight I took to Peru in 2024. My girlfriend and I found the Fort Lauderdale to Lima flight. We were in Orlando celebrating her birthday at Universal Studios.
Flying out of Orlando meant a layover and about $500 each. Spirit had a flight out of Fort Lauderdale for $200. So we took the Brightline train down the coast for $50 and caught the Spirit flight. We saved $250 each, one way.
That’s the Spirit I’ll miss. Not the memes. The yellow plane that made a trip possible. But within this, you can see the core of how to keep getting good deals. Open your mind to airport, airline, and transit options.
Nearly all of my flights are on budget airlines. I’ve flown Breeze four times, plus Volaris, Avianca, and LATAM, and I’ve ridden nearly every bus company on the East Coast. Here’s how I’d replace Spirit, depending on where you’re going.
The Short Answer: What to Fly (or Ride) Instead of Spirit
- Is the flight under two hours? Check trains and buses first. You’d be surprised. I use Busbud to see every option in one search.
- Want the closest thing to Spirit? That’s Frontier. Same bare-fare model, and it added more seats in Spirit’s old markets than anyone.
- Flying from a smaller airport? Look at Breeze and others.
- Don’t see a cheap fare? Find a way to get to a major airport.
- Flying out of Fort Lauderdale? JetBlue has taken over much of Spirit’s old home base.
- Headed to Latin America or the Caribbean? Check Avianca, JetBlue, and Volaris.
- Don’t skip the big airlines. American, Delta, United, and Southwest all sell cheap fares now. You’ll only see them if you search every airline at once.
- Whatever you fly, pack light. The fare is only cheap if you skip the add-ons.
What Happened to Spirit (and Why Your Fares Went Up)
Spirit filed for bankruptcy a second time in August 2025, five months after emerging from the first one. This spring, jet fuel prices spiked with the war in Iran, the federal government did not bail them out, and Spirit canceled every flight at 3 a.m. Eastern on May 2. JetBlue bought its LaGuardia slots at auction in July, and its planes are parked in desert storage in Arizona and California. It isn’t coming back.
Other airlines rushed into Spirit’s old routes, but they haven’t filled the hole. Fewer seats means higher prices. (In addition to higher prices caused by crazy jet fuel prices, which means airlines canceling other flights, and…. yeah wars are very bad for lots of reasons, but add commercial flight prices to the list.)
Creative strategies for budget travel matter more than ever.
Step 1: If the Flight Is Under Two Hours, Check Trains and Buses First
If you’re a budget traveler who wasn’t afraid of Spirit, you shouldn’t be afraid of Amtrak, Greyhound, Flix or regional buses.
A one-hour flight is never a one-hour trip. You have to get to the airport, get through security, wait at the gate, board, deplane, and then get from the airport into the city. This is one reason, if it’s an option, why I take Amtrak instead of flying. (Another reason is that, in terms of global carbon emissions, short flights are the worst offenders per mile, because takeoff and climb are the fuel-hungry part of any flight.)
Trains and buses drop you in the middle of town. Most airports don’t. And on short trips, the price gap can be absurd. I once took a $32 Greyhound from Chicago to Louisville instead of flying and saved about $100. I regularly take Vamoose from New York to visit my aunt outside D.C. because it’s often cheaper than both flying and Amtrak. The same goes for getting between New York and my Vermont hometown.
How I Search for Buses and Trains: Busbud
I’ve learned that around the country, your options are usually more than Amtrak and Greyhound. There are lots of regional bus companies that often provide a decent quality service. But flight search engines don’t show you these ground transportation options. For that, I use Busbud.
It pulls Amtrak, Greyhound, FlixBus, Peter Pan, and a long list of regional bus companies into one search, so you can see every option on your route, with times and prices, in one place.
Search your route on Busbud here.
For more on Busbud, you can check out my Busbud review. If you want flights, trains, and buses side by side in one search, Omio does that. I compare the three big non-flight search tools in Busbud vs Wanderu vs Omio.
Greyhound and FlixBus: A Mixed Bag That Works If You Prep
Greyhound and FlixBus have the biggest networks in the country, and they’re owned by the same company. They’re also inconsistent. One trip you get a working outlet, a reclining seat, and a row to yourself. The next trip the bathroom is out of order and the Wi-Fi never connects.
With the right prep and expectations, though, both are a fantastic budget option. Former Spirit flyers already have the right mindset for this. Know what you’re paying for, bring what you need, and don’t expect to be pampered. A power bank, snacks, water, and something to sleep on go a long way. Here’s what I pack for every bus trip.
