Spirit Canceled Your Flight? Here’s How to Get Compensation

Spirit Airlines has a reputation for offering a no-frills experience. They forgo seatback entertainment and make their money from charging customers for every little upgrade.

Given this model, how well do they protect you when something goes wrong and the airline cancels your flight?

What Spirit Owes You for a Cancellation

When your flight gets canceled, the airline has some responsibilities to you, their customer. These are outlined in Spirit’s contract of carriage. 

Rebooking and other services

If your flight has been canceled, Spirit says they will rebook you for free on their next available flight to your destination.

You can also opt to rebook your flight to another Spirit flight within 7 days of your original travel date (subject to availability and it needs to be the same departure and arrival airports).

One of the downsides of booking with a budget airline like Spirit is their lack of partner airlines. While other airlines commit to booking you with other carriers to get you on your way as fast as possible, Spirit has no partner airlines it can rebook you with.

Vouchers

When Spirit passengers are delayed for 3 hours or more, Spirit says they’ll provide meal vouchers that can be spent with airport vendors.

Their contract of carriage doesn’t specify how much the voucher will be worth, but it should cover a reasonable meal at the airport.

Complimentary accommodations

Spirit says they’ll also provide complimentary hotel accommodations if passengers are stuck beyond their scheduled departure day. 

So if the next flight they can get you on is tomorrow morning, they need to book you a room in a hotel and arrange the ground transportation.

If, for some reason, Spirit isn’t able to provide a hotel voucher, they’ve promised to reimburse you for “reasonable” overnight expenses. So keep your receipts (and maybe don’t book the penthouse suite)!

It’s unclear on their website how to claim reimbursement, so when you’re at the airport, check with the gate agent to confirm the process.

Refunds

If you decline a new flight, essentially canceling your trip, Spirit owes you a refund for your unused ticket.

Be careful, because they may try to convince you to accept a travel credit instead. This would be a great deal for the airline, but not so much for you!

When they give out travel credits, the airline is avoiding shelling out cash to passengers. Plus, they know that customers don’t always remember to spend the credit within the allotted time.

Unless you have a specific plan for using the travel credit, don’t accept it! Request a full refund to get your money back safely into your pocket.

Understanding Your Rights When Spirit Cancels Your Flight

Not all cancellations are created equal! Here’s how to know exactly when you qualify for compensation.

What makes an eligible cancellation

To be eligible for compensation during a travel interruption, your flight has to be canceled for reasons within Spirit’s control. 

This includes crew delays, mechanical issues, and fueling or baggage problems.

Other cancellations occur because of uncontrollable factors, and the airline is not responsible for providing you the same care in those circumstances. 

You are not eligible for compensation when your flight is canceled due to:

• Extreme weather
• Security issues
• Medical emergencies
• Air traffic control problems

However, a regulation from the Department of Transportation entitles passengers to a full refund if their flight has been canceled, regardless of the reason, if the passenger chooses not to continue their trip. 

So, if your flight was canceled because of an extreme snowstorm and you decide not to take the rebooking, the airline owes you a full refund!

How the Department of Transportation fits in

Within the last few years, the Department of Transportation has improved its process for holding airlines accountable when they don’t treat customers right.

Technically, the DOT actually doesn’t have any of their own specific requirements for airlines related to customer care during travel interruptions, besides the refund regulation. 

However, the DOT does enforce the promises that airlines have made to their customers, which are specific and include amenities and services for customers experiencing controllable cancellations.

The DOT has created an Airline Cancellation and Delay Dashboard that details what each airline has committed to providing for customers in the instance of flight delays and cancellations. 

I highly recommend you check it out and have it handy whenever you’re flying — it’s a fantastic resource!

If Spirit doesn’t offer you all the services they’ve promised they will, you can file a complaint with the DOT, which will ensure you receive your compensation.

Your Step-by-Step Guide to Claiming Compensation

Now that you know when you’re eligible for compensation, how can you claim it?

Rebook like a pro

You shouldn’t have to do anything to get your flight rebooked. When your original flight gets canceled, the airline should automatically rebook you, without you needing to take any action.

If you’re happy with the new flight, great! If you’re not, you can manage your trip online or on the Spirit app. There, you can cancel your flights for a refund or switch to a whole new itinerary.

If you’re at the airport, the gate agent can also help you with the rescheduling process.

Documentation is your best friend

It’s possible the gate won’t have any vouchers, and if that’s the case, Spirit says they will reimburse you for a meal once you’ve been waiting for 3 hours or more. 

This is why it’s crucial to save your receipts whenever you have to purchase something during a travel interruption. This includes a hotel room and ground transportation if they can’t supply those vouchers.

The website isn’t clear about where you submit receipts for reimbursement, so be sure to check with the gate agent.

Other Compensation Options

Travel insurance policies and credit card benefits can both provide compensation when your flight gets canceled — and in most cases, it’s more generous than what airlines provide.

Travel insurance

If your flight gets interrupted for any reason, your travel insurance policy can provide additional compensation, like a larger meal budget or lounge access. You’ll also receive booking support to get you back en route ASAP. 

Your accommodations and other prepaid activities are also reimbursable. So, if you ended up stuck somewhere overnight because your connection was canceled, you wouldn’t be out money for the suite and dinner reservation you booked at your destination.

READ MORE: Which Situations Are Covered by Trip Cancellation Insurance?

Credit card benefits

Lots of top credit cards come with travel insurance as a benefit. So, if you used that credit card to book the trip, you might already be covered. 

For example, if you booked your flight with the Chase Sapphire Reserve® or Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, you could receive up to $500 in compensation per ticket if it takes longer than 6-12 hours for the airline to book you on a new flight.

If your trip is totally canceled (say, if bad weather or a strike means no flights are available at all and you need to forfeit the whole thing), you could get up to $10,000 per person and $20,000 per trip to cover any prepaid, nonrefundable costs. 

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TL;DR: How To Get Spirit Flight Cancellation Compensation

Even with their bare-bones model, Spirit still needs to protect customers if they cancel a flight. 

If you’ve been delayed for 3 hours or more for a controllable cancellation, they need to provide you with a meal voucher. And if you’re stuck overnight, they owe you a hotel room and the associated ground transportation. 

Spirit won’t give out travel discounts for the inconvenience, nor will they offer to rebook you on another airline. 

Remember that knowledge is your greatest travel companion! Even a budget airline owes you some basic protections when they cancel your flight. 

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Disclosure: Opinions expressed here are the author's alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post.