ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — The ride-sharing company Lyft will ensure the rights of blind and other disabled passengers across the country to travel with their service animals under a settlement announced in Minnesota on Wednesday.
College student Tori Andres turned to the Minnesota Department of Human Rights after several Lyft drivers refused to let her service dog, Alfred, ride along with her. The agency investigated and determined that the company was violating the state's Human Rights Act. Both sides then negotiated a settlement that includes changes in driver training, and updates to the Lyft app that will make the agreement apply nationwide, not just in Minnesota.
“This case is a deeply personal thing to me because I travel pretty much everywhere with my guide dog,” Andres said at a news conference, as her black Labrador lay quietly near her feet, with only an occasional lick or yawn. “He is my eyes. He is my freedom, and he is why I am able to live independently.”
The terms require Lyft to train its drivers on the rights of passengers with disabilities, and warn them that they could be “deactivated” and lose their ability to drive for Lyft if they violate the law, state Human Rights Commissioner Rebecca Lucero told reporters. Drivers can't cancel or refuse a ride because a passenger has a service animal or wheelchair, or because they have low or no vision, she said. The state will monitor Lyft's compliance for three years, she added, and Andres will get a $63,000 monetary settlement.
“We expect that all riders in Minnesota and in fact, across the United States, will benefit from these changes,” Lucero said.
Lyft downplayed the significance of settlement, however, saying it didn't agree to any policy changes because the relief the state sought was already in place. Lyft also disputed that the company violated the law, saying any alleged violations were by independent drivers.
“Discrimination has no place in the Lyft community,” the company said in a statement. “Lyft has maintained a strict service animal policy for nearly a decade, and independent drivers who violate that policy face serious consequences, including permanent deactivation. The commitments reflected in this agreement reaffirm the robust practices Lyft has already had in place to help ensure that riders who rely on service animals are treated with the respect they deserve."
Recent changes to the Lyft app include giving riders the option of updating their accessibility settings to notify a driver that they're traveling with a service animal, and to report if they're denied service, the Department of Human Rights said. Lyft agreed to follow up on every report it gets of driver refusals.
Drivers who try to cancel or refuse a ride to a passenger who has disclosed their service animal in the app will immediately receive an in-app message reminding them, “It's against the law to refuse service animals,” and that they risk getting fired.
The state reached the settlement with Lyft without resorting to a lawsuit. Lyft's leading competitor, Uber, the country's largest ride-haling service, is not a party to the settlement. But Lucero said the Minnesota Human Rights Act binds all ride-share companies, including Uber. She said her agency frequently gets complaints against a variety of transportation companies, but did not indicate that anything is currently in the works against the competitor.
“We recommend that all businesses use this as an opportunity to look at their policies, training and accountability systems to make sure that it’s being enforced correctly,” Lucero said.
Uber officials did not immediately respond to a request for details on their policies about service animals. Uber's website says service animals must be accommodated in compliance with applicable accessibility laws and the company's service animal policy, which says there are no exceptions due to allergies, religious objections, or a fear of animals.
The federal government filed a lawsuit against Uber in San Francisco last September alleging it routinely refused to serve individuals with disabilities, including those with service dogs. A federal magistrate judge last week denied a company motion to dismiss the case.
“Access to ride shares like Lyft is not a convenience. It is, in fact, a civil right,” Lucero said.
Minnesota Human Rights Commissioner Rebecca Lucero, at the podium, holds a news conference at the State Capitol in St. Paul on Wednesday, March 11, 2026, to announce a settlement with the ride-sharing company Lyft that will ensure the rights of blind and other disabled passengers across the country to travel with their service animals. College student Tori Andres, right, turned to the Minnesota Department of Human Rights after several Lyft drivers refused to let her service dog, Alfred, ride along with her. (AP Photo/Steve Karnowski)
A service dog named Alfred, who belongs to college student Tori Andres, attends a news conference at the State Capitol in St. Paul, Minn. on Wednesday, March 11, 2026, where state Human Rights Commissioner Rebecca Lucero announced a settlement with the ride-sharing company Lyft that will ensure the rights of blind and other disabled passengers across the country to travel with their service animals. (AP Photo/Steve Karnowski)
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump said Friday that his administration was still weighing a taxpayer-funded takeover of Spirit Airlines, with talks ongoing and no final decision yet on whether to move forward with a potential bailout for a carrier mired in bankruptcy proceedings for the second time in less than two years.
Trump emphasized that a deal to rescue the financially strapped airline remained under review. The president did not provide details but said an announcement could come later Friday or Saturday.
“We’re looking at it. If we could do it, we’ll do it. But only if it’s a good deal,” he said, speaking to reporters before departing the White House for Florida.
The possibility of a bailout first emerged publicly last week, when Trump floated the idea of the U.S. government offering Spirit a financial lifeline to help keep the airline from going bust and out of business. Separately, a lawyer for the airline told a U.S. Bankruptcy Court that Spirit was in advanced talks with the government over financing that could allow it to exit Chapter 11 protection.
