ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) — Travelers flying with Spirit Airlines woke up Saturday to canceled flights after the company announced overnight that it was shutting down operations.
Passengers and employees said they received no advance warning before the sudden closure.
“We just got informed a couple hours ago that our flight was canceled. We can’t talk to nobody, and we don’t know when we’re getting our money back,” passenger Reshunda Mathis said.
RELATED: Delta, other airlines offer rescue fares as Spirit Airlines shuts down operations
Freddy Peterson, a Spirit flight attendant based in Atlanta for 10 years, said he was not notified by the company and instead learned about the shutdown the same way many passengers did.
“Well, the social media was coming out that Spirit was going to be out of business at 3 a.m. So, I set my alarm clock for 3 a.m. I immediately went to Spirit booking. And then it had a PowerPoint there saying all the flights had been canceled,” Peterson said.
Delta helped get Peterson and his crew back to Atlanta. Peterson said he is now worried about paying his bills.
“I have a grandson, so I started thinking about family,” he said. “And I just purchased a home, so now I’m thinking about stuff that’s survival mode. Making sure the car note, making sure the home and all that stuff is taken care of.”
Spirit said anyone with a canceled flight will be automatically refunded. But passengers said there is nowhere to turn for help.
“They’re not answering the phones, none of that. The website, none of that. You can’t get through,” Mathis said.
FlightAware shows 256 Spirit flights out of Atlanta canceled for Saturday.
Passengers and employees said the hardest part was how the shutdown happened.
“I think the company knew this, and I think they should have gave us the information in advance. I think the company should’ve been more proactive in advance,” Peterson said.
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