Airlines rush to help stranded Spirit passengers with rescue fares

Updated May 2, 2026, 12:26 p.m. ETSpirit Airlines ceased operations on May 2, canceling all flights and leaving passengers to find new travel arrangements.The airline will provide refunds for tickets purchased directly but will not rebook passengers on other carriers.Multiple other airlines, including American, United, and Delta, are offering discounted or capped fares to assist stranded Spirit passengers.Spirit Airlines shuttered operations in the early hours of May 2, canceling all flights and leaving thousands of passengers scrambling to rebook.The company said in a statement on social media that it would not be able to assist with rebooking passengers on other airlines, but added that refunds would be available immediately for passengers who purchased their tickets through Spirit's website with a credit or debit card.Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said other airlines were stepping in to help get Spirit's passengers home."Following conversations with the Department of Transportation, America Airlines, United, Delta, JetBlue, Southwest, Allegiant, Frontier, Avelo, and Breeze have all agreed to support impacted Spirit passengers in different ways," the DOT's statement said.Broadly, many airlines are offering reduced fares to passengers with canceled Spirit tickets, or capped fares on routes where they competed with Spirit.United, Delta, JetBlue and Southwest are all capping