We’ve covered our fair share of fights onboard Spirit Airlines, but today is no laughing matter: Spirit Airlines is experiencing a total meltdown that has led to extraordinary measures across the network. Unconfirmed reports of riots and bedlam have been reported in both Puerto Rico and Florida. As the day progresses, the situation is getting worse.
Spirit Airlines Collapses – Operational Meltdown Leads To Hundreds Of Delays + Cancellations
As of 5:00pm ET, Spirit Airlines has canceled 277 flights today, representing 36% of its schedule according to FlightAware data. 159 flights have been delayed, representing 20% of its schedule.
Weather alone is not to blame for the delay, although it is the primary catalyst. Staffing issues and a schedule that likely far too ambitious are also to blame.
But Spirit Airlines, as a so-called “ultra-low-cost-carrier” does not have interline agreement with other airlines. When delays and cancellations happen, passengers are hung out to dry…it is the risk you take when you book with a carrier like Spirit Airlines.
A tweet suggests the situation in San Juan, Puerto Rico is spiraling out of control, with passengers rioting, flights ordered to divert, crew members told to change out of uniform, and ground staff huddling behind locked doors.
Riots break out in SJU. [Passengers] are breaking computers, attempting to break the jet bridge door, and are assaulting gate agents. 25 crew members are huddled in a ramp break room waiting for SWAT to escort them away. Crews are urged to change clothes to avoid detection. Tempers are flaring at [Orlando] and [Fort Lauderdale] as well.
Every Airline has been dealing with severe IROPs. This is not OK. Its more than stress level 10. I never thought I would see “urged to change out of uniform” I understand travelling is stressful but this is not okay. #Bekind
Stay safe Flight FAM. pic.twitter.com/Cp8IV8VzQq— Matt (@Mattrix8733) August 2, 2021
Perhaps you can imagine the situation. Flight cancellations and delays means passengers may be stranded for days. Gate agents have no answer. Passengers become agitated. Agents disappear. Passengers become more agitated.
I’m sorry to say that the reported behavior does not surprise me. We’ve seen such poor behavior at Spirit Airlines ticket counters and onboard over the last year that these reports seem more than plausible. After all, look at this:
Good morning and Happy Monday to everyone.
Except @SpiritAirlines and this 3.5 hour-long line to find out what alternative flight arrangements can be made to get me back home. 🖕#Unreal pic.twitter.com/wp8GDIHMpN
— Aaron Heim (@HeimTime88) August 2, 2021
When #spiritairlines leaves you stranded in Puerto Rico with no employees in sight and holds your luggage and money hostage.
We were stuck overnight with no clothes or essentials for our 3 or 1 year olds and are still without answers and searching for flights #Spirit #useless pic.twitter.com/jzKqf9Yuhn
— Tito Arias (@2touchTito) August 2, 2021
This is at MCO. Flights cancelled and people suffering in hot airports during a PANDEMIC. Phone line is not answered and only one agent assisting with CANCELLED FLIGHTS!! @SpiritAirlines DO YOUR JOB!😡 pic.twitter.com/kwMwk4eun2
— Aysha Becerra (@love_ur_self130) August 2, 2021
Hard to see how #spiritairlines survives after this weekend. My boyfriend and I only got a small taste of the chaos in Orlando and Houston. I feel for the thousands of other passengers who are having a worse experience. pic.twitter.com/QKrOGsuULD
— Alicia Pryor (@PryorAlicia) August 2, 2021
A Spirit Airlines spokesperson confirms both weather and “operational” challenges have impacted flights today:
“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.
“We needed to make proactive cancellations to some flights across the network, but the majority of flights are still scheduled as planned.”
A narrow majority at that…
CONCLUSION
If you are flying Spirit Airlines today, I wish you all the best. Bring a back-up battery pack and a good book, because you are more likely than not to encounter a delay or cancellation. Check out your flight status before heading to the airport and if you do encounter a gate agent, understand they are under tremendous pressure and therefore you have a unique opportunity to be kind and empathetic.
image: @HeimTime88 / Twitter
What??? For real??
