A captain who is helping a company repossess airplanes that were being operated by Spirit Airlines says Arizona's dry climate helps preserve the planes for future owners, regardless if the planes will go on to fly once again or not.

Spirit Airlines said in court papers filed Monday that it was forced to ground its fleet for good over the weekend because "recent geopolitical events resulted in a massive and sustained increase in fuel prices.

Spirit Airlines' closure has sparked a crowdfunding campaign to relaunch it as "Spirit 2.0," but financial complexities and creditor interests pose significant challenges. Despite raising $132 million,

Even in its reduced state, the company played an important role in forcing other airlines to keep fares low, some experts said.

Spirit Airlines shuts down operations after 34 years as a viral crowdfunding campaign led by Hunter Peterson raises over $130 million to revive the airline through public ownership. Know more about the ambitious Spirit Airlines 2.

Legal experts warn the most profitable resolution for Spirit would be to auction off its assets, not to sell to crowdfunding efforts

I flew Spirit Airlines out of LaGuardia on April 28th. With the announcement just days later that the carrier was shutting down, it felt a little like catching the last chopper out of Saigon. Then again,