Will Spirit Airlines Closure Disrupt Budget Travel Forever?

Spirit Airlines just flew their last flight on May 2nd. The impact of their closure is already real, but forever is a stretch. Spirit was successful because they appealed to many lower-mid income Americans. In Fort Lauderdale, Spirit took over 29% of the airport. The impact here is not just a loss of cheap travel, it effects the airport's whole economy. Empty terminals mean empty shops. Less travel means less employees are needed. Spirits last flight didn't just end an airline, it could end airports too. The only way for these airports to recover is to find airlines to expand. Spirits closure represents the biggest market opportunity in aviation of my lifetime. This goes for existing and potential airlines. Spirit kept prices low, this forced other airlines to be competitive. Without pressure airlines can expand at high rates, jacking up prices and taking advantage of this opportunity. Cheaper airlines also become increasingly mainstream as people look for a cheaper travel alternative. At the end of the day, Spirits closure is not an unavoidable shift or minimal impact scenario. One can argue it has temporary disruption but the only way it stays temporary is if aviation companies take it advantage of this opportunity. Spirits closure is the definition of market opportunity.