Spirit’s shutdown rewrites how we pay to fly

Spirit Airlines’ collapse exposes how the ultra‑low‑cost, no‑frills model relied on razor‑thin margins to offer cheap base fares while extracting revenue from extra charges; rising fuel prices and labor costs, plus failed merger hopes, doomed Spirit. With the carrier out, airlines may raise overall fares and push more basic‑economy options, potentially reducing competition and leaving travelers with fewer low‑cost choices — a development some analysts say will push prices higher even as the industry questions what "cheap travel" actually means.