Spirit Airlines says it has refunded most customers after shutdown

MoneyWatch Spirit Airlines says it has refunded most customers after shutting down .chip { background-image: url('/fly/bundles/cbsnewscore/images/chip-bgd/chip-bgd-moneywatch.jpg'); } By Megan Cerullo, Megan Cerullo Reporter, MoneyWatch Megan Cerullo is a New York-based reporter for CBS MoneyWatch covering small business, workplace, health care, consumer spending and personal finance topics. She regularly appears on CBS News 24/7 to discuss her reporting. Read Full Bio Megan Cerullo, Kris Van Cleave Kris Van Cleave Kris Van Cleave Emmy Award-winning journalist Kris Van Cleave is the senior transportation correspondent for CBS News based in Phoenix, Arizona, where he also serves as a national correspondent reporting for all CBS News broadcasts and platforms. Read Full Bio Kris Van Cleave May 4, 2026 / 11:10 AM EDT / CBS News Add CBS News on Google Spirit Airlines said it has reimbursed most customers with flight tickets after the budget carrier ceased operations. The airline is still processing a "small percentage" of customer refunds, Spirit told CBS News. Spirit announced early Saturday that it had "started an orderly wind-down of operations" after efforts to obtain a $500 million federal bailout failed. The airline pledged to automatically process refunds for any flight purchased with a credit or debit card. Who is eligible for a refund?Under federal law, consumers are entitled to refunds when a business fails to deliver a purchased service, Eric Rosen, director of travel content at The Points Guy, explained. By contrast, he said Spirit customers who paid cash for a ticket or used airline loyalty points are not eligible for a refund, noting that such points can't be transferred to another airline's rewards program.Spirit said Saturday that compensation for passengers who booked flights with a voucher, credit or Spirit points "will be determined at a later date through the bankruptcy process."Can other airlines help?Some other air...