This is like the fall of Saigon!!!!!
What do you expect from a trash airline? Trash passengers.
I fly spirit almost exclusively as pricing is typically 1/4 of AA out of DFW. Not a trash airline, but a basic one where you get what you pay for. My experience with Spirit (and Frontier) has typically been on par – save the “free” drink – with my experience on AA, Delta, Alaska, Hawaiian, and Lufthansa. I’ve seen tantrums from guests of many airlines so your specific generalization on both counts is uneducated at best.
This is all true, but the frequency of those tantrums on Spirit is much more higher than on other carriers. In my experience, for whatever reason, Spirit passengers are more entitled/combative/rude than the average U.S. domestic passenger – which is saying something.
You get what you pay for, but its fair to say nobody paid for (or deserves) this
Well said.
Scott you are correct. I worked for both airlines and had my experience with the pleasant senior to the irate executive on both airlines. Passengers are fine when they know what to expect. When things are out of their expectations they ALL act like toddlers. They don’t understand why we can’t just take off because there is no “weather” issues as far as they can see. Try to explain the issue is in another state that you’ll pass through goes over their heads because they have a cruise to catch leaving in a few hours. Not educated enough to know not to fly out the same day just incase of delays.
To be honest we had more delays with American Airlines because the fleet is older then Spirit.
Came here to say this.
Have you ever flown with Spirit?
I have and intended to again.
They were trying to make it much cheaper for ppl. The way things happened bc cause of covid it still is destroying business. No one should act like animals.
Low cost airline; low class passenger:s!
Exactly! Going point A to point B with a Greyhound bus (it’s cheap!) and you’ll will get same result! What you pay is what you’ll get!
I don’t get it, if your commercial flight gets cancelled, you can charter. If you’re in a major city, you should be able to get a plane within an hour. These people lack problem solving skills.
Sorry no you don’t get it.
First a charter flight is prohibitively expensive and well beyond the reach of the vast majority even in an emergency.
Two a lot of these people have checked bags which Spirit is essentially holding hostage.
Third I suspect for a lot of these customers even the simple act of buying replacement tickets on another airline is prohibitively expensive.
Yeah, people flying Spirit really have an extra 3-4 grand laying around to charter a flight.
If somebody had the money to charter an airplane, why would they purchase a ticket on Spirit? Hmm…
Yes everyone on Spirit Airlines that got cancelled just call JetFree charter airlines they all have the cash just fly Spirit like the riots getting cancelled it’s just a great time being pushed shufed yelled at just one big fun time.
Hal, you don’t get it because you’re probably rich lol.
Maybe these passengers don’t have the financial resources for anything to go wrong.
Yeah, ok Hal: those people in the video are going to charter an airplane? Hahahahaha. The issue is that they can’t even afford a hotel for the night, which is why they’re angry that Spirit ditched them there. And they’re supposed to hire a Jetstream?
Dude you’re hilarious. With that kind of connection to the common man, you must live in Georgetown or Manhattan.
Binden got planes for the ones coming across the border. He’s flying them everywhere else.Maybe he’ll get them one.
Dumb as a rock. Must be a Trumpeter.
That’s just a dumb [redacted by admin] comment.
That’s just a dumb [redacted by admin] comment. Just use your disposable cash to charter a jet, huh? Even though you’re flying Spirit. That’s just the solution, right?
Well, we’ve spotted our resident wealthy tax dodging Drug Kingpin – nice to have such diversity in the group
Hal showing some big “let them eat cake” energy here.
Hal, are you stupid?
This whole thread got trolled by Hal and they’re calling him the stupid one
Hal, are you drunk?
Hal you like stirring up the pot!! Enough being funny in a serious situation.
I’m not a fan of more gov’t regulations, but all US airlines should be forced to have interline agreements with each other. They all seem to have way too many meltdowns, either weather related or operationally. If they were forced to have the agreements then passengers would have a much better chance of getting where they are going to.
