Spirit Airlines has ceased operations, leaving thousands stranded. Here’s how refunds work, what happens to points, and how passengers can rebook flights.
Spirit Airlines ended 34 years of airline operations early Saturday morning, leaving airports and call centers unstaffed and hundreds of the airline’s yellow-hued aircraft parked in clusters at airports around the country. The country’s 7th largest airline ended service with a message on the airline’s website indicating that passengers with tickets wouldn’t be able to get help on the phone or at the airport, but should wait for refunds to be automatically processed.
The airline carried between 50,000 and 60,000 passengers per day throughout the United States, Caribbean, Central, and South America prior to the shutdown. Spirit was famous for its ultra-low cost business model and unhinged advertising, charging passengers extra for everything from checked bags to paper boarding passes.
Spirit raked in profits in the early 2010s by offering low fares and bare-bones service. It also gained attention on social media for advertising the delivery of its 69th aircraft with a nudge and a wink, and driving a pole-dancing stripper through Las Vegas on the back of a truck. Other ads made light of the Anthony Weiner sex scandal and the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
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Large network carriers ultimately rolled out fare products designed to compete with Spirit’s unbundled fares, but with the added benefits of their full-service onboard experiences and extensive frequent flier programs. Engine availability on the airline’s Airbus aircraft also hampered network growth and operational reliability, and the once high-flying airline had not turned a profit since 2019.
After the pandemic, other airlines returned to profitability and found that the industry landscape had changed. The most profitable customers weren’t paying fees for boarding passes or seat assignments; they were buying first-class upgrades or extra legroom seats—things Spirit had limited numbers of. The most cost-conscious passengers that made up Spirit’s bread and butter, squeezed by inflation, were dropping out of the market entirely.
A federal judge blocked a proposed merger with JetBlue in 2024 that sent both airlines scrambling to find new strategies and sent Spirit into bankruptcy. Spirit emerged from the first bankruptcy, then entered another the following year. In the midst of its restructuring, the Iran War ballooned fuel costs, quickly sapping the airline’s cash flows.
What Spirit Airlines Passengers Should Do Next
The shutdown has functionally turned the airline’s tickets into wallpaper, but anyone who paid with a credit or debit card will be receiving a refund for the airfare, plus any prepaid extras like bags or seat assignments.
There are a few exceptions. Passengers who paid for their tickets with frequent flier points, promotional vouchers, or credits won’t be refunded. They’ll become creditors in the bankruptcy process and have to file separate claims. Passengers who booked and paid via a travel agency can contact their agency for assistance.
Spirit has already processed the refunds, but noted it could take time to appear on statements. Passengers can also check refund status on the website, but the airline directed further questions to their bankruptcy claims processor, as there are no longer customer service staff to field customer inquiries.
Spirit Airlines Memberships and Points
Spirit passengers can also pretty much count on their points now being worthless, and gift cards will likely have also lost their value without the possibility of recovery. Loyalty points and gift cards are rarely honored in bankruptcy proceedings, such as the ATA Airlines and Aloha Airlines shutdowns in 2008. Frequent fliers with both of those airlines lost the value of their points and gift cards.
Southwest Airlines is offering to match status to members with Spirit Silver or Gold status in their own Rapid Rewards program, but has not offered to match any point balances.
Spirit is not offering refunds of membership fees for its Spirit Savers Club program. Avelo Airlines will offer up membership its own membership discount program to Spirit Savers Club members, but the two airlines had relatively little route overlap.
Can Spirit Airlines Passengers Rebook on Other Airlines?
Because Spirit is refunding tickets directly to passengers, there’s no need to endorse them to other airlines, and there are no Spirit employees to offer assistance with rebooking; passengers must rebook themselves.
Most airlines are offering limited-time fares to help accommodate passengers whose travel plans have been disrupted by Spirit’s closure. One exception is Alaska Airlines and subsidiary Hawaiian Airlines, which had virtually no overlap with Spirit’s network, although an Alaska Airlines spokesperson said they would help passengers where they could and encourage Spirit employees to apply for open positions at Alaska, Hawaiian, or Horizon Air.
Avianca and LATAM Airlines are offering to rebook passengers who have already flown the outbound half of a round-trip ticket to return home, provided passengers pay any taxes or surcharges associated with their travel. They said passengers should go to the ticket counter no earlier than the day prior to the original planned return date to be accommodated on a first-come, first-served basis.
Southwest Airlines is making special fares available in overlapping markets through May 6, and passengers must book at one of the airline’s ticket counters and show proof of their Spirit flight.
Frontier Airlines, Delta Air Lines, American Airlines, and Avelo Airlines offered information on their websites to displaced Spirit passengers, allowing most to book new tickets on their websites. JetBlue said that affected Spirit passengers should call their toll-free reservations number for assistance rebooking.
