Spirit Airlines: Compensation Rights After a Flight Disruption

Spirit Airlines routinely ranks among the worst airlines for on-time percentage. And while you're not entitled to compensation after a lengthy flight delay or cancelation, you do have passenger rights, and refunds, flight credits, or vouchers are still a possibility.

Here's a guide to earning compensation from Spirit when things go wrong.

File for Compensation

Spirit passenger entitlements for flight delays

The U.S. DOT holds Spirit accountable for passenger promises made in its Contract of Carriage, which as you can see below, does not cover financial compensation.

The passenger rights extended by Spirit only apply to controllable delays, but more on that in a minute!

Check out the DOT's Delay and Cancellation Dashboard for yourself, and save it for your reference!

Fair or unfair, Spirit has a reputation for being the most bare-bones airline in the United States. No judgment if that's your thing! But - it is important to know that trying to save a buck comes with some tradeoffs, particularly when things go sideways.

Let's be clear: Spirit does not offer the worst passenger rights in the industry in its Contract of Carriage (we're looking at you, Frontier), but what is offered to you certainly isn't robust.

Some of these rights are only granted once delays are classified as significant, while most are only extended when the delay was controllable, brought on by something that was in Spirit's control.

• Significant delays on Spirit must span 3+ hours for domestic itineraries and 6+ hours for international departures, though some of your passenger rights can be involed before this point (like the dreaded tarmac delay).
• Controllable delays on Spirit must be attributed to aircraft maintenance, crew delays, baggage problems, or other issues in the carrier's ground or digital operations.

With these rights in mind, here is what you're owed should your flight be disrupted.

Rebooking on earliest available Spirit flight

Once a controllable flight delay hits 2 hours, or more, in length, you have the right to request a complimentary rebooking for free. You do need to request this as it won't be proactively offered to you. This can be a pain point, as other airlines automatically do this as a courtesy. If you want to save money with a no-frills airline, you'll need to put in the effort to advocate for yourself.

Some domestic carriers, like Delta, that are part of the SkyTeam or oneWorld alliance offer passengers complimentary rebooking on partnered airlines, but Spirit does not currently belong to any of these alliances.

Meal vouchers or reimbursement

Once your controllable flight delay hits three hours in length (you'll be hungry by now!), Spirit has committed to offering meal vouchers to impacted passengers.

This means that weather or other delays caused by "acts of God" do not carry eligibility for meal vouchers. Anyway, Spirit is supposed to offer these vouchers proactively, but in the event that a gate agent or customer service supevisor doesn't for some reason, you should speak up (politely!) and remind the airline employer. It's a benefit you paid for, after all! The language in the Contract of Carriage is deliberately vague and does not come with a value, so it could vary by airport.

Right to a refund

New federal rules implemented in October 2024 made law that passengers that deny rebooking options and decide not to fly are to be given full refunds.

We've heard from Spirit passengers that the carrier sometimes offers travel credits first, but you do have the right to reject this request. And unless you're 100% you have a travel need on Spirit coming up in the short term, we recommend that you push for the refund. Industry wide, millions of dollars per year in flight credits expire and go to waste.

Overnight hotel accommodations

When a flight delay or cancellation causes you an unexpected overnight, you are entitled to a hotel room to make your delay a little more tolerable. More often than not, a Spirit gate agent or customer service representative will make you a reservation at a nearby airport hotel.

If, for whatever reason, Spirit is unable to book you a hotel room, you can submit for reimbursement after the fact. Just remember to keep your expenses managable and reasonable!

Your transportation costs to and from the hotel are also covered, whether it be an airport shuttle, Uber, Lyft, taxi, or other reasonable method.

Unfortunately, reimbursement cannot be done digitially (web developers are expensive for a budget airline!), so you'll need to talk to an airport employee, call, or try your luck at the online chat.

No flight vouchers, travel credits, or frequent flyer miles

You'll notice that none of your passenger rights directly address the cash compensation, travel voucher, or future flight credit question, and that is because Spirit does not provide them as a courtesy. But for drastic flight delays and cancellations, we're here to help you get compensated for your time.

It never hurts to ask a gate or customer service agent what they can provide you for compensation, though it is unlikely your request will immediately be granted.

Frequently asked questions

1. Can I receive compensation from Spirit for my flight delay?

Even in the case of controllable flight disruptions, Spirit has not committed to provide flight credits, travel vouchers, or frequent flyer miles to be used for future travel. This does not mean that you won't receive them, however, if you are persistent and file a complaint with customer service.

The complaint that you file must be effective and show a series of misactions by Spirit that caused you real inconvenience and disruption. We can help with this.