May 6, 2026
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It finally happened — Spirit Airlines is gone.
This week on Miles To Go, Ed and Richard break down what the shutdown of Spirit Airlines means for travelers, employees, and the broader airline industry.
From emotional final flights to stranded passengers scrambling for alternatives, the ripple effects are already being felt — and the response from other airlines hasn’t exactly made things easier. So-called “rescue fares” sound helpful in theory, but in practice, they’ve offered limited relief for travelers trying to rebook last-minute trips.
They also explore the bigger picture: what losing a major low-cost carrier means for competition, pricing, and access to travel — especially for families and budget-conscious flyers who relied on Spirit to make trips possible.
Meanwhile, Delta is dealing with operational issues of its own, with an unusual spike in cancellations and reliability concerns that highlight how fragile airline operations can be.
Plus, real-world travel frustrations — from rideshare chaos at Newark to the rising cost of simply getting to the airport — and why the overall travel experience keeps getting more expensive and more complicated.
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✈️ What We Cover in This Episode
✈️ What We Cover in This Episode
✈️ The end of Spirit Airlines
- Final flights and emotional send-offs
- What happens to employees and crews
- Why Spirit mattered more than people realized
✈️ The real impact on travelers
- Families and budget travelers losing affordable options
- Trips that simply won’t happen anymore
- Why competition matters for pricing
✈️ “Rescue fares” that don’t really help
- Limited availability and restrictive windows
- United, Delta, American vs JetBlue approaches
- Why this was a missed opportunity
✈️ Airlines scrambling to fill the gap
- JetBlue adding routes immediately
- Frontier and Breeze stepping in
- What happens to key markets like Fort Lauderdale
✈️ Delta’s operational struggles
- Spike in cancellations compared to competitors
- Staffing and reliability concerns
- A noticeable shift from Delta’s usual performance
✈️ Empty planes and shifting demand
- Surprisingly light loads on recent flights
- Capacity cuts vs soft demand
- What this could signal for pricing
✈️ The rising cost of travel
- $130 rides to the airport
- Why logistics are getting more expensive
- The hidden costs beyond airfare
✈️ Airline cost-cutting trends
- Cutting drink service on short flights
- Potential cuts to premium amenities
- How airlines are squeezing margins
⏱️ Episode 435 Timestamps
0:48 – Intro and quick travel
recap
4:00 – Newark rideshare chaos and rising costs
7:52 – Points Path win: saving 60,000 miles
10:37 – Spirit Airlines officially shuts down
11:17 – Rebooking chaos and lack of real “rescue
fares”
13:30 – Why airlines missed a big opportunity
15:57 – Empty flights and surprising demand trends
18:50 – Airlines moving quickly to replace Spirit
routes
21:29 – Fort Lauderdale and shifting airline
strategy
29:53 – Delta’s cancellation spike and reliability issues
⏱️ Episode 432 Timestamps
0:48 – Welcome back & rough
week recap
5:20 – Planning the Hong Kong trip
10:00 – Upgrade strategy and long-haul flight
experience
15:00 – Victoria Peak and how it’s changed
20:00 – Big Buddha and Lantau Island experience
25:00 – Hong Kong Disneyland highlights and tips
30:00 – Comparing Hong Kong to past visits
35:00 – Why Hong Kong feels different today
38:30 – 6 flights in 3 days: brutal travel run
43:00 – Airline Wi-Fi failures vs Starlink success