Spirit Airlines Completes Most Passenger Refunds After Ceasing Operations

Spirit Airlines announced Sunday it had largely completed refunding passengers and returning its crew to their home bases following its decision to cease all operations over the weekend. The carrier collapsed under severe financial pressures, including a sharp rise in fuel costs linked to the Israel-Iran war.

The airline, which had more than 4,000 domestic flights scheduled through mid-May, said most customers who booked with credit or debit cards received refunds by Saturday evening, though a small percentage were still being processed. The company acknowledged that some refunds might take additional time to appear in passengers' accounts.

It had previously filed for bankruptcy twice. A proposed merger with another carrier was blocked in 2024.

Some passengers reported difficulties receiving timely information or refunds. Jessica Stanton, who had flown from Myrtle Beach to Boston for her college graduation, received an email Friday canceling her return flight. "I haven't received anything else.

No messages about a refund. Nothing," Stanton said Sunday afternoon. The company stated it was continuing to process the remaining refunds. The final group of approximately 1,500 crew members was successfully returned to their home bases over the weekend.

In response to the shutdown, multiple U.S. carriers including Frontier, JetBlue and Southwest introduced discount fares to assist stranded passengers. Delta and American Airlines also offered temporarily lower fares to Spirit customers. U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said on Sunday that the airline had been losing money for some time.

A Spirit board meeting on Friday ended without an agreement to rescue the company after lenders opposed a proposal, according to a source familiar with the matter.