SC travelers abruptly impacted as Spirit Airlines suddenly canceled all flights
.jpg "File photo of a Spirit Airlines aircraft")
Scores of airline travelers — scheduled to arrive or depart South Carolina — were met with unexpected news early Saturday when Spirit Airlines announced it was permanently shutting down its business.
The announcement came a little after 2 a.m. Saturday, as thousands of passengers, in South Carolina and beyond, were scheduled to board the airline sometime throughout the day. Instead, they were told in a statement to not come to airport unless they had booked another flight through a different airline.
“Sustaining the business required hundreds of millions of additional dollars of liquidity that Spirit simply does not have and could not procure,” Dave Davis, Spirit’s President and Chief Executive Officer, said in a statement. “This is tremendously disappointing and not the outcome any of us wanted.”
The airline, which had filed for bankruptcy twice in 2025, was working to restructure its business and strengthen the company’s financial position, according to the statement. But do to rising oil costs and a failed $500 million government bailout, continuing operations just wasn’t feasible.
News of the wind-down not only left tens of thousands of passengers scrambling Saturday but 17,000 workers out of a job, according to a report by The New York Times.
What the news means for SC travelers
Spirit Airlines previously served three major airports in South Carolina, including Charleston International Airport, Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport and Myrtle Beach International Airport — which saw thousands of people use the airlines during spring break and the summer season, according to a report by The Sun News.
Those travelers will now have to seek service through another, likely more expensive, airline.
Spirit also served Columbia’s Metropolitan Airport, which consistently saw high passenger loads, before pulling out last October due to financial hurdles.
“We had very high load factors on our Spirit service,” CAE spokesperson Kim Crafton said, adding that some flights were “even oversold,” a sign of demand from passengers even as the carrier’s business troubles mounted.
Still, a number of passengers around the state were left scratching their heads Saturday with questions about refunds, loyalty points, unused vouchers and lost checked baggage.
The company announced that refunds for pre-booked flights will automatically be processed for any flights purchased through Spirit with a credit or debit card to the original form of payment.
Customers who used a travel agent to book their flight should contact the agent directly to request a refund, the airline said on its website.
Refunds for travelers who booked flights using a voucher, credit or Free Spirit points will be determined at a later date through the company’s bankruptcy process, the airline said.
Incidental expenses, such as for a hotel room or replacement flight, will not be refunded, according to the company.
Travelers seeking to check on the status of a refund, may do so here.
Flight vouchers and Free Spirit points
The company will not honor vouchers and Free Spirit points collected by customers, according to information on its website.
Compensation for members of the airline’s loyalty program will be considered through the bankruptcy process, the company said.
Neither Free Spirit points nor loyal program incentives can be transferred to another airline amid the wind-down, according to the company.
Lost checked baggage claims
Travels who’ve reported lost baggage can check claims here.
