The fallout from the ongoing Spirit bankruptcy is leaving travelers stranded as the budget airline cancels hundreds of flights while negotiating a creditor agreement. Spirit Airlines, which has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy twice, cut more than 250 flights this month, disrupting passengers across South Florida.
According to reports, the cancellations were not tied to recent snowstorms. Instead, staffing shortages appear to be at the center of the turmoil. “Spirit Airlines has been suffering crew shortages for months now,” travel industry expert Gary Leff told Fox News Digital. “They’ve been acknowledging a lack of crew in many of their cancellation announcements.” He added, “The troubled carrier has cut pay. Given uncertainty around the carrier’s future, it’s likely some employees are taking unannounced time off for a job search.”
FlightAware data showed major impacts at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, Palm Beach International Airport and Orlando International Airport. Loyal customer Ira Mendelsohn described the recent experience as deeply frustrating after two flights were canceled in one weekend. “It has been awful,” Mendelsohn said. “And it can take hours now to reach customer service.”
Leff noted the disruptions intensified over a recent holiday weekend, stating, “The airline’s challenges are continuing.”
Despite the setbacks, Spirit announced Tuesday it reached an agreement with creditors that would allow it to emerge from bankruptcy in the spring or early summer. In a statement, the airline said, “Spirit will align its network and capacity to routes and periods of strongest consumer demand.”
As bankruptcy proceedings continue, travelers are left navigating uncertainty while the airline works to stabilize operations and restore reliability.
