Travelers faced chaos trying to get home from Los Angeles International Airport last weekend after Spirit Airlines suddenly halted operations.
Paloma Zuniga, set to fly from LAX to New York this week, shared her frustration with NBC Los Angeles, saying, “You can’t get your money back, especially with the costs of Airbnb and travel.” “It’s just wild what’s happening.”
The budget airline made an unexpected announcement on Saturday, attributing the suspension to soaring oil prices and “other pressures” impacting the airline, which had been operating for 34 years.
According to a company statement, “This reduction follows an extensive effort to restructure the business and enhance our financial position, aiming for a stable future.” Yet they admitted that the spike in oil prices and other challenges have severely affected their financial outlook.
At LAX’s Terminal 2, the Spirit ticket counter appeared deserted, with no staff present and kiosks notifying passengers that the airline was no longer operational.
“All Spirit Airlines flights have been canceled, and Spirit guests should not travel to the airport,” the airline announced.
Frequent travelers are now seeking refunds, expressing their struggle to secure new flights due to high costs and last-minute bookings on other carriers, which could reach hundreds of dollars.
“We need to be compensated,” insisted Altina Thomas Luke, who was supposed to fly back to Texas from Los Angeles. “We need to make sure everyone gets to their destination.”
While Spirit claimed it would process refunds automatically, some customers reported not yet receiving their money.
Luke expressed confusion over the lack of communication from the airline. “My initial thought was, ‘Oh my god. What do we do now? Why didn’t they warn us before shutting down completely?'” he told NBC Los Angeles.
The Trump administration had proposed a $500 million bailout for the financially struggling airline, but no agreement was eventually reached.
“We often don’t just have $500 million lying around,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy remarked, as quoted by the Associated Press.
Duffy also criticized the current administration for obstructing a $3.8 billion merger with JetBlue that could have benefited Spirit.
“Spirit wanted to merge with JetBlue, but the Biden-Pete Buttigieg administration and the Department of Justice stopped that deal,” Duffy commented on ABC’s “This Week.” “Soon after, they filed for bankruptcy.”
The low-cost airline, recognizable for its bright yellow aircraft, employed around 17,000 workers.
