Why did Spirit fail? Too many passengers hated flying it

 

Spirit Airlines jets sat on the tarmac as the company ceased operations at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport on Saturday. 

Giorgio Viera/AFP/Getty Images

Lousy service, not the Iran war, killed Spirit Airlines.

Spirit was doomed to fail because of mismanagement, deep financial problems, and – crucially – its reputation for poor customer service. The spike in jet fuel prices during the war just accelerated Spirit’s inevitable demise.

The airline hadn’t been profitable since before the pandemic. Spirit has repeatedly warned investors in recent years it wasn’t sure it could stay in business – well before the United States and Israel went to war with Iran.

The discount carrier was in the midst of its second bankruptcy, auctioning off planes and airport gates and cutting staff in a desperate struggle to stay alive.

Spirit’s failure is a cautionary tale for other discount airlines: Competing on price alone can be a losing strategy. But that doesn’t mean other low-cost carriers are doomed.

Cheap fares alone also can’t explain Spirit’s problems – other budget carriers prove the business model can work. Airlines are first and foremost a service industry, and Spirit could not overcome its extraordinarily miserable reputation.

“A low percentage of passengers said they would fly the airline again after their most recent experience,” said Michael Taylor, senior managing director for travel, retail and customer service rankings at JD Power. “There will always be a market for airlines that offer the lowest fares possible. The question is: are they making the pizza too cheap to eat?”

Bad service

Spirit had some of highest complaints and lowest consumer satisfaction rates in the industry.

It turns out passengers didn’t like being charged for every aspect of the flight, including carry-on bags. While Spirit met the industry average for on-time flights and lost baggage, Spirit also has the smallest amount of legroom, according to travel site Simply Flying.

“Cramming people into 28-to-29-inch seat pitch is uncomfortable, period. Especially on longer-haul flights,” said airline industry consultant Mike Boyd.

The Spirit Airlines ticket counter at Detroit Metro Airport is closed down after the airline shut down overnight on May 2. 

Sarah Rice/Getty Images

Even customers hunting for the lowest base fares expect things like free snacks or soft drinks, which is standard on most other airlines.

“They stripped out so much from the experience … that the folks who ended up stuck on Spirit often kind of despised the experience” said Zach Griff, author of airline newsletter From the Tray Table. “And they often were willing to pay $30, $40 $50, even $60 more just to have better experience on a different airline.”

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China blocks Meta’s acquisition of Chinese-founded AI startup Manus

 

A security guard stands next to a sign at Meta headquarters on February 02, 2023 in Menlo Park, California. 

Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Hong Kong —  

China has moved to block Meta’s $2 billion acquisition of Chinese-founded artificial intelligence startup Manus, a decision that reflects Beijing’s concerns that it could lose key technology to the United States amid an intensifying tech war.

The country’s state planner made a brief statement Monday demanding the two parties unwind the deal following a probe that Beijing launched into the acquisition earlier this year.

The move, which is expected to have a chilling effect on China’s AI startup scene, came just weeks ahead of US President Donald Trump’s much anticipated summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Beijing. The two are expected to iron out disputes on several key issues, ranging from trade to technology controls.

Beijing’s decision reinforces the bifurcation of global technology development as US-China tension heats up, and underscores the increasingly challenging environment for cross-border investments in critical sectors such as AI and semiconductors.

Unwinding the deal, however, will be complicated in practice. Soon after announcing the acquisition in late December, Meta had integrated Manus into its internal systems and executives of the startup had joined the American tech giant.

For Meta, the blocked acquisition could represent a missed opportunity to strengthen its AI capabilities as the race for the technology with rivals like Google and OpenAI picks up.

In response to Beijing’s decision, a Meta spokesperson told CNN that the transaction “complied fully with applicable law.”

“We anticipate an appropriate resolution to the inquiry,” the person added, without elaborating on how the company expects to reach a solution with Beijing.

CNN has reached out to Manus for comment.

Manus was founded in China and made waves in the industry when it launched its AI agent – a system that can act autonomously on a user’s behalf – in March last year. For many in China, the rise of a homegrown agentic AI startup with top-tier performance was a source of pride.

