You know them for the bare-bones fares, the extra fees for carry-ons, and the bright yellow planes that stand out on every tarmac. But there is something about Spirit Airlines that most travelers have never heard.
In nearly 30 years of operation, Spirit Airlines has never had a fatal plane crash.
Not one. Not ever.
While other carriers have faced tragedies, the most controversial airline in America has quietly built one of the safest safety records in the industry.
The Award That Says It All
Here is what most people do not know. The Federal Aviation Administration gives out a Diamond Award of Excellence — its highest honor for aviation maintenance technicians. Spirit Airlines has won it for eight consecutive years.
Think about that. Eight years in a row. Every single eligible maintenance technician at Spirit must complete rigorous, FAA-developed safety training courses annually to achieve this. Spirit has maintained 100 percent compliance.
“We put the safety of our Guests and Team Members at the forefront of everything we do,” said John Bendoraitis, Spirit’s Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. “Our Team’s commitment to continuous learning highlights the priority we place on running a safe and reliable operation for our Guests every day”.
The ‘Fit Fleet’ Factor
Spirit operates one of the youngest all-Airbus fleets in the world. In 2025, ch-aviation, a leading airline intelligence provider, ranked Spirit as North America’s 3rd youngest aircraft fleet and the world’s 5th youngest fleet for carriers with over 100 planes.
A young fleet means newer technology, better fuel efficiency, and critically, fewer mechanical surprises. Older planes break down more. They require more maintenance. They have more hidden risks. Spirit has systematically avoided that problem by keeping its fleet fresh.
Every plane in Spirit’s fleet is an Airbus — one of the most statistically safest aircraft families in aviation history.
What the Rankings Show
In 2026, personal finance company WalletHub released its annual airline ranking. The study evaluated nine major U.S. carriers across 16 metrics, including cancellation rates, delays, baggage handling, and safety incidents.
Spirit Airlines ranked first overall.
Not Southwest. Not Delta. Spirit.
The airline also ranked second in safety performance, trailing only Frontier Airlines, with a low number of incidents per 100,000 flight operations, no passenger fatalities, and an impressively reliable operation.
In terms of reliability, Spirit recorded the lowest combined rate of cancellations, delays, mishandled baggage, and denied boardings. That is not a fluke. That is a system working.
The Incidents That Prove the Training Works
Spirit has faced emergencies. What matters is how the crews responded.
In 2021, a Spirit flight was forced to abort takeoff in Atlantic City after a bird strike. A bald eagle — weighing 9.1 pounds, far heavier than FAA certification standards — was ingested into the engine, causing a fuel tube failure and an engine fire. The crew followed procedures. The plane was evacuated safely. No one was killed.
In 2013, a Spirit plane lost an engine shortly after takeoff from Dallas. The pilots executed an emergency landing. No one was hurt.
In 2019, a Spirit flight encountered severe turbulence during descent into Fort Myers. A flight attendant suffered a fractured ankle. The plane landed safely. The aircraft was not damaged.
These are not failures. They are proof that the training works. When things go wrong, Spirit crews handle them.
The Bottom Line
Spirit Airlines has never had a fatal crash in nearly three decades of flying millions of passengers. It has won the FAA’s highest maintenance safety award for eight straight years. It operates one of the youngest fleets in the world. And it consistently ranks at the top of safety and reliability studies.
The airline everyone loves to hate has a secret. It is not just cheap. It is safe. And that yellow plane you see taxiing to the runway? It has never left anyone behind.
