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Spirit Airlines Reviews & Complaints

Spirit Airlines, LLC, the operating airline owned by Spirit Aviation Holdings, Inc., cancelled all flights on May 2, 2026 and has since been winding down in Chapter 11 in the Southern District of New York (Case No. 25-11897), its second bankruptcy since November 2024; court filings in mid-October 2026 show the case still pending in Chapter 11. The company said tickets bought from Spirit with a credit or debit card would be refunded automatically, while compensation for vouchers, credits and Free Spirit points is left to the bankruptcy process. DOT points ticketholders to card disputes, travel insurance and, as a last resort, a claim in the bankruptcy. BBB lists the business as out of business.

REVIEWS & COMPLAINTS213on USAComplaints · none in last 3 yrs · latest 2016
WEBSITEspirit.com
HEADQUARTERSDania Beach, FL
PROFILE CHECKED2026-11-02
Submit a Complaint Read reviews & complaints ↓ Official website ↗
EDITORIAL

Company Information

Legal name
Spirit Airlines, LLC
Business type
U.S. ultra-low-cost passenger airline that stopped flying on May 2, 2026 and has been winding down under Chapter 11 (Bankr. S.D.N.Y. No. 25-11897); operating subsidiary of Spirit Aviation Holdings, Inc., Dania Beach, Florida
Website
spirit.comSource: Spirit Aviation Holdings Form 10-K for 2025, Item 1, checked 2026-11-02
Headquarters
Dania Beach, FLSource: SEC EDGAR company record for Spirit Aviation Holdings, Inc., checked 2026-11-02
Owned by
Spirit Aviation Holdings, Inc.Source: Spirit Aviation Holdings Form 10-K for 2025, Item 1, checked 2026-11-02

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 SEC reporting in March 2026. Spirit's press release of May 2, 2026 says all flights were cancelled that day as it began an orderly wind-down, and DOT issued a consumer advisory on Spirit's status. BBB lists the business as out of business, and Spirit's website, www.spirit.com, is no longer online. Spirit's wind-down notice, reproduced on BBB, says its customer service is no longer available, so a “Spirit customer service” phone number found online today is not an airline channel.

For someone with an unresolved ticket, the practical question is how to get money back: the card issuer, travel insurance and, as a last resort, a claim in the bankruptcy are the routes Spirit, the court and DOT point to (see the refunds section). Consumer complaints about Spirit are the complainants' own accounts; DOT's consent orders and the court rulings in the regulator and court sections are official decisions.

EXTERNAL SOURCE

Independent Sources

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

BBBComplaints in the last 3 years, customer reviews, Miramar FL headquarters listing
614 reviews · 2,686 complaints · average customer rating 1.12 / 5
TrustpilotAll reviews, profile closed to new reviews
1,265 reviews · TrustScore 1.2 / 5
CONSUMER ALLEGATION

Reviews & Complaints on USAComplaints

USAComplaints currently maintains 213 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 on this page.

Show 15 more on this page
EDITORIAL

Complaint Themes

Refunds, credits, cancellations and change feesDelays, missed connections and stranded passengersBaggage, luggage and carry-on mentioned$9 Fare Club and membership chargesLost, stolen or damaged luggage

Themes summarize what people write about most often. One complaint can touch several themes, and some complaints (a positive report, or one later retracted by its author) fit none, so themes are not a count of complaints.

Had an experience with Spirit Airlines? Tell other people what happened.

Submit a Complaint

Contacts reported in the sources (not confirmed)

Settlements & legal notices

Corporate & press

Other contacts

  • UnverifiedSpirit's official website, offline since the May 2026 shutdownspirit.com ↗
  • UnverifiedEpiq claims agent, toll-free from the U.S. and Canada+1-855-952-6606
  • UnverifiedEpiq claims agent, from outside the U.S. and Canada+1-971-715-2831
VERIFIED

Locations

  • Headquarters1731 Radiant Drive Dania Beach FL 33004
EDITORIAL

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

Spirit Aviation Holdings, Inc., Spirit's parent, announced on May 2, 2026 that all Spirit flights were cancelled as it began an orderly wind-down. Filings through mid-October 2026 show the Chapter 11 case (No. 25-11897, U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York) still pending. Spirit's website, www.spirit.com, is no longer online, and its customer service has closed, so the routes below run through your card issuer, your travel insurer, the bankruptcy court and DOT.

