Episode
It’s Not Just Spirit: These Budget Airlines Are ‘Burning Cash’—Putting Low-Cost Fares At Risk
- Podcast
- Forbes Topline
- Published
- May 5, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 244
- Processing state
not_requested- Canonical source
- https://traffic.megaphone.fm/FSML7244586346.mp3
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Summary
The jet fuel crisis was the straw that broke Spirit Airlines’ back, but other budget airlines are also struggling to be profitable and losing market share—a potential warning for cost-conscious travelers, aviation experts tell Forbes. Low-cost carriers—including Allegiant, Frontier, JetBlue, Southwest, Spirit and Sun Country—combined for 35.5% of market share in February, down from 38.2% a year earlier, according to Cirium data. Spirit flew 1.7 million passengers in February—a 24% year-over-year drop, per Cirium. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices