A weekend of travel headaches crept into Tuesday when Spirit Airlines canceled more than half of its flights and left passengers stranded across the country.
“It’s really stressful to be here,” said Brayan Quito.
Quito and his family spent hours on the floor near the DFW ticket office, trying to make new arrangements after their flight to Orlando was canceled.
“I got an email saying I had to stay three more days and that’s just … it’s crazy because we don’t have a lot of money to stay in a hotel like this,” Quito said.
His was one of more than 400 cancellations by the airline on Tuesday.
A spokesman said in a statement:
“We’re working around the clock to get back on track after a couple of weekend travel disruptions due to a number of weather and operational challenges. We have had to proactively cancel some flights across the network, but most flights are still on schedule.
We understand how frustrating it is for our guests when plans change unexpectedly and we work to find solutions. We ask guests to actively monitor their emails and flight status before going to the airport.
As a team, we strive every day to get our guests to where they need to go on time. Our focus will continue to be on looking after our guests. “
American Airlines has canceled around 350 flights, which still suggests Sunday’s storms.
The Associated Press reported that a company log shows that many were due in part to a shortage of pilots.
With a surge in summer travel with thousands waiting in long lines and some choosing to buy last minute tickets from various airlines.
“They were expensive, but you have to do what you have to do in the short term,” said Aakeima Wright after their DFW connection through Spirit was cut.
Others, like Precious Balogua and her mother, decided to just go home and try again tomorrow.
“We have been planning this trip for some time and have to plan it for a time when it didn’t have to work. “Said Balogua.
U.S. air travel has recovered to about 80% of its pre-pandemic level, but airlines have struggled to get back up and meet rising demand.
[ad_1]
