Spirit Airlines

Complaints & Reviews on USAComplaints

USAComplaints currently maintains 210 historical complaints about Spirit Airlines, published between 2000 and 2016. No approved complaints have been published on this site during the last three years. For a current reputation snapshot, see the independent sources below.

• Delayed Baggage on Cruise Trip, Airline Demands Return of Purchased ItemsPublished Jan 27, 2016 · Historical consumer allegation
• Misleading Mile Voucher Promotion Tied to Airline Credit Card SignupPublished Dec 7, 2013 · Historical consumer allegation
• Last Five Flights All Delayed Two to Five HoursPublished Jul 18, 2013 · Historical consumer allegation
• Paid Twice for Same Tickets After Children Told Too Late to BoardPublished Jun 19, 2013 · Historical consumer allegation
• Missed Flight After Gate Closed, Paid Fees, Then Missed Rebooked FlightPublished May 30, 2013 · Historical consumer allegation
• Bags Lost on Flight to Honduras and Never ReturnedPublished May 15, 2013 · Historical consumer allegation
• Website Changed Billing Address to Bogus Address, Identity ConcernPublished Apr 30, 2013 · Historical consumer allegation
• Entire Ticket Forfeited After Son Missed Flight, Return Leg LostPublished Mar 31, 2013 · Historical consumer allegation
• Told Flight Was Missed and Asked to Pay $500 to Fly StandbyPublished Mar 17, 2013 · Historical consumer allegation
• Fees for Seat, Bags, Carry-On and Water Make Fares MisleadingPublished Mar 10, 2013 · Historical consumer allegation
• Billed Annual Dues for 2013 After Cancelling $9 Fare Club MembershipPublished Feb 26, 2013 · Historical consumer allegation
• Charged $100 for Carry-On Bag and Poor Customer ServicePublished Feb 23, 2013 · Historical consumer allegation
• Free Tickets Offered for Credit Card Signup Were Cancelled Before UsePublished Feb 11, 2013 · Historical consumer allegation
• Ticket Purchased in Error, Airline Refused Any ChangePublished Feb 7, 2013 · Historical consumer allegation
• Check-in Closed Despite Arriving on Time, Supervisor Refused to HelpPublished Jan 19, 2013 · Historical consumer allegation
• Late Arrival, Lost Stroller, Drink Charges and Fee to Rebook FlightPublished Dec 29, 2012 · Historical consumer allegation
• Deceptive Recurring Annual Charges for Club SpiritPublished Dec 26, 2012 · Historical consumer allegation
• Weather Delay and Diversion to Cincinnati Left Passengers Waiting HoursPublished Dec 26, 2012 · Historical consumer allegation
• Undisclosed charges and lack of detail information on trip packagePublished Dec 20, 2012 · Historical consumer allegation
• Late Takeoff, 12 Hour Trip, No Food or Water, Cramped SeatingPublished Dec 1, 2012 · Historical consumer allegation

Complaint Themes

Each tag reflects a complaint's single primary theme (not every angle it raised), and complaints outside any problem theme — a positive report, or one later retracted by its author — aren't tagged. Counts may total less than the full complaint count above.

Independent Sources

Shown for context — not merged with USAComplaints' own numbers.

Contacts

• Bankruptcy claims-agent case site (Epiq): https://dm.epiq11.com/SpiritAirlines
• Corporate main number on SEC filings, not a customer line: 954-447-7920 6 complaints mention this number
• Epiq claims agent, toll-free U.S./Canada (per docket 597 order): +1-855-952-6606
• Epiq claims agent, international (per docket 597 order): +1-971-715-2831

Locations

Spirit Airlines refunds, claims and complaints after the May 2, 2026 wind-down: what Spirit, the bankruptcy court and DOT say (checked October 11, 2026)

This page was checked on October 11, 2026 against Spirit's May 2, 2026 press release (filed with the SEC as an exhibit to a Form 8-K on May 4, 2026), the bankruptcy docket on the court-appointed claims agent's site (Epiq) and on CourtListener, DOT's consumer pages, BBB and Trustpilot. Spirit's parent said on May 2, 2026 that all Spirit flights were cancelled as it began an orderly wind-down, and the Chapter 11 case (No. 25-11897, U.S. Bankruptcy Court, S.D.N.Y.) was still open on October 10, 2026. Spirit's own website, www.spirit.com, did not resolve in DNS lookups run on October 11, 2026, so the airline's current self-service refund pages could not be opened. This site links 212 archive complaints about Spirit dated 2000 to 2016; they describe the airline while it was flying, not the wind-down.