What Spirit said about refunds. The May 2, 2026 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.”

Your route depends on how you paid.

  • Credit card: a written billing-error dispute with the card issuer (details below).
  • Debit card: ask the bank; DOT says some debit card issuers protect such purchases voluntarily.
  • Travel agent or online travel agency: Spirit told these customers to request the refund from the agent.
  • Voucher, travel credit or Free Spirit points: Spirit said compensation would be decided through the bankruptcy, so watch the claims agent's case website, dm.epiq11.com/SpiritAirlines, for notices about these claims.
  • Outside the U.S. and Canada: the claims agent has an international line, +1-971-715-2831.
  • Travel insurance: whatever the payment method, check whether your policy covers airline insolvency or service cessation.

A different instruction reproduced by BBB. BBB's Spirit profile reproduces Spirit's wind-down notice, which says customer service is no longer available, and a refund Q&A that told card customers to start a refund request on Spirit's website, travel-agent customers to contact their agent, and holders of vouchers, credits or Free Spirit points that refunds would be decided later through the bankruptcy court. The press release, by contrast, says card refunds would be processed automatically. Because the Spirit website is offline, a card customer who has not been refunded should go straight to the card issuer.

Read the rest of this section

Card disputes and insurance (DOT). DOT's consumer advisory on Spirit tells ticketholders who paid by credit card that “you may be protected under the Fair Credit Billing Act” and should ask the issuer for a chargeback for services not rendered, to check whether a travel insurance policy covers “insolvency” or “service cessation,” and that a proof of claim in the bankruptcy “can take time and may only result in a partial refund.” DOT's guide to airline bankruptcies adds that a credit card claim should be filed “as soon as possible” in writing to the billing-error address on your statement (which may differ from the payment address), 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” and advises asking the issuer about reimbursement. Because Spirit's flights stopped on May 2, 2026, the 60-day period has likely run for many charges; ask the issuer anyway, in writing, and keep the booking confirmation and the cancellation notice. If an issuer refuses a dispute on a credit card, you can complain to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau at consumerfinance.gov/complaint.

Claims in the bankruptcy (last resort). DOT says a proof of claim is considered “along with many other creditors” that the airline owes money to, and that passengers are general unsecured creditors who “may only receive a small fraction” of what was owed. The claims agent's case website (dm.epiq11.com/SpiritAirlines) holds the court orders, an electronic claims portal and blank proof-of-claim forms. 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 court's final customer-programs order (docket 213); the July 27 order applies only to administrative claims arising through May 1, 2026. Neither order sets a procedure or deadline for passenger claims arising from the May 2, 2026 shutdown, so watch the case website for any later notice before relying on a filed form. The claims agent, Epiq Corporate Restructuring, can be reached at +1-855-952-6606 (toll-free from the U.S. and Canada) or +1-971-715-2831 (international); the court's order notes that “The Claims Agent cannot provide legal advice.” For advice on a large claim, consult a bankruptcy attorney.

Check where a “support” number comes from. BBB's Spirit page carries an “Out-of-Business known or suspected” alert, and some reviews posted there contain telephone numbers typed in by third parties. A number in a review or a search ad is not a Spirit or court channel; the claims agent's numbers above and DOT's pages are the official routes.

Where to complain. DOT's Office of Aviation Consumer Protection takes complaints about airlines online at transportation.gov/airconsumer/file-consumer-complaint or by mail to 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE, Washington, DC 20590. DOT forwards complaints to the airline, investigates disability and discrimination complaints individually, and uses other complaints for targeted reviews. You can also report a problem to your state attorney general, to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov, or to BBB.

EDITORIAL

What BBB, Trustpilot and consumer complaints show about Spirit Airlines

BBB. BBB's profile for Spirit Airlines (headquarters listing, 2800 Executive Way, Miramar, Florida) shows the business as not BBB Accredited and “Not Rated” because it is out of business, with an “Out-of-Business known or suspected” alert. It lists 2,686 complaints in the last 3 years, 357 of them in the last 12 months, and an average of 1.12 out of 5 stars from 614 customer reviews. Most complaints are classed as product issues or service issues; of the 3-year total, BBB marks 2,348 as answered, 279 as resolved and 15 as unresolved. BBB's page also reproduces Spirit's wind-down notice and a note about the 2024 Chapter 11 filing.

