Fox News shared some harrowing audio of an exchange between Air Traffic Control (ATC) and a Spirit Airlines flight that was too close to Air Force One.
The Spirit flight, which was headed to Boston from Fort Lauderdale, came within a few miles of the President's plane, which was en route to the U.K. for a state visit.
A Spirit Airlines flight sharing the sky with Air Force One on Tuesday was repeatedly ordered by air traffic control to "turn 20 degrees right," according to reports and audio from the interaction.
The flight was issued the direction to turn several times.
"Spirit wings 1300 turn 20 degrees right immediately," the flight was ordered after several previous attempts to relay the instruction.
WATCH:
🚨 WOW! Air Traffic Control had to SCREAM at a Spirit Airlines flight who was getting too close to Air Force One
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) September 17, 2025
“Spirit 1300 turn 20 degrees right IMMEDIATELY! … Pay attention! Get off the iPad!”
You couldn’t PAY me to fly on Spirit at this point.
pic.twitter.com/BUA8d7yWSY
ATC also told the Spirit pilots, "Pay attention! Spirit 1300, traffic's off your left wing by...8 miles. 747. I'm sure you can see who it is at flight level 320...Keep an eye out for him, he's white and blue."
Spirit Airlines filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in August of this year, after coming out of restructuring this past March. The Associated Press has more about the company's uncertain financial future:
Spirit Aviation Holdings, the budget carrier’s parent company, says it has “substantial doubt” about its ability to continue as a going concern over the next year — which is accounting-speak for running out of money. In a quarterly report issued Monday, Spirit pointed to “adverse market conditions” that it’s continued to face after a recent restructuring and other efforts to revive its business.
That includes weak demand for domestic leisure travel, which Spirit said persisted in the second quarter of its fiscal year — among other challenges and “uncertainties in its business operations” that the Florida company expects to continue “for at least the remainder of 2025.”
Spirit’s shares tumbled more than 40% Tuesday, with the company’s stock closing at $2.10.
JetBlue attempted to acquire Spirit Airlines, but the deal was blocked by antitrust legislation. Spirit Airlines also declined an offer to merge with Frontier Airlines earlier this year, preferring to restructure on its own. Reuters also reported the company laid off about 270 pilots and demoted approximately 140 captains to first officer status in July of this year.
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