What Spirit said about refunds (May 2, 2026). The press release says: “Spirit will automatically process refunds for any flights purchased through Spirit with a credit or debit card to the original form of payment. Guests who booked flights via a travel agent should contact the travel agent directly to request a refund. Compensation for Guests who booked flights using any other methods, including a voucher, credit or Free Spirit points, will be determined at a later date through the bankruptcy process.” This page did not identify a later Spirit statement on refund timing in the sources checked on October 11, 2026.

A different instruction reproduced by BBB. BBB's Spirit profile, as displayed on October 11, 2026, reproduces what it presents as Spirit's wind-down notice (“customer service is no longer available”) and a refund Q&A that says, for flights booked through Spirit with a credit or debit card: “Go to https://www.spirit.com/my-trips/find-trip to log in and start the process,” for travel-agent bookings “Contact your agent directly,” and for vouchers, credit or Free Spirit points that refunds “will be determined at a later date through the bankruptcy court process.” That is BBB's reproduction, not a Spirit page opened for this check; the Spirit domain did not resolve on October 11, 2026, so the linked self-service page could not be opened. It differs from the May 2 press release, which says card refunds would be processed automatically; the two statements are shown side by side and this page does not decide between them.

Card disputes and insurance (DOT). DOT's consumer advisory on Spirit (a PDF in DOT's May 2026 files) tells ticketholders to contact their card issuer, because “you may be protected under the Fair Credit Billing Act,” to check whether travel insurance covers “insolvency” or “service cessation,” and to consider filing a proof of claim in the bankruptcy, which “can take time and may only result in a partial refund.” DOT's page on airline bankruptcies adds that a credit card claim should be filed “as soon as possible,” and that “Generally, the credit card issuer must receive this notice no later than 60 days after the date that you received the first monthly statement that listed the charge for the transportation, although credit card companies sometimes waive this deadline for future transportation.” For debit cards, DOT says “Some debit card issuers may voluntarily provide protections.” Because Spirit's flights stopped on May 2, 2026, that 60-day period may already have run for many charges; whether an issuer will still consider a claim is up to the issuer.

Claims in the bankruptcy (last resort). DOT says a proof of claim is considered “along with many other creditors,” and that passengers are general unsecured creditors who “may only receive a small fraction” of what was owed. The Epiq case page for Spirit Aviation Holdings, Inc., et al. (filed August 29, 2025, Judge Sean H. Lane) lists “File a Claim,” a general proof of claim form and an administrative expense claim form. Two court deadlines have passed: the general bar date for pre-petition claims was January 27, 2026 at 4:00 p.m. ET (order entered December 15, 2025, docket 597), and the bar date for administrative expense claims arising from the petition date through May 1, 2026 was July 27, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. ET (order entered June 22, 2026, docket 1215). Both orders say a passenger need not file for “claims in the form of refunds and/or travel credit, if an order of this Court authorized the Debtors to honor such claim in the ordinary course of business,” citing the customer-programs order of October 7, 2025 (docket 213); the July 27 order also exempts administrative claims arising on or after May 2, 2026. A text search of the 1,699 docket entries through October 10, 2026 did not identify a separate order creating a passenger-refund claims procedure after May 2, 2026. The exemption for claims arising on or after May 2, 2026 only says such claims are outside the July 27 bar date; the order itself does not create a refund procedure or a new deadline for them, so filing the generic Epiq form is not shown by these orders to be sufficient. The order of December 15, 2025 (docket 597) gives the claims agent's numbers as +1-855-952-6606 (toll-free in the U.S. and Canada) and +1-971-715-2831 (international) and states that “The Claims Agent cannot provide legal advice.” Read the orders and notices on the Epiq site or ask a bankruptcy attorney; this page is not legal advice.

Rebooking offers have ended. DOT's briefing of May 2026 listed fare caps for Spirit customers that were time-limited (JetBlue 72 hours, Southwest 72 hours at airport counters, Delta 5 days, United two weeks) and a Frontier discount “until May 10th.” Those windows have passed.