Trustpilot. Spirit's claimed Trustpilot profile for www.spirit.com shows a TrustScore of 1.2 out of 5 from 1,265 reviews and no longer accepts new ones because, in Trustpilot's words, “the company's website has closed.” Trustpilot does not fact-check reviews.

Complaints on this site. 213 published complaint reports are linked to this profile. They date from 2000 to 2016, most of them from 2007 to 2013, so they describe the airline while it was flying, not the wind-down. They are consumers' own accounts, not findings. The most common topics are refunds, cancellations, vouchers and change fees; delays, missed connections and stranded passengers; baggage fees and carry-on charges; the $9 Fare Club membership; and lost, stolen or damaged luggage.

BBB, Trustpilot and this site count different things over different periods, so their numbers are not added together.

EDITORIAL

DOT consent orders against Spirit Airlines, the TSA security-fee dispute and the IRS excise-tax assessment

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. DOT also found that over six quarters starting in 2017 Spirit reported more than 1,000 involuntarily bumped passengers as volunteers, which lowered its published bumping rate. 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. Of that amount, $110,000 was credited to Spirit for airfare it bought on other airlines to re-accommodate bumped passengers and $85,000 would become due only if Spirit violated the order again, leaving $155,000 to be paid.

DOT Order 2017-3-21 (March 2017), tarmac delay. DOT found that Spirit violated 14 CFR 259.4(b)(6) by failing to notify passengers on flight 713 from Orlando to Houston, diverted to New Orleans by weather on December 27, 2015, 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,” orders Spirit to cease and desist from similar violations, and assesses a $60,000 civil penalty.

Read the rest of this section

Earlier tarmac-delay order (2015). In August 2015 DOT assessed $100,000 against Spirit, $50,000 payable within 30 days and $50,000 forgiven unless Spirit violated the order again within 12 months, over flight 667 from Baltimore to Dallas/Fort Worth, which was diverted to Houston on July 17, 2014 and held on the tarmac in violation of DOT's tarmac-delay rule. Spirit settled without litigating.

TSA security fees: the Eleventh Circuit case. Spirit gave customers who cancelled a ticket a travel credit that expired 60 days after issuance and, when a credit expired unused, kept its value, including the federal security fee. A 2019 audit by U.S. Customs and Border Protection found that Spirit had under-remitted security fees and calculated a liability of $2,838,849.11, which TSA adopted. Spirit petitioned the Eleventh Circuit (No. 25-10461). In a published opinion of April 13, 2026 the court held that security fees collected from customers must be remitted to TSA unless refunded, that an expired credit is not a refund, and denied Spirit's petition for review.

TSA security fees: the 2026 assessment. Separately, Spirit's Form 10-K for 2025 says it received a preliminary assessment from TSA on February 24, 2026 of $23.9 million that “relates primarily to expired credit shells,” and that Spirit “disputes TSA's interpretation of the applicable regulations” and considered the assessment without merit. That assessment was not part of the Eleventh Circuit case.

IRS excise-tax assessment. The same 10-K says Spirit did not pay federal excise tax on optional seat-selection charges, that the IRS assessed $34.9 million on March 31, 2022, reduced to $27.5 million on July 19, 2022, for the second quarter of 2018 through the fourth quarter of 2020, and that Spirit is challenging the assessment.

May 2026 DOT advisory. DOT's May 2026 consumer advisory on Spirit's operations is consumer guidance, not an enforcement order; its advice is summarized in the refunds section.

EDITORIAL

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 by Spirit Aviation Holdings, Inc. and five affiliates; Judge Sean H. Lane. Key orders: the final customer-programs order (docket 213), which authorized the debtors to honor pre-bankruptcy obligations to customers and continue customer practices; the claims bar-date order (December 15, 2025, docket 597); the order authorizing the wind-down (May 8, 2026); the administrative-claims bar-date order (June 22, 2026, docket 1215); and asset-sale orders from July 2026 onward, including the September 2026 approval of the sale of the remaining 27 Airbus aircraft. A Consumer Privacy Ombudsman was appointed for the proposed sale of business data to Google, and the hearing on that sale was adjourned to November 6, 2026. Filings through mid-October 2026 show the case still pending in Chapter 11.