If you’re new to the big two, start with my 16 tips for thriving on Greyhound, my FlixBus review, and Greyhound vs FlixBus, where I explain why the route should decide, not the brand.
And if a regional company runs your route, take it. On the East Coast, I’d pick Peter Pan, Vamoose, OurBus, or Trailways over either one.
Trains: Amtrak and Other Commuter Trains
Amtrak is at its best on short, busy corridors: Boston to New York to Washington, the Keystone to Harrisburg, the Capitol Corridor in Northern California. Some routes can get expensive last-minute, but booked early it can beat a flight on price and crush it on comfort. Start with how I find cheap Amtrak tickets and my Amtrak guide for first-timers.
Amtrak is way better than flying anyway. Coach on Amtrak is a better service than business class on most airlines.
There are other train services too, like Brightline between Orlando, Fort Lauderdale, and Miami, which connects you close to major airports.
Common Short Trips Where Ground Transit Wins
| Trip | Ground options | My guide |
|---|---|---|
| New York to Boston | Amtrak, Peter Pan, Greyhound, FlixBus | NYC to Boston without a car |
| New York to Washington, D.C. | Amtrak, countless buses | NYC to D.C. on transit |
| New York to Philadelphia | Amtrak, Peter Pan, Greyhound, FlixBus | NYC to Philly on transit |
| New York to Vermont | Amtrak Ethan Allen Express and Vermonter, buses | NYC to Vermont on transit |
| Orlando to Fort Lauderdale or Miami | Brightline | Brightline review |
| Los Angeles to Las Vegas | FlixBus, Greyhound (Brightline West isn’t expected until late 2029) | (I haven’t written yet) |
| Detroit to Chicago | Amtrak Wolverine, buses | (I haven’t written yet) |
| Dallas to Houston | Intercity buses. My friend swears by RedCoach for Texas travel. | (I haven’t written yet) |
Use Ground Transportation to Connect You to Major Airports
Major flight routes are the most profitable ones for airlines, which means the prices are often better. It’s the small airports where we get crushed on price. (This is a generalization, of course it can depend.)
If you live near a small airport, you may be able to save hundreds, and skip a layover, by exploring the bus and train options to get you to the major city.
Step 2: Search Every Airline, Not Only the Budget Ones
I cover how I use each one in the best flight search engines for cheap flights. The short version:
- Kiwi is my favorite for finding the cheapest option because you can search several airports at once. It’s the flight search equivalent of a party hostel. More in my Kiwi review.
- Google Flights for the final decision. It shows price history, and its bag filter adds baggage fees to the price so you can compare the real cost.
- Skyscanner when your dates are flexible. The whole-month view shows the cheapest days at a glance.
- Momondo when you know your dates but not your destination.
- Omio when you want to compare flights against trains and buses. Here’s my Omio review.
Don’t Rule Out the Legacy Airlines
American, Delta, and United all sell basic economy fares, and those fares exist because airlines like Spirit forced the big carriers to compete. They strip out seat selection and flexibility and often price close to budget airlines. On plenty of routes, the cheapest ticket is on a big-name carrier. The big three also added flights in Spirit’s old markets this year: Delta out of Detroit and Orlando, United out of Newark and Houston, American out of Chicago and Philadelphia.
Step 3: The Budget Airlines That Replaced Spirit
If you want the Spirit model (cheap base fare, pay for everything else), these are the airlines still doing it. I’ll be clear about which ones I’ve flown and which ones I haven’t.
| Airline | Closest to Spirit? | Where it’s strongest | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frontier | Yes, same model | Denver, Orlando, Las Vegas, Detroit | Add-on fees, frequent route changes |
| Breeze | Partly. Nicer cabin, cheaper add-ons | Smaller airports in the East and South, Atlantic City | Flights a few days a week, hard-to-reach customer service |
| Allegiant and Sun Country | Allegiant, yes | Small airports to vacation spots; Minneapolis for Sun Country | Infrequent schedules |
| Avelo | Yes | New Haven, Wilmington (DE), Concord (NC), Lakeland (FL) | Contracts with DHS for deportation flights. I will never fly them because of this. |
| JetBlue | No, a step up | Fort Lauderdale, New York, Boston, the Caribbean | Higher base fares |
| Southwest | No | Nationwide | Now charges for checked bags |
Frontier: The Closest Thing to Spirit
If you want Spirit’s model with a different paint job, Frontier is it. It’s the largest budget airline left in the U.S. and the biggest winner of Spirit’s collapse.
The rules are the same as Spirit’s: your fare covers a seat and a personal item. Everything else costs extra.
