Emotional moment retiring Spirit Airlines pilot gets 'overwhelming' send-off after his final flight is cancelled

By JOE HUTCHISON, US SENIOR NEWS REPORTER Published: 06:44, 4 May 2026 | Updated: 06:47, 4 May 2026 A retiring Spirit Airlines pilot who was stopped from his final flight due to the closure of the carrier was given a proper send-off by another airline. Captain Jon Jackson was due to touch down one last time into Baltimore-Washington International on Saturday when the budget airline went under.  Stranded, Jackson managed to fly back from Fort Lauderdale to the airport aboard a Southwest flight with his son Chris, who is a First Officer for the airline.  According to Southwest, Chris 'casually mentioned' to those in the cockpit that his father had missed out on his retirement flight.  Those piloting then devised a plan to make sure Jackson was given a proper retirement sendoff when the plane touched down in Baltimore.  The Baltimore Airport Fire and Rescue team met the aircraft with a water cannon salute before Jackson was then welcomed at the arrivals gate by the ground team.  Jackson was greeted into the terminal with a round of applause before being handed a bottle of champagne and was urged by those applauding him to give a speech. In a video shared to social media by Southwest, he was heard saying: 'Very overwhelming, I can't thank you all enough.  Captain Jon Jackson is seen here being applauded as he arrived back into Baltimore-Maryland International Airport on Sunday The Southwest plane he was on was also given a water cannon salute as it touched down 'As Spirit goes down this is a sad day and you guys made it incredible thank you so much.'  In a post to their social media pages, Southwest said: 'Today was supposed to be Capt. Jon Jackson's retirement flight with Spirit Airlines.  'After the airline's sudden shutdown, he found himself heading home as a passenger, seated in the back of a Southwest flight with his son, Chris, a Southwest First Officer. 'It was a powerful reminder of the aviation community's ability to show respect, compassion, and solidarity when it matters most.  'Above all, this moment was about honoring a fellow aviator. Congratulations, and thank you for your service in the skies, Capt. Jackson.' Spirit went under due to crushing fuel prices and announced that it was 'winding down its global operations' on Saturday.  Other airlines, like Southwest, moved to scoop up Spirit's customers offering what was dubbed 'rescue fares' to those waking up to canceled travel plans.  Launched in 1992, Spirit Airlines became one of the first low-cost carriers in the United States. Jon is seen here with his son Chris, a First Officer for Southwest Airlines Spirit went under due to crushing fuel prices and announced that it was ' winding down its global operations' on Saturday Jackson was greeted into the terminal with a round of applause before being handed a bottle of champagne Between February 2025 and January 2026, it carried some 28 million passengers, according to government data. At the same time, it has been limping along since announcing bankruptcy in November 2024 and again in August 2025. In late February, Spirit said it had reached an 'agreement in principle' to restructure its debts and that it expected to emerge from bankruptcy by early summer. Days later, the United States and Israel began bombing Iran, leading to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, which sent jet fuel prices soaring. Hopes of a White House bailout began to fade last week as oil prices spiked and creditors were reportedly furious with the stake the government planned to take in the company. President Trump indicated an openness to saving the company when he spoke to reporters on Friday, but said he would only agree if it was a 'good deal.'  'If we can help them, we will. But we have to come first. We’re first,' Trump said. 'I would like to save the jobs.'  No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.