But public sentiment soured after the startup relocated its headquarters and most of its operations to Singapore, and even more so after it announced that it had been sold to Meta.

On Chinese social media, some decried the sale as “treacherous” and accused the company of “selling out” to the US, which has imposed sweeping export controls on China with an aim to slow its progress in frontier technologies such as AI.
By

John Liu

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‘Euphoria’ has outgrown itself, on screen and off

 

Zendaya in Season 3 of 'Euporia.' 

Patrick Wymore/HBO

Everything was different when “Euphoria” premiered in 2019.

Sydney Sweeney and Jacob Elordi were newcomers to the scene, there was buzz about Zendaya taking on such a gritty role following her appearance in Marvel’s family-friendly “Spider-Man” franchise, and beloved series regulars Eric Dane and Angus Cloud were still with us. People were also trying to make sense of the fact that rapper Drake was credited as one of the show’s executive producers.

The critically acclaimed first season’s daring, unnerving representation of troubled high school teens felt resonant and urgent, going on to win nine Primetime Emmys over the course of its two seasons, including two gongs for Zendaya’s searing turn as central character Rue Bennett.

Angus Cloud in Season 2 of 'Euphoria.' 

Eddy Chen/HBO

But it’s been over four years since the second season of “Euphoria” and, well, a lot has happened.

For starters, since 2022, “Euphoria” has been plagued by reports of chaos on set, some of it spurred by delays following the dual writers and actors’ strikes of 2023, and some of it reportedly due to rewrites and creative differences.

Elordi returns this season as a newly minted Oscar nominee, earning recognition from Hollywood’s most prestigious voting body for his performance in Guillermo Del Toro’s “Frankenstein” last year, and Sweeney has become a mainstream star following buzzy roles including “White Lotus,” “Anyone But You” and last December’s “The Housemaid,” which will soon spawn a sequel. Sweeney also found herself at the center of several conversations when she appeared in a controversial jeans ad last year.

Sydney Sweeney in Season 3 of 'Euphoria.' 

Patrick Wymore/HBO

As for Zendaya, outside of starring in MCU movies and the Oscar-winning “Dune” franchise, the former Disney performer has become a dominating, bankable Hollywood movie star, this year attached to “The Odyssey” and the third and final “Dune” installment, after she returns to Marvel in “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” this summer. And that’s not to mention her film opposite Robert Pattinson, “The Drama,” in theaters now.

On top of that, “Euphoria” Season 3 is changing the vibe with a new sound. Prolific Hollywood film composer Hans Zimmer is credited for the season premiere episode’s music instead of British artist Labrinth, who wrote the music for the first two seasons and was widely credited with giving the show a melodically unique identity.

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Elon Musk’s courtroom showdown with Sam Altman started this week. The biggest takeaways so far

 

Elon Musk speaks with US District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers during his cross examination by OpenAI attorney William Savitt as OpenAI CEO Sam Altman watches, during Musk's lawsuit trial over OpenAI's for-profit conversion in Oakland, California on April 29, 2026 in a courtroom sketch. 

Vicki Behringer/Reuters

Oakland, Calif. —  

Elon Musk spent the better part of three days on the stand, accusing OpenAI and its executives of deceiving him into donating money to help found what is now one of the world’s biggest AI companies.

The lawsuit pits Musk against his former collaborators-turned-competitors, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and President Greg Brockman, whom Musk alleges unjustly enriched themselves when they strayed from OpenAI’s founding mission as a nonprofit organization to become a for-profit company. Musk also named Microsoft as a co-defendant in the case, accusing the company of aiding and abetting OpenAI’s breach of charitable trust.

The big personalities and high stakes of the trial were on full display in court, as Musk regularly clashed with OpenAI’s attorney, accusing him of trying to “trick me.” The judge occasionally scolded the parties involved, at one point going so far as to tell Musk to actually answer the questions he’s being asked and warning them to stop talking about whether AI will cause human extinction.

OpenAI and Microsoft have argued that Musk was supportive of creating a for-profit arm of the company. They say he is only bringing the suit because he wasn’t able to take complete control of OpenAI and now wants to bring down a competitor.

