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Travelers at Los Angeles International Airport found themselves in a bind over the weekend as Spirit Airlines unexpectedly ceased its operations.
“There’s no way to recover the costs, especially for things like Airbnb and other trip expenses,” shared Paloma Zuniga, who had planned to fly from LAX to New York this week, with NBC Los Angeles. “It’s unbelievable what’s happening.”
The low-cost carrier made the surprising announcement on Saturday, attributing the decision to rising oil prices and “other pressures” that forced the airline to close its doors after 34 years of service.
“The decision to wind down operations follows the company’s extensive and comprehensive efforts to restructure and pursue options to bolster Spirit’s financial health and ensure a sustainable future,” the company explained in a statement.
“Regrettably, despite these efforts, recent significant increases in oil prices and other business challenges have severely affected Spirit’s financial outlook,” the statement continued.
The Spirit counter at LAX in Terminal 2 looked like a ghost town, with no one working the counters and the kiosks informing passengers the airline is no longer in business, according to the outlet.
“All Spirit flights have been cancelled, and Spirit Guests should not go to the airport,” the company said in a statement.
Frequent flyers are now demanding Spirit issue refunds as they struggle to find a new way home with the high cost of travel and booking a last minute ticket that costs hundreds of dollars with a different airline.
“We need to be compensated,” Artyna Thomas Luke, who was planning to head back home to Texas from LA, said. “We need to be taken care of and we need to be able to get back to our destination.”
While Spirit said it will automatically issue refunds, some flyers told the outlet that they have yet to receive any money.
Luke questioned why the airline didn’t give passengers more of a notice.
“My reaction was, ‘Oh my God. What am I going to do now? And why didn’t they forewarn us before just completely shutting down,’” he told NBC Los Angeles.
The Trump administration floated a $500 million bailout for the cash-strapped business, but ultimately failed to reach a deal.
“we often times don’t have half a billion dollars laying around,” said US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, according to The Associated Press.
Duffy also slammed the Biden administration for blocking $3.8 billion dollar merger deal with JetBlue in 2024.
“Spirit tried to merge with JetBlue. The Joe Biden-Pete Buttigieg administration and DOJ tanked that deal,” Duffy told ABC’s “This Week” on Sunday. “Immediately after that, they filed for bankruptcy.”
The ultra-low cost airline known for its bright yellow plane employed roughly 17,000 people.