Biden Officials Blamed as Major Airline Collapses — Thousands Stranded

Liberty Check

• Spirit Airlines suddenly shut down all operations, leaving thousands of travelers stranded at airports nationwide
• Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent directly blamed Biden-era regulators for blocking a merger that could have saved the airline
• Over 15,000 jobs lost and dozens of regional airports now left without service after government intervention backfired

Over the weekend, Spirit Airlines customers woke up to a blunt message inside the airline’s app: every scheduled flight is canceled, effective immediately. Shutting down operations has disrupted travel for thousands.

The low-cost airline had dozens of routes, including nonstop flights between major cities such as Dallas-Fort Worth, Baltimore, Fort Lauderdale, Nashville, New Orleans, and Newark. Viral videos on social media show empty and deserted Spirit check-in counters at airports across the country.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent wasted no time pinpointing who deserves the blame for this disaster.

“This is just more of the mess we inherited from the Biden administration. Thanks to @SenWarren, @PeteButtigieg, and all of their friends in the Biden Administration who backed their enthusiastic opposition to the Spirit-Jet Blue merger, dozens of regional airports will now lose service, and thousands of jobs will now be lost.”

In March 2024, the Department of Justice under President Biden celebrated when a district court judge in Massachusetts blocked JetBlue from acquiring Spirit, claiming the deal would’ve hurt consumers. The decision was hailed as a major victory by Biden officials and progressive Democrats.

“Today’s decision by JetBlue is yet another victory for the Justice Department’s work on behalf of American consumers. The Justice Department proved in court that a merger between JetBlue and Spirit would have caused tens of millions of travelers to face higher fares and fewer choices. We will continue to vigorously enforce the nation’s antitrust laws.”

Senator Elizabeth Warren, a vocal critic of the proposed merger, took a victory lap at the time.

“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!”

Fast forward to this weekend, and that “Biden win” has turned into a catastrophic loss. The company’s downfall came days after a last-ditch effort to save the airline fell apart.

A roughly $500 million bailout push led by the Trump administration failed after disagreements between the administration and key bondholders stalled any deal. The collapse will result in at least 15,000 people losing their jobs, according to Reuters.

“If JetBlue had merged with Spirit, we would have all these jobs that were lost yesterday; we had 30 regional airports who have lost service. The reason we were here was because the Biden Administration opposed the merger. We shouldn’t of been here in the first place.”

On Saturday, Sen. Warren attempted to shift blame for the low-cost airline suspending operations, pointing to Middle East tensions instead of her own role in blocking the merger.

“Spiking fuel prices from Trump’s war was the nail in the coffin for twice-bankrupted Spirit airline. FWIW, JetBlue merger failed because a judge, appointed by Ronald Reagan, said the deal was illegal. Republicans are desperate to shift blame from higher costs hitting families.”

Warren’s attempt to rewrite history ignores the simple fact that Biden administration officials — with her vocal support — actively fought to prevent Spirit from merging with a stronger airline partner. That decision left Spirit vulnerable and unable to weather economic headwinds.

Americans deserve better.