Musk’s AI plans under scrutiny

William Savitt, OpenAI’s lawyer, suggested that Musk quit OpenAI’s board in February 2018 because he was blocked from taking unilateral control of the company. Musk, however, said he quit the board to focus on his other companies, including SpaceX and Tesla.

Savitt suggested that in the years after Musk left the board, he took actions to hobble OpenAI, especially after forming a competing company, xAI.

In questioning, Savitt asked whether Musk disclosed that he started his own AI company when he signed a public letter in 2023 advocating to pause development of AI systems that are more powerful than OpenAI’s GPT-4. Savitt also brought up the attempt Musk led last year to buy OpenAI with a group of for-profit investors, to which Musk responded: “There’s nothing wrong with having a for-profit organization, you just can’t steal a charity.”

Savitt also pressed Musk on why he hasn’t created an AI nonprofit since leaving OpenAI’s board. Musk said that he didn’t create a new one because he had started OpenAI.

“Why would I start another nonprofit when I already started a nonprofit? That doesn’t make any sense,” Musk said.

Debate over AI safety risks

The debate in the courtroom extended beyond OpenAI’s founding into the safety risks posed by AI just before questioning began Thursday.

“We could all die” because of AI, Steven Molo, Musk’s attorney, said to OpenAI’s attorney and Judge Yvonne Gonzales Rogers before the jury and Musk were seated on Thursday. But Judge Gonzales Rogers said such dire statements wouldn’t be permitted in front of the jury, especially given that Musk had founded xAI, his own for-profit AI company.

“I suspect there are plenty of people who don’t want to put the future of humanity in Mr. Musk’s hands, but it doesn’t matter, we aren’t going to get into those issues,” Rogers said, noting the trial is not about whether or not AI has damaged humanity.

Musk registered a for-profit corporation

The question at the heart of the case is whether OpenAI and its executives unjustly turned the company into a profit-seeking company, breaching its original mission and misleading Musk.

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Trump won’t say whether US-Iran ceasefire is still in effect as Strait of Hormuz tensions escalate

  

Here's the latest

• Ceasefire tested: President Donald Trump won’t say whether the US-Iran truce remains in place after both sides fired shots in the Strait of Hormuz. He also warned Iranian forces they would be “blown off the face of the Earth” if they targeted US ships in the strait or the Persian Gulf.

• UAE under fire: The United Arab Emirates, a US ally, defended itself against Iranian strikes for the first time since the ceasefire began in early April, with one drone attack causing a fire at a major oil port.

• Economic crisis: Oil hit its highest price of the year on the first day of Trump’s operation to guide stranded ships through the Strait of Hormuz, underscoring the intense uncertainty that still dogs the global energy trade.

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Why a pierogi and the mascot stoats are selling out at the Winter Olympics

 

The plush pierogi ("Pieroguszka") and official stoat mascots (Tina and Milo) are selling out at the 2026 Winter Olympics due to intense viral popularity, high-quality social media exposure, and heartwarming backstories. The pierogi became an unexpected hit after Team Poland showcased it in the kiss-and-cry area, while the stoats represent youthful, eco-conscious, and authentic Italian spirit.

Why the Pierogi ("Pieroguszka") Sold Out:

• Viral Unofficial Mascot: Team Poland’s stuffed dumpling, or "Pieroguszka," was spotted at the figure skating events and instantly went viral, capturing hearts as an unofficial, charming team mascot.
• Wholesome Backstory: The plush is handmade by a Polish social cooperative, Luft-sklep.pl, which employs people with disabilities, adding a meaningful, charitable backstory.
• High Demand: The sudden, overwhelming demand from fans caused the Polish workshop to sell out overnight and launch a fundraiser to increase production capacity, reports CBS News and NBC Olympics. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]

Why the Stoats (Tina and Milo) Sold Out:

• Official Representation: Tina and Milo are the official mascots for the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Games.
• Gen Z Design: Designed by students, they are dubbed the "first openly Gen Z mascots," representing curiosity, energy, and the italian landscape.
• Symbolism & Story: They are stoats—small ferret-like animals—chosen for their ability to change fur color (brown in summer, white in winter), representing adaptability and innocence.
• Medalist Gift: Their popularity skyrocketed because they are awarded to medalists, making them highly coveted souvenirs, says NBC Chicago.

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