At 3 AM on Saturday, Spirit Airlines stopped flying — forever.
No warning for passengers. No flights. No customer service. Just a message: “Do not come to the airport.” ✈️
🎧 오늘의 팟캐스트
On Saturday morning, Spirit Airlines — one of America’s largest budget carriers — ceased all operations and began an immediate shutdown after 34 years of flying.
The collapse came after Spirit’s bondholders rejected an 11th-hour government bailout proposal. The Trump administration had offered up to $500 million to keep the airline afloat, but creditors turned it down.
The result? Thousands of flights canceled overnight. Passengers arrived at airports only to find empty check-in counters and a message on Spirit’s website: “All flights have been cancelled, and customer service is no longer available.”
One passenger, Melissa Puntriano, had just had surgery and needed to fly home to Tennessee with her two daughters. She was quoted nearly $1,000 for replacement tickets — far more than she could afford.
Spirit was the first major U.S. airline to go out of business due to financial problems in 25 years. The main cause? Soaring jet fuel prices driven by the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
17,000 employees lost their jobs. Other airlines like Southwest, JetBlue, and United quickly offered “rescue fares” — discounted tickets around $99-$299 — and even job listings for former Spirit workers.
Spirit’s last flight? NK1833 from Detroit to Dallas. The pilot asked the tower: “Is there any other Spirit flights coming in after us?” The answer: “I don’t see anything. So you might be the last one.”
✈️ “Is there any other Spirit flights after us?”
“You might be the last one.”
“The government offered a $500 million bailout.”
2008년 금융위기 때도 많이 들었던 단어! bail out = 구해주다.
“Thousands of passengers were stranded.”
여행 관련 뉴스에서 정말 자주 나와요.
“Spirit is the first major airline to go out of business in 25 years.”
shut down보다 좀 더 격식 있는 표현.
1. “The government offered a ___________ to save the airline.” (구제 금융)
A) refund B) bailout C) rescue fare
2. “Passengers were ___________ at the airport.” (발이 묶인)
A) stranded B) bailed C) shut down
→ 1. B) bailout 2. A) stranded
🗣️ Try These
이번 주 가장 큰 뉴스! 영어로 이야기해 보세요.
- “Spirit Airlines went out of business overnight. 17,000 people lost their jobs.”스피릿 항공이 하루아침에 폐업했어. 17,000명이 직장을 잃었대.
- “The government tried a bailout, but it didn’t work.”정부가 구제 금융을 시도했는데 안 됐대.
Should governments use tax money to save private companies?
“I think they should / shouldn’t because…”
📖 한국어 전문 번역 보기
토요일 새벽, 미국 대형 초저가 항공사 스피릿 항공이 34년 운항을 끝으로 전격 폐업했습니다. 트럼프 행정부가 최대 5억 달러의 구제 금융을 제안했지만 채권자들이 거부하면서 즉시 운항을 중단했습니다. 수천 편의 항공편이 하룻밤 사이에 취소됐고, 승객들은 공항에 가서야 사태를 알게 됐습니다. 수술 후 귀가하려던 한 승객은 대체 항공권에 약 1,000달러를 요구받았습니다. 스피릿은 25년 만에 재정 문제로 폐업한 최초의 미국 대형 항공사이며, 주요 원인은 중동 분쟁으로 인한 항공유 가격 급등입니다. 17,000명이 일자리를 잃었고, 사우스웨스트·제트블루·유나이티드 등이 99~299달러의 ‘구조 요금’과 전직 직원 채용 공고를 제공하고 있습니다. 마지막 비행편 NK1833 조종사가 관제탑에 “우리 뒤에 스피릿 비행기 더 있나요?”라고 물었고, 답은 “없는 것 같습니다. 당신이 마지막일 수 있습니다”였습니다.