United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby said Spirit Airlines is going out of business and declared the discount airline model “dead," according to CNBC. Spirit filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy last month for the second time in a year after demand weakened and costs stayed high. Spirit cut a dozen destinations while rivals like United, JetBlue, and Frontier expanded service to those same cities. Kirby said discount airlines’ growth-driven, fee-heavy model is unsustainable. Spirit responded on X, saying customers love its low fares and new premium options, and mocked United executives for constantly talking about the airline.
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