Spirit Airlines officially filed for bankruptcy protection on Monday after the pioneer of no-frills travel in the US struggled with a long string of quarterly losses, failed merger attempts and looming debt.
Spirit's problems intensified after the collapse of its planned $3.8 billion merger with JetBlue Airways in January and the impact of problems with RTX and Pratt & Whitney turbofan engines that grounded many of its planes.
How will this news affect people traveling for Thanksgiving at airports like Logan Airport in Boston or TF Green in Rhode Island?
Here's what you need to know.
Yes, the airline operates from Boston Logan International Airport. Spirit operates from Terminal B at Logan Airport.
No, that won't happen.
Spirit Airlines officials stated that the airline expects to “continue its flight operations during the procedure and customers will be able to book and fly without interruption. Passengers should not be overly concerned about their travel plans or frequent flyer miles right away.”
“In the short term, it's just going to be smaller,” Robert W. Mann Jr., a former airline executive officer and current president of RW Mann and Co., an independent aviation consulting firm, told USA Today.
Mann added that while the immediate effects are minimal, it is possible that there will be schedule changes and cancellations later in the winter as a result of the bankruptcy.
Travelers with existing Spirit reservations should watch for notifications of any changes to their Spirit itinerary as their departure date approaches.
The Department of Transportation recently issued guidelines requiring airlines to provide passengers with full refunds if their flight is canceled for any reason or delayed more than three hours on a domestic route or six hours on an international route. Travelers are only eligible for a refund if they choose not to travel on the delayed flight or on an alternate itinerary offered by the airline.
Generally, airline loyalty points or miles are not transferable, but Mann said frequent flyer programs are valuable assets that often survive bankruptcies.
It is also possible that Spirit will emerge from bankruptcy through a merger, according to USA Today.
According to the airline's website, Spirit Airlines is an ultra-low-cost airline that flies to destinations in the United States, the Caribbean and Latin America. Some of their top destinations include Orlando, Fort Lauderdale, Atlanta, San Juan, Las Vegas, New York, Tampa and Los Angeles.”
This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Spirit Air bankruptcy: How it will affect flights from Logan Airport
