JetBlue returned to the Charlotte Douglas International Airport for the first time since 2024 to offer so-called “rescue fares” to travelers stranded by Spirit Airlines’ closure.
JetBlue is offering $99 tickets until May 6 for Spirit customers whose flights were abruptly cancelled when Spirit announced early Saturday that it was going out of business.
The New York City-headquartered airline characterized the cheap flights as “rescue fares to assist stranded travelers with immediate travel,” plans in a Saturday announcement.
Following Spirit’s demise, ticket prices across all airlines spiked as frantic travelers scrambled to rebook. Some single tickets rose as high as $500.
JetBlue also upping service at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport in Florida, which was home to Spirit Airlines’ main hub, the company announced in a news release.
Six “new JetBlue cities,” including the Charlotte, North Carolina hotspot, which the airline pulled out of in 2024 due to a lack of customer demand, were included in the announcement.
The cities, which also include Indianapolis, Columbus and Baltimore, will operate daily JetBlue flights to Fort Lauderdale beginning later in the year.
“Our focus is on stepping up in the near term by adding service, maintaining connectivity, and keeping fares competitive, so customers can continue to travel with confidence,” JetBlue CEO Joanna Geraghty said.
The airline also said it will extend interview opportunities to qualified Spirit employees impacted by the shutdown. An estimated 17,000 employees lost their jobs when Spirit began shuttering on Saturday.
“We got to know many of their crewmembers during our acquisition talks, and we’re thinking about everyone whose lives are being disrupted. We want to help fill the void created by this loss,” Geraghty said.
Spirit officials solemnly announced that the airline was winding down operations “effective immediately” after failing to secure a $500 million bailout from the federal government on Saturday.
All other future flights have been cancelled, and customer service is no longer available.
Spirit promised inconvenienced customers refunds but isn’t offering to help them book travel with other airlines. People who booked through travel agents and other third-party vendors will have to seek refunds from them.
Spirit declared bankruptcy twice before, but said that skyrocketing oil prices made it impossible to stay afloat this time around.
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