Lawsuit Claims Spirit Knowingly Sold Tickets for Flights It Couldn’t Fly
Over the summer, Spirit Airlines stranded thousands of passengers at airports around the country when it canceled almost 3,000 flights. But a new lawsuit claims that the airline “fraudulently and deceptively” induced customers to purchase tickets for flights it knew would not fly.
Plaintiffs Amber Terreta and Debra Rayner filed the lawsuit in Florida this month. They allege that Spirit violated state trade and consumer protection laws by selling tickets for the cancelled flights and then holding onto the money of tens of thousands of passengers.
The lawsuit says that the airline was well aware it could not handle the amount of tickets sold between July 30 and August 9, 2021. Nevertheless, the company continued to sell tickets to unwitting customers, leaving them stranded without recompense or communication, according to the lawsuit.
Spirit canceled more than half of the company’s scheduled flights during that period. According to the claim, Spirit cancelled flights during this time because it had a known severe labor shortage caused by its “failure to hire and maintain sufficient staffing levels necessary to provide promised services to its customers.”
Additionally, plaintiffs allege that Spirit ignored its customers during these cancellations. The airline reused to compensate passengers for cancelled flights, and failed to make alternative travel arrangements on other airlines or provide hotel accommodations.
The lawsuit seeks reimbursement from Spirit for all ticket purchases for cancelled flights during the applicable time period and other damages, attorney fees, interest, and a jury trial.
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Just here to say I hope the plaintiffs win big time!