Spirit Airlines was the butt of many internet jokes after multiple viral videos of wild fistfights. But its demise is no laughing matter. Workers lost jobs, travelers saw their travel plans upended, and consumers lost a low-cost competitor that helped keep fares low.
The silver lining is that the Trump administration did not intervene and foolishly attempt to prop up a struggling company with a massive taxpayer bailout and potential government-ownership of a private company. Doing so would have turned an unfortunate situation into a complete disaster. The government should never artificially prop up struggling businesses—especially those with multiple bankruptcies in their recent history, like Spirit.
That principle ought to hold firm now that a host of budget airlines are asking for an even larger government bailout of $2.5 billion to help weather the storm caused by high fuel prices.
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