Silver Airways, a regional airline based in Florida, abruptly canceled all flights on Wednesday, June 11, leaving travelers stranded after announcing bankruptcy.
“We regret to inform you that we are ceasing operations as of today, June 11, 2025,” the Fort-Lauderdale-based company posted on it social media pages. “In an attempt to restructure in bankruptcy, Silver entered into a transaction to sell its assets to another airline holding company, who unfortunately has determined to not continue Silver’s flight operations.”
The carrier operates in Florida, the Bahamas, and the Caribbean.
“Please do not go to the airport,” the airline wrote. “All credit card purchases should be refundable through your credit card company or your travel agency.”
Why did Silver Airways shut down?
The move, the company reported on social media, came after a potential buyer decided not to fund the airline’s operations during a sale out of Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings.
What happens to passengers with tickets on Silver Airways?
As the airline wrote on social media, all tickets purchased by credit card will be fully refundable to the form of purchase. According to Robert W. Mann, Jr., a former airline executive officer and current president of R. W. Mann and Co., an independent airline consultancy, tickets not purchased by credit card will still be eligible for refunds, but those would-be passengers will have to get in line with other airline creditors.
Passengers with tickets who need to travel soon will likely need to purchase tickets on other airlines at higher prices, according to Mann.
What was the last US airline to shut down?
It’s very rare for airlines in the U.S. to completely go out of business.
Often, struggling airlines get purchased by other carriers or folded into another company’s operations. According to Mann, a few small regional airlines that operated on behalf of larger carriers went out of business during the height of the COVID pandemic, but those larger airlines reshuffled service to bridge the gap. Other smaller airlines like Tailwind, which provided scheduled seaplane service between New York and Boston, have also gone out of business more recently. Tailwind shut down operations in 2024, according to Mann.
(This story was updated to add new information.)
Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at [email protected] and follow her on X @nataliealund
Zach Wichter is a travel reporter and writes the Cruising Altitude column for USA TODAY. He is based in New York and you can reach him at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Silver Airways bankruptcy: Flights canceled after airline shuts down
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