Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has outlined how the federal government is working with airlines to help passengers and crew members who have been left stranded after Spirit Airlines suddenly collapsed in the early hours of Saturday, grounding all flights with immediate effect.
Passengers were urged not to even travel to the airport, with Spirit’s check-in desk and customer service counters unstaffed, and telephone lines disconnected, just hours after the airline’s creditors failed to breach an impasse with the Trump administration over a massive multi-billion-dollar government bailout.
Of particular concern to the administration are the hundreds of Spirit pilots and flight attendants who were left stranded in cities far from home after the airline shuttered in the middle of a work trip.
Now, facing unemployment, these crew members had no way of getting home after waking up to the news that the airline had gone into liquidation.
Several airlines have also said they are stepping up to fly stranded crew members home, free of charge. In a statement, American Airlines said it was not only going to repatriate Spirit’s crew members, but it was also opening a special recruitment website to see whether any former Spirit employee can be matched with a job at AA.
As for the thousands of passengers who have been stranded as a result of Spirit’s sudden shutdown, American Airlines is in a unique position to assist. The carrier serves 70 of the 72 airports Spirit served, and 67 of the specific routes that Spirit operated.
American Airlines has activated special ‘rescue fares’ to get passengers back home, and is already looking at how it can increase capacity on certain routes to accommodate the influx of passengers.
Duffy said that U.S.-based carriers, including American, United, Delta, JetBlue, Southwest, Allegiant, Frontier, Avelo, and Breeze, agreed to “step up” and help stranded Spirit customers after being approached by the Department of Transportation.
How that help is delivered, however, varies from airline to airline:
Capped ticket prices: United, Delta, JetBlue, and Southwest are capping ticket prices for Spirit passengers. JetBlue and Southwest will only make these fares available for 72 hours, while Delta will extend this availability period to five days, and United up to two weeks.
Reduced fares: American Airlines and Delta are also offering reduced or so-called rescue fares on high-volume Spirit routes. Frontier Airlines has also said it will slash 50% off base fares until May 10.
Help for stranded Spirit employees: Nearly every U.S. airline says it will offer travel pass benefits and spare jump seats to Spirit pilots, flight attendants, and other employees who need to return home.
“Regardless of how we got here, the Trump Administration is committed to taking care of you and your family when you fly,” Duffy commented on Saturday morning.
“In a matter of hours, we’ve activated our airline partners to ensure passengers are not stranded, communities maintain route access, fares do not skyrocket, and Spirit’s workforce is connected to new job opportunities.”
Spirit passengers who have had their travel plans disrupted should be automatically refunded their ticket cost if they booked using a debit or credit card directly with Spirit.
Passengers who used a travel agent, including online agencies like Expedia, will have to contact the travel agent to arrange a refund, while anyone who booked using frequent flyer miles or a flight credit will have to wait to see what happens in the bankruptcy court proceedings to see if they’ll get any money back.