Cox v. Spirit Airlines, Inc. (E.D.N.Y., No. 1:17-cv-05172). A class action filed August 31, 2017 by passengers who bought Spirit tickets through third-party online travel agencies and alleged they were not told about the carry-on bag fee; the claims were breach of contract, unjust enrichment and fraud. The district court dismissed the case in November 2018; on September 10, 2019 the Second Circuit vacated that judgment in part, holding that the breach-of-contract claims were not preempted, and sent it back. The parties settled under an agreement dated August 23, 2023, under which Spirit agreed to pay up to $8.25 million, including attorneys' fees. Judge Eric Komitee preliminarily approved it on September 21, 2023 and granted final approval on December 12, 2023, noting that none of the more than 800,000 potential class members had asked to be excluded, and dismissed the action with prejudice; judgment was entered on December 20, 2023.

Spirit Airlines, LLC v. Transportation Security Administration (11th Cir., No. 25-10461). Spirit challenged TSA's position that it owed the federal security fee on tickets that were cancelled for a travel credit that later expired unused. On April 13, 2026 the court held in a published opinion that an expired credit is not a refund and denied Spirit's petition for review. The liability at issue was $2,838,849.11, calculated in a 2019 audit (see the regulator section).

PUBLIC RECORD

Court & Public Records

In re Spirit Aviation Holdings, Inc., et al. (Spirit Airlines, LLC and affiliated debtors) - Chapter 11

Filed

U.S. Bankruptcy Court, S.D.N.Y.Docket 25-11897 (SHL)Source ↗

Filed — no final outcome recorded

Voluntary Chapter 11 petitions filed by Spirit Aviation Holdings, Inc. and five affiliates, jointly administered before Judge Sean H. Lane. The debtors filed a joint plan of reorganization and disclosure statement on March 13, 2026, announced an orderly wind-down on May 2, 2026, and the court entered an order authorizing the wind-down on May 8, 2026. The general claims bar date was January 27, 2026 and the bar date for administrative claims arising through May 1, 2026 was July 27, 2026. From July 2026 the court approved sales of the company's assets, and in September 2026 it approved the sale of the remaining 27 Airbus aircraft. The proposed sale of deidentified business data to Google LLC needs separate court approval; in October 2026 the hearing on it was adjourned to November 6, 2026 (docket 1695). Filings through mid-October 2026 show the case still pending in Chapter 11.

Cox v. Spirit Airlines, Inc. (putative consumer class action, carry-on bag fees)

Settled

U.S. District Court, E.D.N.Y.Docket 1:17-cv-05172Source ↗

Settled

Plaintiffs who bought Spirit tickets through third-party online travel agencies alleged they were not told about Spirit's carry-on bag fee and sued for breach of contract, unjust enrichment and fraud. The district court granted Spirit's motion to dismiss in November 2018; on September 10, 2019 the Second Circuit, in a summary order, vacated that judgment in part, holding that the breach-of-contract claims were not preempted, and sent the case back (No. 18-3484). The parties signed a class settlement agreement dated August 23, 2023 under which Spirit agreed to pay up to $8.25 million, including attorneys' fees; the court preliminarily approved it on September 21, 2023, finding that amount within the range of reasonableness. As reported at the time, the class covered first-time Spirit passengers who booked through online travel agencies such as Expedia, Travelocity and CheapTickets between August 2011 and May 2017. Judge Eric Komitee granted final approval on December 12, 2023, noting that no one among the more than 800,000 potential class members had asked to be excluded, and dismissed the action with prejudice; the clerk entered judgment on December 20, 2023. From the settlement fund the court awarded class counsel $2,750,000 in fees and $205,235.93 in expenses.

Spirit Airlines, LLC v. Transportation Security Administration (petition for review, security-fee assessment)

Judgment

U.S. Court of Appeals, 11th CircuitDocket 25-10461Source ↗

Judgment entered

Spirit asked the court to review a TSA decision that it owed the federal security fee on tickets that were never flown, where the customer received a travel credit that later expired unused. In a published opinion of April 13, 2026, written by Chief Judge William Pryor, the Eleventh Circuit agreed with TSA that collected security fees must be remitted unless they are refunded to the customer, held that an expired credit is not a refund, and denied Spirit's petition for review. The liability at issue in this case, calculated in a 2019 audit by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, was $2,838,849.11. A separate, larger TSA preliminary assessment of $23.9 million, received in February 2026 and relating primarily to expired credit shells, is described in Spirit's 10-K for 2025; Spirit said it disputed that assessment, and it was not before the court in this case.

