Spirit passengers stranded after airline cancels 30 percent of flights

Spirit Airlines canceled 261 flights Monday after having canceled 165 on Sunday, with hundreds of delays being also being reported on both days, according to USA Today.

Passengers said they waited hours for refunds and other customer service assistance, with some even noting that they resorted to camping out.

“It looked like a hurricane shelter,” traveler Rebecca Osborn told USA Today of her experience with Spirit at Orlando International Airport. Osborn and her boyfriend, Eddie Gordon, were traveling home to Philadelphia after they arrived in Orlando from a vacation in Puerto Rico. When they arrived at the Florida airport, they were faced with a series of delays before their flight was ultimately canceled.

“There were people everywhere: little kids, old people,” Gordon said of the line of people requesting a refund once the flight was canceled. “They never came out and gave any type of explanation or offered anything.”

@SpiritAirlines Chaos at Orlando Airport, Hundreds of passengers stranded and no help from Spirit Staff pic.twitter.com/O5qc3a3p5H

— Rosemary R (@Rosemary1727) July 31, 2021

“We’re working around the clock to get back on track in the wake of some travel disruptions over the weekend due to a series of weather and operational challenges,” Spirit Airlines spokesman Erik Hofmeyer said in an email.

The travel disruptions follow a number of similar incidents this summer from other airlines. American Airlines canceled hundreds of flights in June due to a heavy uptick in travel, labor shortages and weather. Southwest, Delta and Alaska Airlines also dealt with flight delays and cancellations as a result of technical issues earlier in the summer.