Spirit Airlines Collapses: Trump Administration Reacts to Failed Negotiations to Save the Airline
· Telemundo McAllen (KTLM)
Spirit Airlines filed for bankruptcy and suspended all operations early Saturday morning following unsuccessful negotiations with the Trump administration to rescue the airline from its financial crisis. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy stated during a Saturday press conference that while there was potential for an agreement with the airline, "it had to be a good deal." He acknowledged that negotiations between the airline and the government broke down due to "a creditor issue." "The final decision on whether or not to strike a deal with the government rests with them," Duffy said. "From the government’s perspective, we don’t often have five hundred million dollars sitting idle in a reserve account to allocate for rescuing an airline. As a result, creative thinking was employed to find a solution. However, none of those options came to fruition." "They had filed for bankruptcy multiple times; their business model wasn’t working," Duffy added. "They couldn’t restore their financial health." In a statement, Spirit’s President and CEO, Dave Davis, said: "Continuing operations required hundreds of millions of dollars in additional liquidity—funds Spirit simply does not have and could not secure."