I’ve flown both. Frontier is worse. On my Frontier experience, they were super strict about measuring bags, even when it was obvious that your bag fit the requirements. It wasn’t a pleasant experience, and the seats seemed even more bare-bones.
Breeze Airways: My Pick If It Flies Your Route
I’ve flown Breeze four times, and it’s the budget airline I’m happiest to recommend. The planes are newer, the seats recline, the tray tables are normal size, and the crews are some of the nicest I’ve had on any airline. Breeze flies nonstop between smaller airports that the big airlines ignore, which is why its fares can look too good to be true.
Since Spirit shut down, Breeze has added four former Spirit routes out of Atlantic City (to Orlando, Fort Myers, Myrtle Beach, and Palm Beach), plus new seasonal flights to Mexico and the Caribbean.
However, most routes run only a few days a week, and customer service on the ground is hard to reach. I cover all of it, including what changed after Spirit, in my Breeze Airways review.
Allegiant and Sun Country: Small Airports, Vacation Trips
Allegiant flies mostly from small airports to leisure destinations, often only a couple of times a week.
I haven’t flown Allegiant or Sun Country yet, so I won’t pretend to review them. If one of them flies nonstop from your small local airport to where you’re going, it belongs in your search.
Avelo: I’ll Never Fly Them
After I read a report that Avelo contracts with DHS to carry out deportation flights, I know I’ll never consider flying them.
JetBlue: Fort Lauderdale’s New Main Airline
JetBlue isn’t a true budget airline, but it’s the airline that stepped hardest into Spirit’s old home. It scheduled nearly 130 daily departures from Fort Lauderdale this summer, the most in its history, with new or expanded flights to Detroit, Chicago, Houston, Baltimore, and Nashville, plus Colombia, the Dominican Republic, and Puerto Rico. It also won Spirit’s LaGuardia slots.
If you used to fly Spirit out of Fort Lauderdale, JetBlue is probably your first search.
Flying to Latin America or the Caribbean
Spirit was a big player between Florida and Central America, South America, and the Caribbean. Here’s where I’d look now:
- Avianca added flights from Fort Lauderdale to Barranquilla and Cali and more flights to Bogotá. Between New York and Colombia, I usually find Avianca nonstops for less than JetBlue’s connections. Here’s my Avianca review.
- JetBlue added Fort Lauderdale flights to Colombia, the Dominican Republic, and Puerto Rico.
- Volaris is Mexico’s big budget airline, with flights into Central America too. It runs on the same model Spirit did. Read my Volaris review.
- LATAM covers South America, and it’s a refreshingly simple airline after years of budget chaos. Here’s my LATAM review.
Step 4: Spend Less No Matter Which Airline You Fly
Picking the right airline matters, but most of what I save comes from how I travel. Budget airlines punish disorganization and reward preparation. That’s true on every airline, including the big ones.
- Pack light. A checked bag can wipe out a cheap fare in one click. I haven’t checked a bag in years. Here are the only ways to avoid baggage fees.
- Stay flexible. Midweek flights are almost always cheaper than weekends. If your dates can move, let the price decide.
- Fly into a different airport. I once flew from Barcelona to Boston for $109, then took a $30 Amtrak train home to New York. Planes don’t have to do every leg of your trip.
- Skip seat selection. You’ll still get a seat. For a two-hour flight, a middle seat is not a human rights violation.
- Bring your own food. Pack a sandwich and bring an empty water bottle through security.
- Plan your entertainment. Download your shows, podcasts, and books before you leave. Budget airlines rarely have Wi-Fi or screens.
I go deeper on all of this in a free five-day email course: the handful of decisions that save me hundreds of dollars a year on flights, no matter which airline I’m on.
Spirit Alternatives FAQ
What airline replaced Spirit?
No single airline. Frontier added the most seats in Spirit’s old markets, JetBlue took over much of Fort Lauderdale, Breeze picked up several routes out of Atlantic City, and the big airlines added flights at their own hubs. The right replacement depends on your route.
Is there an airline exactly like Spirit?
Frontier is the closest. Same model, same kind of fees, big overlap with Spirit’s old network. Breeze is the next closest.
Is Spirit Airlines coming back?
No. Spirit is being liquidated. Its slots, planes, and loyalty program have been sold off or are being sold off.
Are budget airlines safe?
Yes. Every U.S. airline flies under the same FAA regulations for maintenance, pilot training, and inspections. A $49 fare doesn’t buy you a less safe plane.
Will fares go back down?
Some of it depends on fuel prices and whether more budget seats come back to Spirit’s old routes. What you control is how widely you search, how light you pack, and whether you’re willing to take a train or a bus when it makes sense.
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