Check where a “support” number comes from. BBB's Spirit page, as displayed on October 11, 2026, carries an “Out-of-Business known or suspected” alert, and several customer reviews on it contain telephone numbers written into the review text; BBB says it does not verify what third parties post. A number in a review is not a Spirit or court channel. The claims agent's Epiq case page and DOT's pages above are the official routes found in this check.

Complaining to DOT. DOT's complaint page says to give the airline a chance to resolve the problem first and that “If you feel that the airline does not resolve the issue to your satisfaction, you may want to file a complaint with DOT”; the online form is linked from transportation.gov/airconsumer/file-consumer-complaint.

DOT consent orders against Spirit Airlines read in full, the TSA fee dispute and the Eleventh Circuit decision (checked October 11, 2026)

DOT Order 2020-6-5 (served June 19, 2020), oversales. DOT's Office of Aviation Consumer Protection reviewed consumer complaints and found that on several occasions Spirit had required passengers who were involuntarily denied boarding to sign documents suggesting they were volunteers, that it may not have disclosed material voucher terms, and that vouchers undercompensated some passengers. The order states that “without admitting or denying the violations described above, Spirit consents to the issuance of this order.” It finds violations of 14 CFR 250.2b, 250.5(c)(1), 250.5(c)(2) and 250.10 and of 49 U.S.C. 41708 and 41712, orders Spirit to cease and desist, and assesses $350,000 in compromise of civil penalties: $155,000 due within 120 days, $110,000 credited to Spirit for funds spent buying airfare on other airlines for passengers denied boarding because a smaller aircraft was substituted, and $85,000 that would become due if Spirit violated the order within one year.

DOT Order 2017-3-21 (served March 30, 2017), tarmac delay. DOT found that Spirit violated 14 CFR 259.4(b)(6) by failing to notify passengers on flight 713 that they had the opportunity to deplane while the aircraft was at the gate with the door open. The order says Spirit consented “Without admitting or denying the violations described above,” and assesses $60,000, of which $30,000 was payable within 30 days and $30,000 would become due if Spirit violated the order within one year.

Scope. A search of DOT's site on October 11, 2026 also returned earlier Spirit consent orders with dates from 2003 to 2012 in their titles and a 2012 DOT press release on disability complaints; those were not opened for this page, and a complete list of DOT actions against Spirit after 2020 was not compiled. No DOT enforcement order dated after 2020 was identified in the sources checked on October 11, 2026.

TSA security-fee assessment and the Eleventh Circuit. Spirit's Form 10-K for 2025 says that on February 24, 2026 it “received a preliminary assessment from the Transportation Security Administration” of $23.9 million “related primarily to expired credit shells for which TSA asserts that security fees should have been remitted,” that Spirit “disputes TSA's interpretation” and that the matter was pending before the Eleventh Circuit with oral argument on April 7, 2026. The Eleventh Circuit docket (No. 25-10461, Spirit Airlines, LLC v. Transportation Security Administration) shows oral argument on April 7, 2026 and, on April 13, 2026, an opinion with “Decision: Affirmed ... Petition DENIED.” Whether TSA's assessment will be paid as a claim in the bankruptcy was not checked.

IRS excise-tax assessment. The same 10-K says the IRS assessed $27.5 million (reduced from $34.9 million) on optional seat-selection charges for 2018 to 2020 and that Spirit is challenging it; no later outcome was checked.

May 2026 DOT advisory and briefing. DOT's May 2026 advisory and briefing on Spirit's wind-down (see the first section above) are consumer guidance and coordination announcements, not enforcement orders.

Spirit Airlines: who ran it, the two bankruptcies and the 2026 wind-down timeline

Entities. Spirit Airlines, LLC (formerly Spirit Airlines, Inc.) was the operating airline. Since March 12, 2025 its parent has been Spirit Aviation Holdings, Inc. (Delaware; 1731 Radiant Drive, Dania Beach, Florida). Both are debtors in the same jointly administered case, together with Spirit Finance Cayman 1 Ltd., Spirit Finance Cayman 2 Ltd., Spirit IP Cayman Ltd. and Spirit Loyalty Cayman Ltd. The company's 10-K says it was founded in 1964 as Clippert Trucking Company, began air charter operations in 1990, was renamed Spirit Airlines, Inc. in 1992 and moved its headquarters to Dania Beach in April 2024, and that in 2025 it “served 89 destinations in 16 countries.” These are company statements.

