![[An airplane flying over Los Angeles International Airport.]](https://uscannenberg-uscannenberg-prod.web.arc-cdn.net/resizer/v2/YVSSZKTQORGJFMAYUYNO7G5CNM.jpeg?smart=true&auth=d55dd2683fc1a7f4aaef0abeca55e7664e30a44c6d3db02e8da893676ac8ebbe&width=612&height=344)
The holidays are coming up, and travel season has descended upon the United States!
It’s one of the busiest times of the year for air travel, and students across the USC campus are finalizing their plans to head home next week for Thanksgiving. Travelers may not have hit the tarmac quite yet, but those traveling on Spirit Airlines are already feeling a bit of turbulence after the airline filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.
A recent “open letter” to passengers published online by the company states that passengers can continue to book and fly on Spirit as usual, and said, “...We expect to complete this process in the first quarter of 2025, and emerge even better positioned to deliver the best value.”
The company says the bankruptcy announcement is part of a calculated plan to lower the company’s debt; its official terminology for Spirit’s new status is a “restructuring support agreement,” or RSA. The move is supported by a super majority of Spirit’s bondholders, and is a fairly common practice in the business world.
Still, Spirit travelers are feeling uneasy. Marissa Russ, a USC senior and frequent Spirit Airlines flyer, is saddened at the news and worries that it could affect ticket prices.
“It makes me pretty sad because, even though I’ve flown Southwest a few times, Spirit is always reliable, cheap when you need them. It makes me upset. It also has less competition for the other airlines, and they already gouge their prices,” Russ said.
Spirit Airlines has a reputation as an affordable alternative to some of the other major U.S. airlines. A round-trip ticket can average $200 cheaper than the closest competitor’s fare. Despite these concerns, Spirit reassures people that it will continue to operate normally.