Travel
Discount airline offering direct flights between Rochester and Florida enters bankruptcy. Will it affect your travel plans?
Spirit Airlines, which launched service out of Rochester two years ago, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection Monday after a long run of quarterly losses, failed merger attempts and looming debt maturities.
It previously announced pilot furloughs and capacity cuts to address ongoing financial issues, as well as engine problems that have grounded many Airbus A320s across airlines. Spirit exclusively flies planes in the A320 family, so it has been heavily impacted by these faults and was already capping capacity as a result.
The Florida-based discount carrier’s troubles deepened after the collapse of its $3.8 billion planned merger with JetBlue Airways in January.
Spirit began operating out of the Frederick Douglass Greater Rochester International Airport in 2022 with daily nonstop service to Orlando and seasonal nonstop service to Myrtle Beach. It has since added daily nonstop service to Fort Lauderdale.
The airline listed its estimated assets and liabilities in the range of $1 billion to $10 billion each, according to Monday’s court filing.
Spirit has entered into an agreement with its bondholders that is expected to reduce total debt and provide increased financial flexibility.
Here’s what passengers need to know as Spirit enters bankruptcy.
What happens to already booked flights?
Most, if not all, flights should operate as scheduled in the near term.
Robert W. Mann Jr., a former airline executive officer and current president of R. W. Mann and Co., an independent airline consultancy, told USA TODAY it’s unlikely Thanksgiving travel will be affected, but it is possible that there could be schedule changes and cancellations later in the winter.
Travelers with existing Spirit reservations should look out for notifications about any changes to their itinerary from Spirit as their departure date approaches.
The Department of Transportation recently finalized guidelines that require airlines to provide passengers with a full refund if their flight is canceled or delayed more than three hours on a domestic itinerary or six hours on an international itinerary for any reason. Travelers are only eligible for the refunds if they choose not to travel on the delayed flight or on an alternative itinerary offered by the airline.
Can I transfer my Spirit loyalty miles/points to another airline?
Generally, airline loyalty points or miles are not transferrable.
Who keeps Spirit’s planes?
It depends. Spirit already doesn’t own all of its planes. For the part of its fleet that’s leased, the lessor will retain possession and will be free to re-lease to Spirit or another airline, depending on what offers are on the table.
Planes that Spirit does own could be sold off to raise cash during its bankruptcy, but the airline may choose to sell other assets like gates and airport slots instead if its managers feel the planes are more likely to generate income by remaining in service.
Contributing: Reuters
Reporter Marcia Greenwood covers general assignments and has an interest in retail news. Send story tips to mgreenwo@rocheste.gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @MarciaGreenwood.
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