Spirit Airlines Folds, Abortion Pills, Government Debt

Spirit Airlines ran out of runway last night. All airlines are being pinched by the high cost of jet fuel, but Spirit Airlines, the low cost carrier, had to close-up shop. I'm Ayesha Rasco. And I'm Scott Simon, and this is Up First from NPR News. The price of jet fuel has nearly doubled since the war in Iran began. Airlines are raising prices and cutting routes. Judges in Louisiana ended telemedicine access to the abortion pill. Their decision applies to the entire country. And the federal debt has now outgrown the entire US economy. So stay with us. We have the news you need to start your weekend. This message comes from ADT. Imagine you're enjoying your first free day in months, and the next second, your phone buzzes. A window has been broken at home, and you're miles away. That's why ADT offers professionally installed security systems backed by the most company operated monitoring centers in the industry. With twenty four seven monitoring, they're always keeping watch over your home, so you're always supported during an emergency. When every second counts, count on ADT. Visit adt.com to learn more. Millions of people in The US get their flu shot each year, but a new scientific innovation could turn that routine into a one shot stop, a universal flu vaccine, which would protect not only against seasonal influenza, but also will prevent pandemic influenza. Learn about the revolution in fighting the flu on shortwave. Listen in the NPR app or wherever you get your podcasts. Spirit Airlines, the ultra low cost carrier, has been struggling for years. The company ceased operations overnight. The entire aviation industry faces stiff headwinds because of the soaring cost of jet fuel. And peer transportation correspondent Joel Rose has been following these stories and joins us. Joel, thanks for being with us. Hi, Scott. Let's begin with Spirit. Why'd they go out of business? High fuel costs certainly did not help. I mean, as you said, the whole industry has been dealing with a spike in the price of jet fuel since the beginning of the war in Iran, which has disrupted the supply of crude oil and jet fuel coming out of the Persian Gulf. That's driven up the price of jet fuel worldwide. Even in The US, which is a net exporter of jet fuel, the price has nearly doubled in the past two months. That is putting pressure on all airlines, really. But in the case of Spirit, problems really ran much deeper than that. How so? Well, the airline has been in trouble for years. It was a pioneer of the ultra low cost business model where airlines keep their fares way down by stripping away the amenities that travelers had previously taken for granted and then charging extra for them. That's not a model for everybody, but it did make flying accessible for a lot of people who otherwise could not afford it. And for a while, Spirit made …