ROMULUS, Mich. – Hisben Tchibinda arrived at Detroit Metro Airport at 4:30 a.m. Monday for a flight he booked on Spirit Airlines, unaware the airline had shut down.
“There was nobody here, and I was saying maybe they would be here two hours before departure time,” Tchibinda said.
After waiting, he said he asked airport staff what was happening.
“I went over there to ask, and they said no, they’re out of business,” Tchibinda said.
Behind him, Spirit check-in counters are now sitting empty, and airport crews will soon begin removing Spirit signage.
Spirit’s history is closely tied to Detroit.
The airline began as Charter One, flying passengers to Atlantic City, Las Vegas, and the Bahamas, before becoming Spirit Airlines.
The Wayne County Airport Authority says it is evaluating all options for the space left by Spirit, but no decisions are expected anytime soon.
Even before the weekend shutdown, Spirit’s operation at DTW had been shrinking.
The airport’s latest report shows total departing passengers were down 29% in March, though Spirit still accounted for about 9% of all departures.
This month, the airline had 356 departures scheduled, about 2.6% of the total.
With Spirit gone, travelers have fewer choices.
“When you have less competition, you are always going to see higher prices,” said Jennifer Rykaczewski, president of Affordable Skies.
Employees are also feeling the impact.
“It kind of hurts to just not have it around anymore,” former Spirit Airlines employee Jacob Webster said.
Another former employee, Alexandra Redmond, said she is still processing the news.
“I’m trying to figure everything out. I got to process emotions at this point. I’m not mad. I’m not angry. I had a great run at Spirit Airlines,” Redmond said.
Tchibinda rebooked on another airline for $800 and is scheduled to leave Monday evening.