The president suggested the government would be able to resell the airline known for its bright yellow planes and “no frills” service for a profit once oil prices driven up by the Iran war come down.
Lawmakers from both parties and some members of the Trump administration have criticized the idea of using taxpayer funds to keep the ultra-low cost airline afloat. Speculation around Spirit's future and the likelihood of a deal emerging has mounted with every day that passes without a resolution as the airline's operating expenses and debts mount.
A spokesperson for Spirit, which has its headquarters in Dania Beach, Florida, declined to comment on ongoing discussions Friday and said “Spirit is operating as usual.”
Although travelers still could book flights on the airline's website Friday afternoon, people who said they had existing reservations or credits flooded Spirit's X feed with questions about upcoming flights and demands for refunds. Some U.S. airlines, meanwhile, said they would step in to support Spirit customers if the airline goes under.
American Airlines said in a statement that it was capping main cabin fares for flights on Spirit routes where American also offers nonstop service. Budget carrier Frontier said in an X post that was “ready to support customers who may be impacted if Spirit Airlines ceases operations."
Earlier in the day, Trump said his administration delivered what he described as a “final proposal” to the airline. He framed the possible federal intervention as an effort to preserve jobs but stressed that any financial arrangement worked out would have to benefit the government.
“If we can help them, we will," Trump said. “But we have to come first.”
Supporters of a rescue — including labor unions representing Spirit's pilots and flight attendants — say that a collapse would cost jobs, reduce competition and push fares higher. About 17,000 jobs could be impacted, according to Spirit lawyer Marshall Huebner.
Sara Nelson, president of the Association of Flight Attendants, said Friday in a post on X that if Trump wanted to help the airline, “it's in his hands.”
“Everyday Americans will hurt,” Nelson wrote, saying that consumers would ill be impacted in addition to the employees who stand to lose their jobs if Spirit shuts down.
Miami resident Caleb Euzebe, 27, who works at an insurance company, said he flies Spirit “all the time" and compared the low-cost carrier to “that reliable car that you have. It always gets you from point A to point B safely.”
Euzebe, who was at Fort Lauderdale–Hollywood International Airport after his Spirit flight to Houston was canceled Friday, said he supported the government stepping in if it meant saving jobs.
Spirit's employees have to “put food on the table, keep the lights on for their homes,” he said. "So if that means that bailing them out keeps these people working, I support 100%.”
Spirit has struggled financially since the COVID-19 pandemic, weighed down by rising operating costs and growing debt. By the time it filed for Chapter 11 protection in November 2024, Spirit had lost more than $2.5 billion since the start of 2020.
The budget carrier sought bankruptcy protection again in August 2025, when it reported having $8.1 billion in debts and $8.6 billion in assets, according to court filings.
Shortly before, its parent company revealed in a quarterly report that it had “substantial doubt” about Spirit’s ability to stay in business over the next year, citing “adverse market conditions” — including weak leisure domestic travel demand and ongoing “uncertainties in its business operations.”
The company, Spirit Aviation Holdings Inc., gave a more optimistic assessment earlier this year, saying in February that it had reached a preliminary deal with creditors and expected to exit Chapter 11 in late spring or early summer. The reorganization would result in “a new Spirit” — a smaller, leaner carrier still focused on low fares but offering premium economy options and a version of first-class seating with more legroom for customers willing to pay more.
Instead, the war that started days later when the U.S. and Israel launched strikes on Iran intensified the airline's cash flow problems. With rising jet fuel costs tied to the war generating unexpected costs across the industry, Spirit's creditors last month expressed doubts about whether it could continue operating, raising the possibility of the airline being forced to sell off assets and shut down.
If Spirit were to cease operations, budget-conscious and leisure travelers would likely feel it the most — especially where the airline has a big footprint, such as Las Vegas and the Florida cities of Fort Lauderdale and Orlando, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium.
The carrier flew about 1.7 million domestic passengers in February, roughly half a million fewer than it did during the same month a year earlier, Cirium said. Spirit has also sharply reduced its capacity. According to Cirium data, there are about half the number of seats available this month on Spirit flights than in May 2024: 1,646,878 compared to 3,399,378.
Yamat reported from Las Vegas. Associated Press video journalist Daniel Kozin contributed from Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
President Donald Trump gestures as he boards Air Force One, Friday, May 1, 2026, at Joint Base Andrews, Md. (AP Photo/Luis M. Alvarez)
President Donald Trump walks to speak with reporters as he prepares to board Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House, Friday, May 1, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
FILE - A Spirit Airlines 319 Airbus approaches Manchester Boston Regional Airport for a landing, June 2, 2023, in Manchester, N.H. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa, File)
FILE - The tail of a Spirit Airlines Airbus A320 is shown as the plane prepares to take off from Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, Jan. 19, 2021, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee, File)
