Spirit Airlines stopped flying on May 2, 2026. Its wind-down notice says "all flights have been cancelled, and customer service is no longer available", so there is no current Spirit service animal or emotional support animal policy to follow. If you were looking up Spirit's ESA fee: your ESA can still fly, but as a pet, on another airline (for example $149 each way on Frontier or $50 on Allegiant). A trained service dog flies in the cabin on any US airline with the DOT form.
What happened to Spirit Airlines?
Spirit's restructuring site, as captured by the Internet Archive on 2026-09-09 (the live site returned an error on 2026-09-25), says "Spirit Is Winding Down All Operations" and "Spirit Guests should not go to the airport". In full:
"on May 2, 2026, Spirit Airlines started an orderly wind-down of our operations, effective immediately. To our Guests: all flights have been cancelled, and customer service is no longer available."Spirit Airlines restructuring site
spirit.com no longer resolves in public DNS (checked 2026-09-25). Any airline list or comparison that still shows Spirit as an option is out of date. The rest of this page is about what to do instead.
What applies on other airlines: the same federal rule
The good news for anyone who used to fly Spirit is that the core rules do not change from airline to airline. They come from the DOT's rule at 14 CFR Part 382:
- A service animal is "a dog, regardless of breed or type, that is individually trained to do work or perform tasks" for a person with a disability, including a psychiatric disability.
- Airlines may require only the DOT Service Animal Air Transportation Form, and the relief form on flights of 8 hours or more. See how to fill out the DOT form.
- Up to two service dogs per passenger, in your lap or foot space.
- Emotional support animals and dogs in training are not service animals, and airlines may treat them as pets.
What changes is the detail: when the form is due, whether dogs in training get an exception, and what a pet costs.
Service dog and ESA rules on other budget airlines
From each airline's own pages as read on 2026-09-25. Pet fees are one way.
| Airline | DOT form due | Dogs in training | ESA as a pet |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frontier | 48 hours ahead (upload or mail); in person if booked later | Not accepted | $149; soft carrier 18 x 14 x 11 in |
| Allegiant | 48 hours ahead (Open Doors portal) | Case by case, 72 hours' notice | $50 per segment; soft carrier 18 x 12 x 11 in |
| Southwest | Shown at the counter or gate on the day | Canine Companions dogs only | $125; carrier up to 18 x 10.5 x 10 in |
| JetBlue | 48 hours ahead (portal or mail) | Not accepted | $150; carrier 17 x 12.5 x 8.5 in |
None of these four carries pets in the cargo hold, so a dog too big for a carrier cannot fly any of them as a pet.
Spirit's emotional support animal fee: what to expect instead
Spirit's last policy welcomed emotional support animals "onboard as pets if they meet our pet requirements". Its pet fee could not be confirmed from its archived pages, and it no longer matters, because Spirit is not flying. On the budget airlines above an ESA pays $50 to $150 each way and must fit in a carrier under the seat. Frontier's page puts it bluntly: "as of February 1, 2021, Frontier will no longer accept emotional support animals onboard." For every airline's fee and carrier size, see can emotional support animals fly?
Spirit service dog forms: use the DOT form with your new airline
Spirit's last policy used the DOT's own form (revision 9.20.24), the same one other US airlines use, so a "Spirit service dog form PDF" is really the DOT form. Download it from the DOT, fill it out after you buy your new ticket, and send it the way your new airline asks.
One upgrade: Spirit required a new form for every reservation and said the forms were "not kept on file". Several airlines now keep an approval for you, for example American's SVAN ID and the Open Doors portal ID used by Alaska, Hawaiian and JetBlue.
Spirit's last published policy, for the record
For anyone researching an old trip, this is what Spirit's help articles (Internet Archive captures of 2026-04-18) and its contract of carriage ("UPDATED AS OF APRIL 30, 2026") said. It is history only.
- Two dogs per guest; a lap dog "cannot be larger than a 2-year-old child", otherwise it stayed in your foot space.
- The DOT form 48 hours ahead online, or at the ticket counter or gate for late bookings, one form per reservation and per dog.
- A minimum age of four months, with an updated rabies vaccination on the form.
- No service dogs in training: "these animals may be eligible to travel in accordance with our Pet Policy for a charge."
- "A service animal vest, harness, ID card, or registration are no longer accepted as the sole indication an animal is a trained service dog."
- No animals as cargo or checked baggage, and no pets on international flights.
Psychiatric service dogs and dogs in training after Spirit
A psychiatric service dog flies on every US airline under the same rules as any other service dog: the DOT form, no mental health letter, and a task the dog is trained to perform. See psychiatric service dogs.
Dogs in training are where airlines differ most. Among budget airlines, Allegiant considers them case by case with 72 hours' notice, Southwest takes only Canine Companions dogs, and Frontier and JetBlue do not accept them. More in service dogs in training.
Common questions
Is Spirit Airlines still flying?
No. Spirit began winding down on May 2, 2026, cancelled all flights and ended customer service.
What was Spirit's emotional support animal policy?
Spirit carried ESAs only as pets. That no longer matters, because Spirit no longer flies; on other airlines an ESA also flies as a pet.
Where can I find the Spirit service dog form PDF?
Spirit used the DOT's own form. Download the current DOT form and send it to the airline you are flying now.
Which budget airline accepts service dogs in training?
Allegiant considers them case by case with 72 hours' notice, and Southwest accepts Canine Companions dogs in training. Frontier and JetBlue do not.
Does the DOT rule still apply to the airline I switch to?
Yes. Every US airline follows the same federal service animal rule, including the two-dog limit and the DOT form.
Sources
- Spirit Airlines restructuring site (Internet Archive capture 2026-09-09)
- Spirit Airlines, Contract of Carriage (updated as of 2026-04-30)
- 14 CFR 382.3, definition of service animal
- U.S. DOT, Service Animals (Aviation Consumer Protection)
- Frontier Airlines, special services
- Allegiant, passengers with special needs
General information, not legal advice. Policies and laws change; follow the sources. Last checked September 25, 2026.