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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
Comment
Dave Schilling

Air travel was already miserable. Now we get to pay more for it!

Illustration of passengers pressed against an airplane window, with cash and luggage visible
‘Shockingly, making people actively unhappy is not a good business model.’ Illustration: Fortunate Joaquin/The Guardian

Forgive me for not mourning last week’s demise of Spirit Airlines, the company responsible for making flying absolutely terrible. Due to rising expenses and billions of dollars in debt, Spirit shut down abruptly last Saturday, stranding thousands of customers who were unaware that an entire business meant to transport them through the sky was about to shutter for good.

Spirit was struggling for years, but it all got so much worse thanks to the soaring cost of jet fuel caused by the war in Iran and the crisis in the strait of Hormuz that halted the shipment of oil. It was bad enough being the country’s most ridiculed mode of conveyance outside of the Segway. But now it costs even more to suck that badly.

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