Spirit Airlines shuts down immediately, stranding travelers: Here’s how to get your money back

Spirit Airlines’ abrupt shutdown has left many travelers scrambling for answers, especially when it comes to getting their money back.

The budget carrier announced Saturday that it was canceling all flights as it started winding down operations "effective immediately." Customers who booked directly with Spirit using a credit or debit card will be automatically refunded to their original form of payment, the airline said.

"All flights booked with credit and debit cards are in the process of being automatically refunded," a spokesperson for Spirit told FOX Business. "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. Refunds may take time to appear in a guest’s account."

Meanwhile, those who purchased tickets through third-party vendors — including travel agencies — will need to reach out to those providers to request refunds, according to the airline.

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Passengers who used vouchers, travel credits or loyalty points to book face more uncertainty. 

Those claims will be handled through Spirit’s bankruptcy process. Customers can find more details on the airline's restructuring website, the airline said.

The Department of Transportation (DOT) warns that refunds could become complicated as proceedings move forward, and outlines steps travelers can take to try to recover their money.

Options include contacting your credit card company to request a "chargeback," checking traveling insurance coverage, or submitting a claim in bankruptcy court, according to DOT.

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Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy echoed that guidance during a Saturday press conference, while also pointing travelers to some rebooking options.

Major U.S. airlines — including United, Delta, JetBlue, and Southwest — are capping rebooking fares. Affected Spirit customers may be eligible for one-way tickets priced around $200, provided they can verify their original booking, according to Duffy.

"I would recommend that if you have a ticket with Spirit that you actually try to book with these airlines as soon as possible," Duffy said. "These offers are not going to be open forever."

American and Delta are also offering reduced fares on high-traffic Spirit routes, Allegiant has frozen prices on overlapping routes, and Frontier is offering up to 50% off base fares through May 10, Duffy wrote on X.

Spirit said the shutdown follows failed restructuring efforts, citing rising fuel costs and an inability to secure funding.

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"For more than 30 years, Spirit Airlines has played a pioneering role in making travel more accessible and bringing people together while driving affordability across the industry," Spirit’s President and CEO Dave Davis said in a statement. 

"… Sustaining the business required hundreds of millions of additional dollars of liquidity that Spirit simply does not have and could not procure," Davis added. "This is tremendously disappointing and not the outcome any of us wanted."

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The DOT did not immediately respond to FOX Business' request for comment.

FOX Business' Robert McGreevy contributed to this report.