Spirit to End All Milwaukee Flights by January 8, 2026

(MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN) Spirit Airlines will pull out of Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport on January 8, 2026, ending all flights as part of a broader restructuring tied to its ongoing Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings. The move will halt the carrier’s nonstop route to Orlando and seasonal Fort Lauderdale service from Milwaukee, along with new flights the airline added to Baltimore and Los Angeles in May 2025. The withdrawal is one piece of a wider network retrenchment that also affects Phoenix, Rochester (NY), and St. Louis, and comes as Spirit seeks to steady its finances after two bankruptcy filings in less than a year.

The airline said the cuts are necessary to match a smaller fleet and concentrate on routes that perform best. A Spirit spokesperson said the changes are intended

“to better align with our smaller operating fleet and focus on our strongest-performing markets,”
a message that puts Milwaukee among several cities losing the ultra-low-cost carrier’s presence next year. Spirit will directly contact customers with tickets for flights beyond the end date to explain their options, which can include refunds and rebooking assistance.

Spirit Airlines, which operates out of Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport under the airport code MKE, has leaned on leisure-heavy destinations from the city, including a year-round nonstop to Orlando and seasonal service to Fort Lauderdale, with Baltimore and Los Angeles layered into its schedule as of May 2025. The decision to depart folds those routes into a much larger effort to cut costs and restructure operations under court supervision. Spirit first sought Chapter 11 protection in November 2024 following failed merger attempts with Frontier and JetBlue, and filed again in August 2025 as losses mounted and the company pivoted to deeper cuts. According to company disclosures, Spirit reported estimated losses of $804 million in 2025 and projected a further $145 million loss for 2026, while its leadership has stated it expects to return to profitability in 2027. Chapter 11 allows a company to reorganize while continuing operations under court oversight; background on Chapter 11 is available from the U.S. Courts.

In a statement underscoring the scale of the changes, Spirit President and CEO Dave Davis said,

“It has become clear that there is much more work to be done and many more tools are available to best position Spirit for the future.”
As part of the restructure, the carrier plans to eliminate about 150 salaried roles, adding to the impact of route withdrawals in affected cities. Executives have framed the retrenchment as a necessary step to shrink the airline to a size it can sustainably operate, then rebuild as market conditions and aircraft availability allow.

Travelers departing Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport will still see multiple daily options to Florida after Spirit exits. The airport said passengers will retain frequent nonstop service to Orlando on Southwest Airlines, Frontier Airlines, and Sun Country Airlines after January 8, 2026, ensuring a steady pipeline to one of the region’s most popular leisure destinations even without Spirit. Southwest remains the dominant carrier at MKE, accounting for nearly 39% of passengers between August 2024 and July 2025, followed by Delta Air Lines and American Airlines, according to the airport. No other airline has announced a full withdrawal from Milwaukee as of November 6, 2025, making Spirit’s exit a notable but isolated retreat among MKE’s carriers.

For Spirit’s Milwaukee customers, the immediate questions revolve around what happens to already-booked travel. The airline has said it will reach out directly to passengers with confirmed tickets to walk them through alternatives, including potential refunds. People with trips to Orlando or Fort Lauderdale scheduled later in 2026 will need to review those notices and decide whether to shift to other airlines operating from Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport or pursue reimbursement. Spirit’s notice also affects those who planned to use the newer links to Baltimore and Los Angeles added in May 2025, which had given Milwaukee travelers extra options on the East and West Coasts before the bankruptcy-driven reductions.

The ripple effects extend beyond Milwaukee. Spirit is making the same full withdrawal from Phoenix, Rochester (NY), and St. Louis, each of which had varying levels of service that the budget airline now deems unsustainable while it operates with fewer aircraft and tighter cash. The company has not publicly broken out the number of flights it will cut at each airport as part of this action, but it has emphasized that the pullbacks are guided by route performance and the need to simplify operations while it restructures under Chapter 11. Milwaukee’s mix of leisure traffic and competitive pressure from Southwest, Delta, American, Frontier, and Sun Country has intensified in recent years, a backdrop that frames Spirit’s decision to concentrate on markets it believes can deliver quicker financial improvement.

