Spirit Airlines Pulls Out of Columbia Airport After Bankruptcy

Beginning Oct. 4, Spirit Airlines will stop all flights at Columbia Metropolitan Airport. The move affects 12 U.S. airports as the company works through bankruptcy proceedings.

The shutdown cuts direct routes that once cost as little as $50 to Orlando, Fort Lauderdale, and Newark airports. This change follows Spirit's Aug. 29 bankruptcy filing, which shook the air travel sector.

Kim Crafton, Columbia airport's Vice President of Marketing and Air Service Development, was caught off guard by the news. "This news came as a shock to the entire airport team as all three routes saw consistently high load factors – which is the percentage of seats sold per flight," Crafton said in a statement, according to Carolina News and Reporter.

The sudden exit hits University of South Carolina students hard. Many relied on these budget flights for trips home. Now they must pay triple or quadruple the price with other carriers.

"Now it costs like $300 for a two-hour flight, whereas Spirit, you can fly for, like, 45 bucks. A lot of college kids can't afford to fly for that much money," said Darby Bianco, a University of South Carolina senior from New Jersey.

The airline's time in Columbia proved brief — just four months from its June 2025 start to the bankruptcy news. Spirit made its mark by selling basic tickets at rock-bottom prices, sometimes as low as $50 each way.

The airport stays open to Spirit's return if finances improve. "It is unfortunate that Spirit finds itself in this position, and we hope they are able to reorganize in the bankruptcy process," Crafton said. "Should Spirit be able to regain its footing in the airline industry, we'll be excited for the potential opportunity to welcome them back to CAE."