EDITORIAL

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 during 2025 it “served 89 destinations in 16 countries” in the United States, Latin America and the Caribbean.

Timeline.

  • July 28, 2022: Spirit signed a merger agreement with JetBlue; the deal was terminated on March 1, 2024, after a federal court blocked it.
  • 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.
  • 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).
  • March 12, 2026: Form 15 filed to suspend SEC reporting. March 13, 2026: after an agreement with bondholders on a restructuring plan, a joint plan of reorganization and disclosure statement were filed.
  • May 2, 2026: Spirit announced an orderly wind-down, effective immediately, and cancelled all flights. CEO Dave Davis attributed it to “the sudden and sustained rise in fuel prices in recent weeks” and said the business would have needed hundreds of millions of dollars of additional liquidity. May 8, 2026: the court authorized the wind-down.
  • July to September 2026: the court approved sales of the company's assets. In September 2026 it approved the sale of the remaining 27 Airbus A320-family aircraft for about $668 million, four to an affiliate of FTAI Aviation and 23 to an entity controlled by some of Spirit's bondholders.
  • Sale of “deidentified data”: the auction notice filed August 14, 2026 (docket 1463) names Google LLC as successful bidder at $10,000,000 and Mercor.io Corporation as alternate bidder at $7,500,000. The sale needs the bankruptcy court's approval; in October 2026 the hearing was adjourned from October 14 to November 6, 2026 (docket 1695).
  • Mid-October 2026: court filings show the case still pending in Chapter 11.

Privacy of passenger data. The court-appointed Consumer Privacy Ombudsman, Lucy Thomson, filed a supplemental report on October 5, 2026 (docket 1684) recommending approval of the Google sale from a privacy perspective. She reported that the data concerns about 97 million consumers who booked with Spirit, that the structured passenger databases and booking, refund and in-flight purchase records were taken out of the deal, and that unstructured data such as corporate e-mail would be deidentified before delivery.

Customer data list. The proposed sale agreement attached to the auction notice marks the “Customer Profiles” (97,500,000 records) and “Free Spirit Members” (50,200,000 members) systems as “Not Included” in Google's purchase, but it 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.”

Relationships. Spirit Aviation Holdings, Inc. owns Spirit Airlines, LLC; the Cayman entities named above are sister debtors under the same parent that hold the company's intellectual property and loyalty program.

VERIFIED

Company Relationships

  • Owned bySpirit Aviation Holdings, Inc.
  • Affiliated withSpirit Loyalty Cayman Ltd.
CONSUMER ALLEGATION

Related Complaints

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

EDITORIAL

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Spirit Airlines still flying?

Spirit Aviation Holdings, Inc., parent of Spirit Airlines, LLC, said in a press release dated May 2, 2026 that it had started an orderly wind-down of operations “effective immediately” and that “All Spirit flights have been cancelled.” Since then the company has been selling its aircraft and other assets in its Chapter 11 case (No. 25-11897, S.D.N.Y.), its website is offline, and BBB lists the business as out of business.

How do I get a refund from Spirit Airlines?

The May 2, 2026 press release says refunds for flights bought through Spirit with a credit or debit card would be processed automatically to the original form of payment, and that guests who booked through a travel agent should ask the agent. Compensation for flights paid with a voucher, credit or Free Spirit points “will be determined at a later date through the bankruptcy process”; notices about those claims are posted on the claims agent's case website, dm.epiq11.com/SpiritAirlines. If a card refund has not arrived, DOT points to a dispute with your credit card issuer under the Fair Credit Billing Act, a claim on travel insurance that covers insolvency or service cessation, and, as a last resort, a proof of claim in the bankruptcy, which may produce only a partial refund. Debit card holders should ask their bank, since DOT says some debit card issuers offer protection voluntarily.

Can I still dispute a Spirit Airlines charge with my card issuer?

