A Spirit Airlines plane on the tarmac in Austin. Photo: Brandon Bell/Getty Images
👋 Asher here.
The news last week of Spirit Airlines' demise — the low fare airline was ultimately done in by the spike in jet fuel costs — hit home for me.
State of play: My family of five were booked on a Spirit flight out of Austin later this month so that my wife and I could attend our 25th college reunion.
Of course, we had to scramble to buy more expensive tickets on another airline.
The big picture: With my father in decline, I flew Spirit a lot the last couple years, as a cheap and easy way to visit New York City.
I was grateful for the excellent, cheery, reliable service and, of course, the cheap airfare — often less than $150 roundtrip.
I would have gone to see my folks a bunch anyway, but the fact that a Spirit flight was available made each decision to fly that much easier, and somehow made me feel closer to them.
The bottom line: I'll remember Spirit fondly, especially as prices to fly out of Austin likely climb as a consequence of its downfall.
