Spirit Airlines files for bankruptcy, will continue to operate as it restructures debt, airline says

NEW YORK -- Spirit Airlines filed connected Monday for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, months aft a national justice blocked the fund airline's projected merger with JetBlue.

The company, which is based successful Florida, published connected Monday an unfastened missive to those who've booked tickets for the future. Flights, summons income and different operations volition proceed arsenic normal, the hose said.

"The astir important happening to cognize is that you tin proceed to publication and alert present and successful the future," the missive said.

The hose filed successful U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York, saying successful an accompanying property merchandise that it sought to restructure and trim its debt.

JetBlue and Spirit had projected a merger, signing an statement successful July 2022, a woody that the discount airlines said would amended their quality to pull customers distant from larger competitors.

But they jointly announced successful March 2024 that they would terminate the deal, saying they were improbable to summation ineligible and regulatory support anterior to the July 2024 merger deadline. The Department of Justice had sued to artifact the merger.

A supermajority of the company's bondholders had voted successful favour of the bankruptcy filing, CEO and President Ted Christie said successful a connection connected Monday.

He positioned the restructuring arsenic a "vote of confidence" successful Spirit and its semipermanent planning.

"This acceptable of transactions volition materially fortify our equilibrium expanse and presumption Spirit for the aboriginal portion we proceed executing connected our strategical initiatives to alteration our Guest experience, providing caller enhanced question options, greater worth and accrued flexibility," helium said.

Spirit said it expects the restructuring process to beryllium completed by the archetypal 4th of 2025. The airline's shares, which commercialized nether the SAVE ticker, slipped much than 60% past week.

The Federal Aviation Administration said successful a connection that its oversight of airlines includes assessing "significant changes successful the operating environment, which could see fiscal distress."

"We person been continuously evaluating Spirit Airlines done our regular oversight process to guarantee its resources, size, and organizational operation alteration it to conscionable each operational requirements," the FAA said.

ABC News' Ayesha Ali contributed to this report.