Spirit Airlines shutdown brings chaos to travelers at DTW and across the United States

Flight frustration after Spirit Airlines shuts down

Many agents are simply swamped right now as people try to get out of the stranded situation they find themselves in. That’s been the story ever since Spirit Airlines ceased all operations and closed down at 3 a.m. this past Saturday morning after a $500 million government bailout package fell through. Rising jet fuel costs certainly did not help the situation. 

ROMULUS, Mich. (FOX 2) - There’s one less airline getting people where they need to go at the start of the work week as Spirit Airlines went out of business Saturday. Meanwhile, the ripple effect is still being felt at Detroit Metro Airport (DTW) and around the nation.

Big picture view:

Many agents are simply swamped right now as people try to get out of the stranded situation they find themselves in. That’s been the story ever since Spirit Airlines ceased all operations and closed down at 3 a.m. on Saturday morning after a $500 million government bailout package fell through.

Rising jet fuel costs certainly did not help the situation. 

Not only are travelers trying to rebook returning flights on other airlines after Spirit went offline, people are also rushing to rebook trips they planned weeks and months ago, not knowing how much more money they will pay now in new air fares.

What they're saying:

David Fishman of Cadillac Travel Group says phones are ringing off the hook, and it’s going to be like this for a long time.

"The problem is that people have flights booked for sometimes you book your flights up to a year out. So this could be going on for 6 months, 8 months, 9 months, 10 months for a while," said Fishman.

"We have even heard of hotels in the Orlando area offering discounts to stranded passengers because of the effect of the shutdown from Spirit, but we are hearing that Spirit has issued those automatic refunds to a good portion of travelers, so at the very least, you should be seeing that bit your credit or debit card," said travel expert Katy Nastro.

What you can do:

Fishman says if you booked your trip with an agent, let them go to work to get your money back so you don’t have to deal with the stress yourself. 

If you booked a Spirit flight with insurance, experts say check with that insurance carrier right away to see if you are covered.

Depending on the policy rules, you might be at a loss.