With Merger Scuttled, Spirit Airlines Faces an Uncertain Future. Is Bankruptcy a Possibility?

With Merger Scuttled, Spirit Airlines Faces an Uncertain Future. Is Bankruptcy a Possibility?
A JetBlue Airways Airbus A320 (L), passes a Spirit Airlines Airbus A320 as it taxis on the runway at the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., on July 7, 2022. Wilfredo Lee/AP Photo
The Associated Press
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Spirit Airlines hasn’t made money since before the pandemic, ticket sales haven’t bounced back as quickly as the carrier expected, and dozens of its planes will be grounded at times this year because of a problem with the engines.

A sale to JetBlue represented a lifeline for Spirit, which faces $1.1 billion in debt maturing next year.