Spirit Airlines has officially shut down, grounding all flights and leaving 17,000 employees without jobs. The low-cost carrier's collapse has reignited a bitter political battle over who is to blame, with conservatives squarely targeting Senator Elizabeth Warren and former President Joe Biden.
The airline's demise, many argue, was sealed in 2022 when the Biden administration's antitrust division sued to block a proposed multibillion-dollar merger with JetBlue. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has been blunt in his assessment, pointing to the government's intervention as the decisive factor. The merger, which both airlines had agreed to, was seen as Spirit's only lifeline. But the Department of Justice argued it would reduce competition, and a federal judge agreed, halting the deal.
Senator Warren celebrated that ruling at the time, posting on X: “I’ve warned for months that a @JetBlue- @SpiritAirlines merger would have led to fewer flights and higher fares. @JusticeATR and @USDOT were right to stand up for consumers and fight against runaway airline consolidation. This is a Biden win for flyers!” Now, with Spirit gone, critics say that “win” has turned into a loss for consumers and workers alike.
Warren has since shifted her stance, blaming the collapse on “spiking fuel prices from Trump’s war” and noting that the judge who blocked the merger was appointed by Ronald Reagan. “Republicans are desperate to shift blame from higher costs hitting families,” she wrote. But her critics counter that without the Biden administration's lawsuit, the judge would never have had the opportunity to rule. They argue that blocking the merger, not fuel costs, was the “nail in the coffin” for Spirit.
The irony is sharp: progressives opposed the merger to preserve competition, but its absence has led to fewer airlines and fewer flights. Spirit has completed refunds to customers, but the political blame game continues. The episode underscores a broader debate about government intervention in markets. As one commentator put it, “A larger, successful company wanted to acquire a smaller, failing company. Both consented. Why is this any of the government’s business?”
Reports indicate that even a potential bailout was blocked by legal teams despite White House pressure, further narrowing Spirit's options. The carrier had also sought a $2.5 billion bailout amid a war-driven fuel crisis, but those talks collapsed.
For conservatives, this is a cautionary tale about progressive economics. The fear is that figures like Warren, if given more power, could drive the economy off a cliff. “I remain far more concerned about someone like Elizabeth Warren ever getting the keys to the car,” wrote Robby Soave, a senior editor at Reason Magazine. “She would drive the economy off a cliff in a matter of days.”
Duffy has rejected the idea that the Iran war caused the collapse, pointing to pre-existing woes exacerbated by the merger block. As the dust settles, the question remains: could Spirit have survived if the government had stayed out of the way?