Timeline from filings.

• July 28, 2022: merger agreement with JetBlue signed; the 10-K says it was “terminated on March 1, 2024.”
• November 18, 2024: first Chapter 11 filing (Spirit Airlines, Inc.; BBB lists case No. 24-11988). The court confirmed a plan on February 20, 2025 and Spirit emerged on March 12, 2025, per the 10-K.
• August 29, 2025: second Chapter 11 filing by Spirit Aviation Holdings, Inc. and five affiliates in the Southern District of New York, Case No. 25-11897 (SHL); a DIP credit agreement is dated October 14, 2025.
• March 13, 2026: restructuring support agreement with certain DIP lenders and a joint plan of reorganization with a disclosure statement were filed (dockets 848 and 850).
• March 12, 2026: Form 15 filed to suspend SEC reporting under Section 15(d); the May 4, 2026 Form 8-K says the company will stop filing periodic and current reports with the SEC unless required by law, so later events here come from the court docket.
• May 2, 2026: press release announcing an orderly wind-down; the CEO is quoted as attributing it to “the sudden and sustained rise in fuel prices in recent weeks.” May 8, 2026: order authorizing the debtors to wind down operations (docket 1048).
• June to September 2026: orders approving bidding procedures (June 22), the sale of ground support equipment (July 27), campus properties and flight training equipment (August 21) and 27 EETC-financed aircraft (two orders on September 23); a notice of auction results for the LGA slots was filed on July 17.
• Sale of “deidentified data”: the auction notice filed August 14, 2026 (docket 1463) names Google LLC as successful bidder at “Total Consideration (USD): $10,000,000” and Mercor.io Corporation as alternate bidder at $7,500,000, subject to a court order approving the sale (a proposed transaction, not a completed one); the sale hearing was adjourned again on October 9, 2026 (docket 1695), and a hearing is on the court's agenda for October 14, 2026 (docket 1698).

Privacy of passenger data. The court-appointed Consumer Privacy Ombudsman's supplemental report (October 5, 2026, docket 1684) says the structured passenger databases were excluded from the proposed sale, that unstructured data such as corporate e-mail would be deidentified by an outside agent, that the data concerns “97 million consumers,” and that she recommends approval “from a privacy perspective.” The court had not ruled on that sale in the docket entries checked on October 11, 2026.

Customer data list. The proposed sale agreement attached to the August 14, 2026 auction notice (docket 1463) lists the “Customer Profiles” (97,500,000 passengers) and “Free Spirit Members” (50,200,000 members) systems as “Not Included,” but also provides that the seller “may sell its customer data list, which includes individual traveler spend aggregated by year, to third-parties in hospitality or travel industries.” Exclusion from Google's purchase therefore does not mean that every passenger-related data set is excluded from any sale; the agreement is a proposed form pending court approval.

Relationships. Spirit Aviation Holdings, Inc. owns Spirit Airlines, LLC; the Cayman entities named above are sister debtors (IP and loyalty-program holding companies) under the same parent.

What BBB, Trustpilot and this site's archive show about Spirit Airlines (as displayed on October 11, 2026)

BBB. On October 11, 2026, BBB's profile for Spirit Airlines (headquarters listing, Miramar, Florida) showed the business as not BBB Accredited, “Not Rated” because it is out of business, 2,752 total complaints in the last 3 years and 390 complaints filed in the last 12 months, and customer reviews of 1.1 out of 5 stars from 647 reviews. BBB's page also reproduces Spirit's wind-down notice and a note about the 2024 Chapter 11 filing, and says counts should be read with the size of the business in mind.

Trustpilot. The Trustpilot page for www.spirit.com showed a claimed profile (January 2018), 1.2 stars from 1,268 reviews, 136 of them in the last 12 months, and said new reviews can no longer be left because “the company's website has closed.” Trustpilot says it does not fact-check reviews.

