Arnold Palmer Regional Airport (LBE) held a full-scale disaster drill on Wednesday at 6:00 PM EST to fulfill its Part 139 obligation to the Federal Aviation Administration despite the fact that it no longer hosts commercial air service. That is because the abrupt demise of Spirit Airlines has left the small field without a scheduled service from a full-service operator.

The airport had feared that this could happen with Spirit’s rocky last few years but has yet to make a deal with a new airline. The administration expects that it will take months or even a year to reestablish normal commercial air service. In the meantime, the field is surviving as it still hosts charter flights, flying lessons, and general aviation.

The End Of An Era For Unity Township

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Although Spirit Airlines was a low-cost carrier that did not offer the same options as a mainline legacy airline from the ‘Big Three’ or similar players, it still gave travelers from LBE national reach. Now that this primary source of income and travel has evaporated, the drop in airfield activities and customer traffic means that LBE will be in a much tighter financial position.

Despite the flurry of activity surrounding the disaster drill, the airfield is expecting to make workforce reductions in the near future due to the lack of funding. Spirit only flew one time per day in and out of the airport, but that provided an important source of revenue for the field and businesses located onsite.

Despite offers from the Trump Administration to bail out Spirit, a lack of consensus between the federal government and creditors that had funded the airline’s recovery in recent years blocked a deal. Now that LBE is operating a very light schedule, the field is making every effort to sustain the operations it can while seeking a new airline partner.

Maurice Haas gave this remark regarding the drill’s continued importance to operations in the airport’s press release:

“Safety is our number one priority. While we hope to never apply what we learn in a real-life situation, this triennial exercise is a crucial investment in our community’s safety.”

The Delicate Economics Of A Small Field In America

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Arnold Palmer Regional Airport

All remaining Spirit flights from LBE in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, were canceled at 3:00 AM ET on May 2 following the final decision to liquidate the airline. Onsite businesses like DeNunzio’s Italian Restaurant and rental car companies are facing a significant drop in foot traffic, though the restaurant remains open.

ABC 4 WTAE spoke to the manager of LBE’s sole restaurant, Anthony DeNunzio II of DeNunzio’s. He confirmed with the outlet that business is expected to take a significant blow from the lack of flyers passing through, but they will still be open seven days a week. He stated that the team that operates the Italian chophouse is like a family and they are doing their best working towards adjusting the business model to prevent any staff cuts, like LBE is facing.

The shutdown also occurred just as the airport was finalizing a $22 million terminal expansion scheduled to open on July 1, 2026. The project roughly doubles the terminal’s previous size to approximately 100,000 square feet. The airport will be able to handle more than 400 passengers and two flights simultaneously, up from a previous capacity of about 220 passengers and one gate. Officials believe the updated terminal is their strongest selling point for recruiting a replacement carrier.

The Struggle To Keep Underserved Communities Connected

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The shutdown of Spirit has had a profound and disproportionate impact on small regional airports and the communities that relied on its low-cost service for critical connectivity. For several small regions, like Latrobe, Spirit was the primary or only commercial carrier, and its sudden exit has left these areas without any scheduled air service.

Beyond the 17,000 Spirit employees, thousands of regional contractors, including baggage handlers, gate agents, and security personnel in small hubs, were laid off overnight. Atlantic City in New Jersey was almost exclusively served by Spirit Airlines. As a city with its economy based on tourism in the Mid-Atlantic area, this has left the area disconnected from not only air travel but also a vital economic lifeline.

Industry analysts have also stated concerns that when a low-cost carrier like Spirit exits a market, average fares on remaining routes typically jump by 20% or more, which equates to roughly $60 per round trip on many common itineraries. Some small airports may now need to seek federal Essential Air Service subsidies to maintain any commercial presence at all