Fox News reporter Madison Scarpino reports on Spirit Airlines closing, canceling all flights, prompting travelers to rebook other flights, on 'Fox Report.'
Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., is under fire after Spirit Airlines abruptly shut down, with critics citing her claim that blocking a merger that would have saved the troubled company was “a win for Biden for the flyers.”
Spirit announced early Saturday that it would cease operations immediately, canceling all flights and shutting down customer services, leaving many travelers caught off guard. The fallout is the reigning debate over whether federal regulators erred in blocking the proposed JetBlue-Spirit merger, with opponents now arguing that the decision could reduce competition and contribute to the airline's demise.
“I have warned for months that the @JetBlue-@SpiritAirlines merger would lead to fewer flights and higher fares,” Warren wrote in a March 2024 post on X. “@JusticeATR and @USDOT were right to stand up for consumers and fight runaway airline mergers. This is a win for Biden for flyers!”
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Senator Elizabeth Warren, Democrat of Massachusetts, during a hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committee in Washington, DC, US, Thursday, April 30, 2026. It's the second day for Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth before Congress gives Democrats. (Stefani Reynolds/Bloomberg via Getty Images/Getty Images)
Biden administration officials made similar arguments at the time. Former Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a March 2024 statement: “The Justice Department proved in court that a merger between JetBlue and Spirit would have caused tens of millions of travelers to face higher fares and fewer choices.” He added: “Today's decision against JetBlue is yet another victory for the Justice Department's work on behalf of American consumers.”
Assistant Attorney General Jonathan Kanter also described the decision as beneficial to consumers: “Our win in court is a victory for American travelers who deserve lower prices and better choices.”
The US Department of Transportation, led by former Secretary Pete Buttigieg, also supported the decision early in the process. In a 2023 statement, the agency said it “fully supports the Justice Department's case … to block the proposed JetBlue-Spirit merger,” arguing that the deal would “end up.”[e] the largest, most aggressive low-cost competitor” and “severe reduction[e] competition.”
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Spirit Airlines planes landed on the tarmac as the company ceased operations at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on May 2, 2026. (GIORGIO VIERA / AFP via Getty Images / Getty Images)
Warren defended his position following the fall of Spirit in a new post on X.
“Trump's fuel price hike was the nail in the coffin for Spirit Airlines that lost twice,” he wrote. “FWIW, the JetBlue merger failed because a judge, appointed by Ronald Reagan, said the deal was illegal. Republicans want to blame the high costs on families.”
Warren's office pointed to rising fuel costs as a key factor in Spirit's downfall in an email to FOX Business. Patrick De Haan, head of fuel analysis at GasBuddy, wrote in X that Spirit's restructuring plan had projected jet fuel costs of about $2.24 per liter by 2026, but prices rose to $4.51 per liter by the end of April.
A public note on X, written by forum users, pushes back on Warren's claims.
“Senator Warren previously helped block a merger between JetBlue and Spirit that would have resulted in a 5th largest airline and more competition against major airlines.”
Transport Secretary Sean Duffy condemned the earlier decision to block the merger.
“This merger should have been allowed,” Duffy said Saturday. “This is not good for travelers. This is not good for pricing. This is not good for competition… It's bad. We've lost the airline,” Duffy said.
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Sean Duffy, US Secretary of Transportation, during a news conference at Terminal A at Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) in Newark, New Jersey, US, Saturday, May 2, 2026. (Adam Gray/Bloomberg via Getty Images/Getty Images)
Spirit's shutdown has left travelers scrambling, major airlines are raising fares and offering limited options for assistance to stranded passengers, while displaced workers are being directed to hire pipelines from competing carriers, as previously reported by FOX Business.
The Justice Department sued to block the JetBlue-Spirit deal under antitrust law, saying it would eliminate an important low-cost competitor and raise prices on overlapping routes. A federal judge eventually agreed, blocking the merger after weeks of litigation.
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Spirit has been struggling financially for years and previously filed for bankruptcy as it sought to stabilize its business.
The Trump administration said it was considering ways to keep Spirit going, but a proposed bailout failed to materialize before the airline shut down operations, as FOX Business previously reported, leaving an ongoing debate about whether previous regulatory decisions played a role in its downfall.
Fox News Digital's Robert McGreevy, Sophia Compton, Michael Sinkewicz and FOX Business' Matthew Kazin contributed to this report.
