Budget airline to exit Boise Airport in bankruptcy, ending Las Vegas flight
After three years in Boise, Spirit Airlines will leave the local airport after the budget commercial carrier declared bankruptcy.
The airline plans to end service early next month at airports in a dozen cities across the U.S., including Boise, a Spirit Airlines spokesperson told the Idaho Statesman. Spirit has flown a nonstop flight between Boise and Las Vegas since August 2022, and Boise Airport officials said the airline told them the route is scheduled to terminate on Oct. 4.
“We appreciate the time Spirit Airlines served the Boise market and thank them for their partnership,” Boise Airport Director Rebecca Hupp said in a statement to the Statesman. “While it’s always disappointing to see an airline leave, Boise Airport continues to experience strong passenger growth and remains committed to pursuing new air service opportunities to meet the needs of our community.”
Alaska Airlines and Southwest Airlines also fly nonstop between Boise and Las Vegas. Alaska recently revived the flight as a daily route after hitting pause on it last summer.
Spirit Airlines on Friday filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy — its second such filing in less than a year. The airline, headquartered in South Florida, previously did so in November 2024.
Spirit now is making efforts to cut costs, which includes scaling back operations and reducing the size of its aircraft fleet, CNBC reported.
Besides Boise, the airports that will lose service include: Albuquerque, New Mexico; Birmingham, Alabama; Chattanooga, Tennessee; Columbia, South Carolina; Oakland, California; Portland, Oregon; Sacramento, California; Salt Lake City; San Diego; and San Jose, California. Spirit’s plan to launch service in Macon, Georgia, in mid-October also has been scrapped.
“We apologize to our guests for any inconvenience this may cause and will reach out to those with affected reservations to notify them of their options, including a refund,” Michael Lopardi, Spirit’s spokesperson, said in a statement. “We are grateful to the airports, business partners and community members in these markets who welcomed and supported us. We remain committed to offering high-value travel options and will continue to serve dozens of destinations throughout the U.S., Latin America and the Caribbean.”
In May, the Boise Airport welcomed back budget air carrier Frontier Airlines with a nonstop flight to and from Denver. The Denver-based airline returned to the Boise market after nearly four years.
In 2022, Frontier tried to merge with Spirit Airlines but was outbid by JetBlue Airways. The Justice Department sued in 2023 to prevent JetBlue’s purchase of Spirit for $3.8 billion, arguing it would reduce competition and hurt consumers.
Through July, the Boise Airport has served nearly 3 million passengers, which is an uptick of nearly 7% compared with the same time last year. According to airport data, July also was the airport’s busiest single month on record, with more than 487,000 passengers.
At its current rate, the airport will shatter its prior annual record of nearly 5 million passengers set in 2024.
This story was originally published September 3, 2025 at 4:18 PM.