Sure, and then Spirit would no longer an ultra low cost carrier. The US government should force a business to enter into an arrangement that completely changes it’s business model and cost structure. What needs to happen is people have to educated as to the risks of flying an airline like spirit. As said before, you get what you pay for. You’re basically suggesting that the government force Spirit to be Delta (do you have any clue what is involved in setting up agreements and implementing them?). If people don’t want to be educated or do some research on the company they are entering into a contract with – essentially what an airline ticket is – it’s their own damn fault if they don’t mitigate their risk with travel insurance or credit cards that offer delay and cancellation protection. This is really lesson in how many stupid people there are that don’t understand how to plan for things not going perfectly. I’m glad you think the answer is to make the government everyone’s mom/dad/teacher and babysitter.
Sure, and then Spirit would no longer an ultra low cost carrier. The US government should force a business to enter into an arrangement that completely changes it’s business model and cost structure. What needs to happen is people have to educated as to the risks of flying an airline like spirit. As said before, you get what you pay for. You’re basically suggesting that the government force Spirit to be Delta (do you have any clue what is involved in setting up agreements and implementing them?). If people don’t want to be educated or do some research on the company they are entering into a contract with – essentially what an airline ticket is – it’s their own damn fault if they don’t mitigate their risk with travel insurance or credit cards that offer delay and cancellation protection. This is really lesson in how many stupid people there are that don’t understand how to plan for things not going perfectly. I’m glad you think the answer is to make the government everyone’s mom/dad/teacher and babysitter.
Bottom line, the airline is trash airline, their passengers should know that and expect it. Buyer beware. They didn’t break the law.
As far as trashing the airline…yeah, fair game, but this isn’t a ‘collapse’ – they will still be in business tomorrow and people will still fly them and still be surprised when thier service falls short.
To your last point, yesterday was a collapse, but they will certainly live to see another day.
Does excessive body weight cause Spirit road rage?
LOL
This is the reason I NEVER fly these discount airlines. Once bitten twice shy. Sure, I tried them once. The one time I got screwed and had do drive 9 hours overnight to make an important meeting in the morning, It isn’t worth the meager savings as they nickel and dime you for everything anyway. Get a Gold Delta Amex and enjoy the perks for $99 per year. I hope this teaches all of you a valuable lesson. You ALWAYS get what you pay for!
I agree- airlines may be competitors but in times of problems, they need to operate in sync. Especially during something like weather delays, where it is no one’s fault.
So you’re saying that Delta, American, and United customers should pay more to guarantee flights for Spirit customers? There is a value to having a guaranteed ticket on these airlines, that’s why people fly them.
Marsha is right! Spirit chose to go this cheap route and this is what happens. Why should other airlines make up for their idiocy? And why should other airlines’ customers suffer, after paying a higher price because they have foresight, and give up seats for these numbskulls? Sorry….Spirit knew very well how this works.
Two things go hand in hand….low cost airlines that cannot deal with extremes, have no money for back-ups and cannot give a solution to compensate their customers. Then the kind of people that book flights on those cheap airlines, expecting the same service only a big serious company can provide. As a retired flight attendant from Lufthansa, one of the big, expensive players, I can only say that often the most demanding passengers were those in economy.
If I cannot pay a regular fare of a descent airline, I won’t fly.
Bingo!!
They dropped thousands on a vacation they couldn’t afford and now they can’t afford a taxi to a hotel or another plane ticket so they’re screwed. Am I understanding this right?
Lance,
I fly Spirit frequently to Florida and I resent you calling people who fly Spirit trash! We our not trash. I have flown with many rich people who don’t spend money on expensive tickets and they don’t want to be recognized.
I fly from Latrobe.Pa to Orlando to see relatives every few months I have never had an issue with any passengers! This must be do to the fact we our going to Disney and we take pride being from Pittsburgh!
Please have respect for the passengers we are Moms,Dads,children grandparents, and grandchild all wanting to have a good time.
Seems like the word “collapse” might be misleading – usually when I read that, the company, or airline in this case, has ceased operations. It seems more like Spirit is having their meltdown – similar to AA – similar to DL – just in a manner befitting their company style. No fun if you are involved and hopefully they will get it cleaned up over the next few days.