DOT's guide to airline bankruptcies says a Fair Credit Billing Act dispute must generally reach the issuer within 60 days after the first statement that listed the charge, “although credit card companies sometimes waive this deadline for future transportation.” Spirit stopped flying on May 2, 2026, so that period has likely passed for many tickets, but the issuer decides whether to accept a late dispute. Write to the billing-error address on your statement with your account number, the charge, the booking confirmation and a note that the flight never operated. For debit cards, DOT says some issuers “may voluntarily provide protections”; ask yours. If a credit card issuer mishandles a dispute, you can complain to the CFPB.

How do I file a claim in the Spirit Airlines bankruptcy?

Through the claims agent's case website, dm.epiq11.com/SpiritAirlines, which has an electronic claims portal and blank proof-of-claim forms for Case No. 25-11897. The court set January 27, 2026 as the general bar date and July 27, 2026 for administrative claims arising through May 1, 2026; both orders exempt passengers' refund and travel-credit claims that a court order authorized the debtors to honor in the ordinary course. Neither order sets a procedure or deadline for claims arising from the May 2, 2026 shutdown, so check the case website for later notices. The claims agent answers at +1-855-952-6606 (U.S. and Canada) or +1-971-715-2831 but cannot give legal advice. DOT warns that passengers are unsecured creditors who may recover only a small fraction, so try your card issuer or travel insurer first.

What happens to Free Spirit points, vouchers and travel credits?

Spirit's May 2, 2026 press release says compensation for flights booked with “a voucher, credit or Free Spirit points” will be determined at a later date through the bankruptcy process. DOT warns that passengers seeking refunds in an airline bankruptcy are general unsecured creditors who may receive only a small fraction of what they are owed. Court orders and notices in the case are posted on the claims agent's case website, dm.epiq11.com/SpiritAirlines.

What happens to my personal data in the Spirit bankruptcy?

Spirit proposes to sell deidentified business data, such as corporate e-mail and documents, to Google LLC for $10,000,000; the sale needs the bankruptcy court's approval, and the hearing on it was adjourned to November 6, 2026. In a supplemental report filed October 5, 2026, the court's Consumer Privacy Ombudsman said that the data concerns about 97 million consumers who booked with Spirit, that the passenger databases and booking, refund and in-flight purchase records were taken out of the deal, and she recommended approval from a privacy perspective. The proposed agreement (docket 1463) also lets Spirit sell its “customer data list, which includes individual traveler spend aggregated by year, to third-parties in hospitality or travel industries.” Objections and the court's ruling are filed on the case docket at dm.epiq11.com/SpiritAirlines.

Why did Spirit Airlines stop flying?

The company's May 2, 2026 press release says that after reaching a restructuring agreement with bondholders in March 2026, “the sudden and sustained rise in fuel prices in recent weeks” left it with “no alternative but to pursue an orderly wind-down,” and that sustaining the business would have required hundreds of millions of dollars of additional liquidity. That is the company's own explanation. Spirit had filed for Chapter 11 on November 18, 2024, emerged in March 2025, and filed again on August 29, 2025.

What do BBB and Trustpilot show for Spirit Airlines?

BBB lists 2,686 complaints about Spirit Airlines in the last 3 years, 357 of them in the last 12 months, and an average of 1.12 out of 5 stars from 614 customer reviews. Spirit is not BBB Accredited and is “Not Rated” because BBB considers the business out of business. Spirit's claimed Trustpilot profile shows a TrustScore of 1.2 out of 5 from 1,265 reviews and no longer accepts new ones because the company's website has closed. The two sources count different things and are not combined.

Where can I complain about Spirit Airlines to a regulator?

The U.S. Department of Transportation's Office of Aviation Consumer Protection handles complaints about airlines. File online at transportation.gov/airconsumer/file-consumer-complaint or by mail to the Office of Aviation Consumer Protection, U.S. Department of Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE, Washington, DC 20590, with your contact details and full trip information. DOT also takes complaints about discrimination, including on the basis of disability. Safety concerns go to the FAA and security concerns to TSA (1-866-289-9673). For a card charge for a flight that never operated, a dispute with the card issuer is usually faster than a complaint; problems with the issuer go to the CFPB. You can also report to your state attorney general or the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.