The financial picture Spirit has laid out is stark but orderly: a steep loss of $804 million in 2025 as the company navigated failed consolidation attempts and rising costs, followed by a projected $145 million loss in 2026 while it continues to cut expenses, sell assets where necessary, and adjust its network. Executives say that by scaling back to what they term “strongest-performing markets,” and by lowering corporate overhead, Spirit can position itself to make money again by 2027. The Chapter 11 process gives Spirit legal space to negotiate with creditors, restructure leases, and time its fleet plan while still operating flights, though with a smaller footprint than before. The company’s plan to trim about 150 salaried roles dovetails with its broader network cuts and reflects a focus on reducing fixed costs as it navigates the next year.

Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport has worked to maintain a stable map of destinations even as individual carriers shift strategies. With Southwest Airlines carrying nearly 39% of passengers in the year through July 2025, and Delta and American following behind, the airport’s traffic is anchored by larger network airlines and a few leisure-focused carriers that continue to serve Florida and other warm-weather markets. The presence of Frontier Airlines and Sun Country Airlines on the Orlando route helps cushion the blow for travelers who preferred Spirit’s fares, while leaving intact the overall capacity to central Florida after Spirit’s final flight. For Fort Lauderdale, travelers will need to check current schedules as Spirit’s seasonal service disappears, and for Baltimore and Los Angeles, the loss of Spirit’s recent entries means remaining carriers will carry demand on those corridors.

Spirit’s decision also underscores how secondary and mid-sized airports can see quick shifts when ultra-low-cost carriers recalibrate. In Milwaukee, Spirit entered and expanded with a focus on leisure routes, then tightened its footprint once the economics no longer aligned with a smaller fleet operating under bankruptcy protections. The airline’s stated goal to align with its smaller operating fleet suggests aircraft retirements or grounded planes are limiting the number of flights it can run, forcing choices between markets. The spokesperson’s emphasis on focusing on “strongest-performing markets” places Milwaukee on the wrong side of that internal ranking, at least for the duration of the restructuring through January 8, 2026 and beyond.

For passengers weighing their options, the key is timing. Those set to fly before January 8, 2026 should see flights operate as scheduled unless notified otherwise, while those booked after the cut-off can expect direct outreach from Spirit on refunds or changes. The company’s plan to contact affected customers means passengers should monitor email and reservation portals for updates and consider alternative bookings on Southwest, Frontier, Sun Country, or the network carriers depending on destination. With Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport emphasizing the continued availability of Orlando flights on other airlines, much of the leisure traffic to central Florida can pivot without long-term disruption, though fare dynamics could shift as supply adjusts.

There is no indication from the airport or other carriers that more sweeping pullouts are imminent. As of November 6, 2025, no other airline has announced a complete withdrawal from Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport, keeping the focus on Spirit’s exit rather than a broader contraction. The change still matters for price-sensitive travelers who relied on Spirit’s ultra-low base fares and à la carte pricing, especially on the Orlando and Fort Lauderdale routes where the airline had built a following. The removal of those options may tighten the low end of the fare spectrum on some dates, depending on how aggressively Southwest, Frontier, and Sun Country match capacity and pricing.

Spirit’s leadership has tried to frame the cuts as a necessary bridge to a stronger airline.

“It has become clear that there is much more work to be done and many more tools are available to best position Spirit for the future,”
Dave Davis said, signaling that more changes could follow as the company works through the court process and resets its network. For Milwaukee, the concrete marker remains the firm end date next winter and the knowledge that, at least for now, the city’s largest carrier and several competitors will keep the busiest routes open. The test for Spirit will be whether a leaner schedule, a smaller workforce, and a sharper focus on higher-performing markets can carry it from heavy 2025 losses, through a smaller projected shortfall in 2026, and into the profitability the company says it expects by 2027.

In the meantime, Spirit Airlines customers with existing bookings from Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport should watch for direct messages from the airline detailing refunds or rebookings tied to the withdrawal. The airline’s exit on January 8, 2026, paired with the company’s Chapter 11 path and fleet constraints, places Milwaukee within a tight set of cuts aimed at stabilizing the business. Whether the airline returns to Milwaukee in future years will depend on how its recovery unfolds after the bankruptcy process and how it evaluates market performance once it starts growing again. For now, the carrier’s strategy is to shrink to fit its resources and concentrate on markets it believes can lift it back to financial health.