Be kind and empathetic? That needs to go both ways. Sometimes I don’t understand why all you bloggers seem to gravel to the airlines. Did you see that chaos? And the airlines answer is to tell staff to dress out of uniform and/or leave. These people are left with no food, no hotel, no transportation. And I would make a guess many of these passengers couldn’t afford the extortionate hotel rates in SJU. Nor should they have to. Spirit didn’t live up to its share of the agreement but for some reason in the us no one gives a crap if it’s the airline which fails to.
I’m sorry I’m all for this. Tear the crap apart. Maybe then someone at that trash airline will listen.
Shawn, hey look buddy, if you are 1 of the many majorly upset & screwed over travelers in SJU NOTHING I SAY OR DO WILL MK U FEEL BETTER but….I can tell you for fact that you absolutely DO NOT want to get caught knowingly breaking the law outside of the United States!! If u think ur situation is rough now, just get arrested & thrown in jail over there! TRUST ME! YOU DO NOT WANT THAT SITUATION!! If I could I’d come get ya in my Aerostar & fly you anywhere u want to go but be smart & keep ur cool. I know it severely sux! I do. But keep it together buddy. Best of luck, RC DAVIS/Senior Captain/Chief Pilot ACI
SJU is not “out of the United States.” Puerto Rico is a U.S. territory.
What do you expect for $40?
Would you riot at the greyhound station if there was a problem?
Spirit is essentially the same thing.
The real issue is that if you don’t have emergency funds you should not be travelling but people don’t want to hear that.
Let’s look at the past year in the Airline industry. No one flying, barely keeping alive, Skelton crew, Federal Unemployment on top of State UI of $300 a week. Can’t hire anyone back. Short staff, demand increases, cant meet the demand. Entitlement expectations meet reality in the COVID world….spoiled passengers thinking the are all that and a bag of chips. Chaos at the airport.
I do not feel sorry for people who lived through the Global Pandemic and think, for some reason, that return to normal is like flipping on a switch. Don’t you think it is funny that employees demand higher wages but expect low cost items? That is not how the economy works.
None of that is the ticketing agents doing and they aren’t paid enough to be abused by the public for things that are out of their hands. There is no excuse for taking out your frustrations on a human being that has nothing to do with the problem.
They work for a crappy airline for dirt wages and no benefits. They deal with ghetto and village idiot passengers day after day. Then things happen beyond their pay grade and control but you’re all upset because they don’t want to get the crap beaten out of them by an angry trailer trash mob rampaging through the airport. So they leave to protect themself. Makes sense to me.
We flew Spirit once. Have never seen so many black people in Gucci attire. [Deleted content]
Funny, as I pass by the Spirit counter, all I ever see is white trash like you, Felix; perhaps you and your troglodyte friends should find another way to travel.
What a racist comment..SMH
Thank’s for showing your face with that asinine comment..I’m sure we will be seeing you soon..
Fine example of white trash. I doubt it’s even your photo for no one is that stupid..or are you?
Did your parents teach you to be that racist. Your remark is disgusting
I’m shocked this comment got through the live and lets fly censors, but it’s making me laugh!
To FELIX the RACIST RAT. Your kind is the reason the world is so messed up. Take a course on why “YOU” are not the only ones on this earth!!! You know where you can GO.
To FELIX the RAT, next time you want to FLY, don’t forget your
Rule 240 needs to be codified into law ASAP.
I fly spirit airline on June 25 / 21 and we sat on the run for two hours before taking off. First the say mechanical problem. Then after an hour they say they waiting on documents. It just kept going on and on with the excuses . And the ticket agents for very unprofessional. They treat you as if your begging for a seat on the flight as if you didn’t purchase a ticket. This problem with spirit happened to me twice, and you have to pay for everything. Not even a bottle of water you get as complimentary.
Same thing happen to me and my fiancé 2 years ago in June and we had know weather issues at the time in Philly and they still cancel our flight. Worst airline ever!!!
well you idiots get what you pay for……lazy liberals want cheap tickets.
i dont feel bad for you at all.