This site's archive. 212 approved archive complaints are linked to Spirit Airlines (dated 2000 to 2016: one each in 2000, 2001, 2003, 2004 and 2016, two each in 2005 and 2006, 30 in 2007, 44 in 2008, 22 in 2009, 15 in 2010, 39 in 2011, 41 in 2012 and 15 in 2013). They are consumers' accounts, not findings, and they predate the bankruptcies. Keyword counts across the linked posts (a post can count under more than one label): refunds, cancellations, vouchers or change fees 135; delays, missed connections or being stranded 84; baggage, luggage or carry-on mentioned 70; the $9 Fare Club or membership charges 54; lost, stolen or damaged luggage 49. Two posts concern a Spirit-branded credit card issued by a bank and are linked as brand mentions.

BBB, Trustpilot, DOT and this site's archive are separate sources with different time spans; their numbers are not added together or compared.

Court matters involving Spirit Airlines: the Chapter 11 case, the carry-on fee class action and the TSA appeal

In re Spirit Aviation Holdings, Inc., et al. (Bankr. S.D.N.Y., No. 25-11897 (SHL)). Filed August 29, 2025; open on October 10, 2026 with 1,699 docket entries. Key orders checked: customer-programs final order (October 7, 2025, docket 213); claims bar-date order (December 15, 2025, docket 597); wind-down order (May 8, 2026, docket 1048); administrative-claims bar-date order (June 22, 2026, docket 1215); asset-sale orders (July to September 2026); appointment of a Consumer Privacy Ombudsman (July 23, 2026, docket 1380). An order of August 20, 2026 extended the exclusive periods to file a plan (docket 1499). No order confirming a plan was identified in the docket text checked on October 11, 2026.

Cox v. Spirit Airlines, Inc. (E.D.N.Y., No. 1:17-cv-05172). A putative class action filed August 31, 2017. In a November 2018 opinion the district court described the claims as breach of contract, unjust enrichment and fraud, brought by plaintiffs who bought tickets through third-party online travel agents and alleged they did not know Spirit charged for carry-on bags; it granted Spirit's motion to dismiss. On September 10, 2019 the Second Circuit's summary order vacated the judgment in part and remanded. The district court docket then shows a preliminary-approval order of settlement on September 21, 2023, a memorandum and order granting final approval on December 12, 2023 and a clerk's judgment on December 20, 2023 that “final approval of settlement ... is granted” and the action is “dismissed with prejudice.” A September 4, 2024 order approved an additional $729,976.31 payment to the settlement administrator from the common settlement fund. The settlement agreement itself was not opened for this page, so the class definition, fund size and claim deadlines are not stated here.

Spirit Airlines, LLC v. Transportation Security Administration (11th Cir., No. 25-10461). Petition for review of a TSA agency decision (Spirit's 10-K links this case to TSA's security-fee assessment); opinion issued April 13, 2026, “Decision: Affirmed ... Petition DENIED” (see the regulator section).

CourtListener also lists many individual suits against Spirit (personal-injury, disability-access and employment matters, among others); they are not summarized here.

Is Spirit Airlines Legitimate?

Spirit Airlines, LLC was a U.S. air carrier and is a debtor in a Chapter 11 case in the Southern District of New York (No. 25-11897) together with its parent, Spirit Aviation Holdings, Inc., an SEC registrant (CIK 1498710) that filed annual and quarterly reports until it suspended reporting in March 2026. The company's own press release of May 2, 2026 says it stopped flying that day and began an orderly wind-down; DOT posted a consumer advisory on Spirit's status on its site in May 2026. BBB lists the business as out of business and not rated, and Trustpilot's page says its website has closed. The sources checked do not show Spirit operating flights today.

For a reader with an unresolved ticket, the question that matters is not whether the company existed but how to recover money: the routes in the first section (card issuer, travel insurance, the claims agent's Epiq case site and DOT) are the ones the company, the court and DOT point to. This page does not rate or score the company; complaints and lawsuits described here are allegations or procedural records unless a document says otherwise.

Court & Public Records

Related Complaints

Names this company in a role other than the primary subject — not necessarily current or complete.

• Named as a brand of this company: Free Spirit Credit Card, Bank of America Swindled! Bate and switch!
• Named as a brand of this company: Barclay Credit Cards also owned by Sears Credit Card Credit Card Not Processing charges

Company Relationships

• Owned by: Spirit Aviation Holdings, Inc.
• Affiliated with: Spirit Loyalty Cayman Ltd.

Frequently Asked Questions