The difference is, the real airlines have the ability to recover from these events quickly and efficiently. With code shares, interline agreements, spare aircraft and available capacity increases, it is possible to recover and to get all of the passengers where they need to go. Spirit can't do that. You just cancel the flights and strand the passengers for weeks at a time, and force them to buy tickets on other carriers. That isn't a "recovery", it is just continuing the same crappy service that you provided before.