Lazy liberals how redundant; I’m a working republican who wants to save money on a flight ! I work every day and save money wherever I can
Oh Oh, watch out for folks, there is a KAREN (Racist female) in the house. Stupid ?;”.
Um, everyone wants cheap tickets, actually.
Your pittful human being. If you you didn’t take a spare airline then it’s none of your business and what people can and can’t afford is none of your business so go on about your day and worry about yourself and not everybody else
Poor Stuart is stuck in San Juan because of this. Good luck buddy.
I’m actually kiteboarding on a beautiful beach in the Western Sahara of Morocco. No riots or problems here. A small lodge with 30 rooms and $1 beers. The internet is spotty but good enough to be grateful I’m not in Florida. But thanks for your concern.
People buy the lowest priced ticket, that doesn’t make them trash.
Forced into having interline agreements?
Of course the staff left in civilian clothing, put yourself in their place. They are not responsible and corporate is
leaving them high and dry. If no passengers are leaving no passengers are coming in, there are plenty of hotels and food. I just hope the business’s don’t scalp the stranded.
Everyone wants a cheap ticket, and that is neither R’s nor D’s and I’s as well. Preparation is everything.
It’s about time an airline suffers a riot. The system is one sided to screw the passenger, if you miss your flight due to weather, the airline cancels your tickets and give you the finger, if they cancel your flight due to weather, then you are told sorry not our fault it’s weather related. Your bags must be check in 45 minutes before the flight, why isn’t there a time limit by when your bags need to be on that damn conveyer belt. And the list goes on
At DFW AA had melt down yesterday. My God thanks to AAdvantage team at the Admirals Club . American airlines got class . Eventhough I ended waiting 30 minutes to get assistance. They made my journey even easier . Instead of connecting flight they put me on a non stop flight. Even better. Kudos to them. As you said you get what you paid for .My ticket was not expensive with AA . But they valued it . I had a good glass of wine at the club and boarded my flight. Thanks to their AA agents at admirals club.
Yesterday when I went to get the mail I thought there’d be a bunch of credit card offers but instead there were a bunch of dentist practice offers.
Afterwards I hung out and watched old rereuns on Hulu and fed my fish.
“Spirit Airlines Collapses” is wildly misleading word choice for this headline. This phrasing is what’s used when airlines go bankrupt or cease operations for good…not a day of mass cancellations and logistical failures.
They ripped my husband and I off for about $950.00 when they made it impossible for us to board our flight, when they finally figured it out , they said “oh oh looks like you missed your flight- then they gave us tickets for a time that was already to late for why we were going in the first place- they are a sh!t airlines with sh!t employees.. this was at PDX and the security at PDX thought it was all pretty funny. I will never fly or like that day”try” to fly again. The airline industry no longer treats you as a valued customer, they treat you as a second rate citizen that is suppose to feel it’s a privilege to fly, well think again
$950??? Wtf did you spend $950 on?? None of spirits flights cost that much!! How did they make it “impossible” for you to get on your flight? Did you have 50 carry ons to be ripped off that much? I’m very curious
How has the airline “collapsed”? An operational meltdown is not the same as a “collapse”, which would imply the airline had entered administration.
Meltdown and collapse are synonyms.
They are absolutely not synonyms in this context. The term “collapse” is very specific to an airline going bankrupt or out of business.
Just run a search for “airline meltdown” and “airline collapse” and see if you notice a difference in the results.
Agreed “collapse” is a little hyperbolic but this blog aint exactly the New York Times
As a long-time reader of the blog, you should be aware that Matthew is not above posting clickbait. Also, his English usage is sometimes odd and makes him seem like an ESLer.
Thanks…I guess.
It’s the people not the airline.
Welcome to the US.
Seems to be the new normal.
Problems? Rage instead of fixing it.
This is disastrous, and classic Spirit. I generally wouldn’t touch American ultra low cost carriers with a wooden pole due to the complete lack of regulations when it comes to duty of care for canceled flights and the like. European regulations require airlines to give refunds and financial compensation to customers whose flights are canceled at the last minute for reasons within the airline’s control. Even when they’re out of the airline’s control (like weather), they still have a responsibility to pay for meals and lodging, if needed. Never mind interline agreements — they have a legal obligation to figure out a way to get you there.
