(WWJ) Travel woes continue today for Spirit Airlines passengers.
The company announced that it is canceling 60% of Wednesday’s scheduled flights due to “operational issues” that have impacted the carrier for three consecutive days.
At Detroit Metro Airport, the cancellations include a 10:49 a.m. departure to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina; an 11:35 a.m. flight to Orlando, Florida; and a 12:00 p.m. departure to Atlanta, Georgia.
However, not all flights have been affected. Flights from Detroit that remain on schedule include a 1:11 p.m. departure to Orlando, and a 1:20 p.m. flight to Myrtle Beach.
The delays and cancellations have left travelers frustrated, fed up and stuck at Metro Airport — including Susanne Heart of Southfield.
She thought she was flying to Orlando Tuesday to visit family.
"If there was a problem, why not text me or email me before I got here?" she told WWJ's Jon Hewett. "I took a Metro Car, so it added on money."
Her flight canceled, Heart was told there wasn't enough crew to man the plane.
"So, we got a refund, my son rebooked us on Delta...and never Spirit again," Heart added. "Never, ever."
This comes after Spirit canceled hundreds of flights over the weekend, citing "operational challenges."
Some travelers talking to Hewett on Tuesday said they went though baggage check and security, made it to their gate and sat there for an hour, only to be told they had no flight.
David Fishman, President of Cadillac Travel said the weather has been a contributing factor.
"When you start having weather issues...it's a domino effect," Fishman said. "So flights that are canceled then have the problems of other flights being canceled, and then when they try and make up and get the people back to the destinations they need to get to, when they start adding those flights in, now you have crews that start timing out."
Related
Fishman said Metro Airport presents some additional challenges.
"In particular, with Spirt Airlines out of Detroit, they have less lift; which means they have less flights to reaccommodate you on," he explained. "That can cause some serious problems and you might not get out for thee or four days, because they might have one flight to that destination."
Fishman suggests flying on another airline if Spirit cannot make accommodations.
Travelers should note, however, that American Airlines has also been dealing with cancelations challenges in recent days as well.
Related
