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Spirit Airlines ending flights to Phoenix in 2026
Spirit Airlines says it is discontinuing service to Phoenix next year. The airline will cease operations at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport by Jan. 8, 2026.
PHOENIX - A low-cost airline company is set to pull out of Phoenix's largest airport.
What we know:
Per a statement released by officials with Spirit Airlines, they have decided to discontinue services at Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport, effective Jan. 8, 2026.
The company will also discontinue service at Milwaukee, Rochester, N.Y., and St. Louis, Mo. on the same day.
In the statement, company officials said the discontinuations are part of an adjustment to their 2026 schedule. The adjustments were done to "better align with our smaller operating fleet and focus on our strongest performing markets."
Company officials said they will reach out to those whose travel plans are affected by the discontinuation in order to notify them of their options, which includes a refund.
Dig deeper:
Spirit Airlines has filed for bankruptcy twice in recent years. It first sought Chapter 11 protection in November 2024 after unsuccessful merger talks with JetBlue and Frontier. It emerged from its first bankruptcy in March 2025, only to return to bankruptcy just five months later, in August.
In a report filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Oct. 14, company officials laid out their plan to restructure the company, which includes, among other measures, a "reduction in preferred access gates and other airport rents to re-align to the new network" and a reduction in their aircraft fleet.
A Spirit Airlines plane (Photo by Kevin Carter/Getty Images)
Local perspective:
Per Spirit's route map, the airline currently operates non-stop flights from Phoenix Sky Harbor to Detroit, Mich. and Fort Lauderdale, Fla. The Phoenix-Detroit route was relaunched in June 2025. The airline previously canceled the route in 2023.
According to data provided by Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport, Spirit Airlines flew a total of 366,029 passengers to and from the airport in 2024. During the same time, the airport had a total of over 52 million passengers. Data also shows Spirit has been operating out of Sky Harbor since at least October 2013.