And for anyone who thinks this would kill LCCs, keep in mind that Ryanair, Wizzair, and the like all operate under these regulations, and offer $10 roundtrip flights (or less).
No airline offers meals or hotels for weather. Read the Contract of Carriage.
Nope. You may not be familiar with Regulation (EC) 261/2004, which spells out the specific rights of air passengers in the event of delays* and the care they’re entitled to by the airline, regardless of the reason for the delay.
“This includes: meals and refreshments in reasonable relation to the waiting time, possibly hotel accommodation including transport costs, and the opportunity to make two brief telephone calls or to send two faxes or e-mails.”
The only difference when it comes to factors outside the airline’s control, like weather, is that you’re not entitled to additional (cash) compensation like you would be if they were at fault.
Here is Lufthansa’s Passenger Rights page, for example: https://www.lufthansa.com/de/en/passenger-rights. Have a look at the ‘delays’ and ‘cancellations’ sections.
* delayed by at least four hours in the case of flights of more than 3,500 km, by at least three hours in the case of flights of between 1,500 and 3,500 km and flights of more than 1.500 km within the EU, and by two hours in the case of flights of up to 1,500 km
Come on, that comment from Felix Maranzino @ August 2, 2021 at 9:18 pm is just racist filth. How can that stand?
THIS IS 2021… STILL IN THE THROWS OF A WORLDWIDE PANDEMIC …. NOT THE END OF IT !!!
HOW ABOUT THIS….STAY HOME, STOP RISKING WITH SELFISH BEHAVIOUR ….ALL ABOUT ENTITLEMENT, JUST
STAY HOME!!!!!!
Why don’t you just stay home, hide under the covers, and let the rest of us live our damn lives?!?
Normally, I have some fun at the expense of Spirit passengers turning the airport/aircraft into a rendition of the Jerry Springer Show. But in this case, I would call it a “chicken and egg scenario”, What happened first: passengers rioting or Spirit ditching them there without explanation or recourse? I don’t think it’s hard to guess that it’s the latter, in which case, having employees run and hide is absolute BS and shouldn’t be tolerated.
Obviously, attacks on employees are not to be tolerated either. And I’d never condone such a thing. But the mobs being furious when customer service runs off and changes into street clothes, leaving them there to survive in a strange airport is quite understandable.
I don’t condone violence EXCEPT under my described scenarios? It’s black or white; no shades of gray; you do or you don’t. And YOU DO CONDONE VIOLENCE☹️!!! There are NO EXTENUATING CIRCUMSTANCES.
This summer the airlines are having more meltdowns than my two year old.
I fly with spirit all the time and never had a problem until two weeks ago when they canceled 8 flights leaving Fort Lauderdale and would give us zero help or answers I will not fly with them anymore!!
I will never fly spirit again. I bought a round trip plane ticket ,so I expect a round trip not a one way. It’s horrible customer service to leave someone stranded. They don’t care about people they only care bout money. The fact they are not offering any kind of vouchers for people to stay somewhere is outrageous, I hope after this there airline goes under. I will tell ever person I know to never take this airline again. Spirit is a piece of ahit airline
Click bait headline
But true.
Anything for a click, huh? That’s pretty sad.
Hey, with morals like that, you could start your own ultra-low-cost airline, and make people even madder! Why not try that if your day job at this low rent blog doesn’t pan out?
In the airline industry, collapse means total failure, bankruptcy. Meltdown doesn’t carry the same finality. But you already knew that.
Why are they calling SWAT and not social workers??
I’m trying to figure out if this is even true. I can’t find any videos of a riot at SJU. There’s one from last year when a large brawl broke out, but no other news stations seen to be c reporting a riot either. They’re just reporting about large numbers of cancellations by Spirit Airlines, but no riot.
I was stuck in Atlanta over 24 hr when Southwest had computer meltdown a few years back. It was miserable. Haven’t flown with them since. I feel foe all these people.