Travelers on Spirit Airlines who were left out in the cold and unable to fly after the budget airline shutdown Saturday, May 2, should check their credit card statements, pronto.
Spirit Airlines said it would be automatically reimbursing most customers with tickets. But if you have not yet seen a refund hitting your credit card or bank account online, you should dispute the charge with your credit card or debit card issuer immediately, said Teresa Murray, who directs the Consumer Watchdog office for U.S. PIRG, a nonprofit advocacy group.
She said do not wait to get a monthly statement to take action and dispute any unreimbursed charges for an unused ticket.
“The clock is ticking!” she said. “Consumers have more protections with credit cards than debit cards, but both operate generally on a 60-day window from the date of the statement the charge appears on. It basically falls under the category of ‘I paid for this thing and I didn’t get it.’ “
At the same time, she said, travelers should reach out to Spirit. But you should not let any lack of response, she said, stop you at this point from disputing the charge on your credit or debit card.
If the traveler doesn’t have success contacting Spirit or disputing the charge, she said, then they may need to consider filing a claim as a creditor.
A spokesperson for Spirit indicated that travelers should be mindful that refunds can take time to appear as Monday was the first banking day since the shut down on Saturday.
“The majority of guests who booked travel on a credit or debit card were refunded as of Saturday evening, with a small percentage continuing to process,” according to Rachel Chesley, senior managing director for FTI Consulting, which is handling communications since the shutdown.
How to get a refund for Spirit airlines tickets
The U.S. Department of Transportation recommends that Spirit ticketholders pursuing a refund should:
What happens if you used ‘Free Spirit’ points?
Spirit said on Saturday that consumers who booked flights via a travel agent should contact thetravel agent directly to request a refund.
If you booked flights using any other methods, including a voucher, credit or Free Spirit points, Spirit said, your refund will be determined at a later date through the bankruptcy process. See SpiritRestructuring.com for more information.
Most of Spirit’s competitors are offering what some call “rescue fares” with certain restrictions, limited caps and discounts for travelers who have proof that they had an upcoming flight with Spirit.
What kind of relief is out there now?
The U.S. Department of Transportation offers many details on its website regarding some types of relief.
For consumers worried about higher prices, the DOT stated, American Airlines and Delta Air Lines are offering reduced fares on high-volume Spirit routes.
“Allegiant has also committed to freezing fare prices across routes that overlap with Spirit,” according to the DOT.
“To support impacted travelers, Frontier is offering up to 50% off base fares across its network until May 10th.”
In addition, the DOT stated that United, Delta, JetBlue, and Southwest are all capping ticket prices specifically for Spirit customers who now need to rebook cancelled flights.
“To access these special prices, individuals will need to provide at a minimum a Spirit flight confirmation number and proof of payment. Please refer to each individual airlines website for additional specifics.”
These fares will only be available for a select time period. According to the DOT announcement Saturday, May 2, availability is as follows:
Contact personal finance columnist Susan Tompor: stompor@freepress.com. Follow her on X @tompor.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: How travelers can get refunds after Spirit Airlines shuts down
Reporting by Susan Tompor, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
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