Spirit Airlines: Latest News

ATLANTA - An airline worker is speaking out about an attack committed by an angry passenger.The incident at a Spirit Airlines gate was captured on video.Before the traveler, identified as Que Maria Scott, became physical, she uttered a phrase.Jasmine Rhoden, a gate manager, said she heard Scott use the word "kizzy."Que Maria Scott is charged with battery and disorderly conduct (Fulton County Sheriffs Office). In Philadelphia where the suspect lives, the term refers to "something about to go down."It was Rhoden who dropped to the floor after Scott is seen on video tackling the airline manager."She smelled of alcohol," Rhoden told FOX 5.A decision was made to deny boarding to the passenger.

block JetBlue Airways' $3.8 billion purchase of Spirit Airlines, saying Tuesday that the deal would reduce competition and drive up air fares for consumers.The Justice Department said the tie-up would especially hurt cost-conscious travelers who depend on Spirit to find cheaper options than they can find on JetBlue and other airlines.Attorney General Merrick Garland held a news conference to announce the antitrust lawsuit — a sign of the importance that the administration places on stopping further consolidation in the airline industry."If allowed to proceed, this merger will limit choices and drive up ticket prices for passengers across the country" and "eliminate Spirit's unique and disruptive role in the industry," he said.The Justice Department lawsuit, filed in federal district court in Boston, stressed that the deal would mean the end of the nation's biggest "ultra-low-cost carrier." Those are airlines that generally provide the cheapest fares but also tend to charge more fees.The Justice Department lawyers said Spirit's demise would eliminate about half of all ultra-low-cost seats in the market.New York, Massachusetts and the District of Columbia joined the lawsuit. JetBlue and Spirit vowed to continue fighting to salvage their agreement.JetBlue and Spirit have anticipated a legal challenge for weeks.

DALLAS - Spirit Airlines said it suspended an employee who got into an argument with a traveler that got out of control at DFW Airport.Airport police were not on the scene while the fight was happening, but they are investigating. They took a report based on the accounts of the two people involved, plus witnesses who recorded video.The fight apparently started over a problem with seating on a flight.No one was taken into custody as both parties were released from the scene after being interviewed.

ATLANTA - Passengers aboard a Spirit Airlines flight from Tampa to Atlanta Sunday morning are safe after the plane caught fire during the landing process, airport officials said.Video shows flames and smoke coming from underneath Spirit Airlines flight 383 after it landed at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.According to Spirit Airlines, a brake overheated upon landing at the airport around 9:45 a.m., causing a small fire. First responders were quickly able to extinguish the flames.

FORT LAUDERDALE, FLORIDA - MAY 16: A Frontier Airlines plane near a Spirit Airlines plane at the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport on May 16, 2022 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. JetBlue announced it is taking a hostile position in its eff Frontier Airlines on Friday added more cash and a larger breakup fee to its offer to buy Spirit Airlines, and the Spirit board repeated its preference for Frontier over a rival bid by JetBlue Airways.Frontier added $2 per share to its previous offer, boosting it to $4.13 in cash plus 1.9126 shares of Frontier for each Spirit share.The Denver-based airline also raised the amount it would pay Miramar, Florida-based Spirit if antitrust regulators stop the deal — from $250 million to $350 million — matching JetBlue's proposed breakup fee.Spirit said that, given the sweetened terms, its board reiterated its unanimous recommendation that shareholders approve the Frontier offer at a special meeting next Thursday.RELATED: Spirit should reject Frontier bid, advisers sayJetBlue said its proposal remains better than Frontier's with a higher value, more cash, "more certainty, and more regulatory protections."Frontier's move was the latest gambit in a fight between Frontier and JetBlue to see who gets the nation's largest discount airline.

NEW YORK - If you’re taking a flight on Spirit Airlines, you may want to double-check its status. The carrier has been canceling hundreds of flights each day for almost a week and Thursday was no different.On Sunday, the airline canceled more than 1,300 flights due to tech outages, staffing shortages, and weather.

PHILADELPHIA - Spirit Airlines says it is working "around the clock" to accommodate passengers impacted by delays and cancellations at several of its hubs due to "weather and operational challenges" over the weekend. A company spokesperson told FOX TV Stations that many of the issues the airline is facing stem from its attempts to keep up with air travel demand, which has significantly spiked over the summer holiday season. "It's a mixture of challenges that the entire industry is facing during this busy travel season as all airlines begin to scale their operation again," according to an emailed statement from Spirit. According to FlightAware, as of Monday, the airline had canceled a total of 434 flights and delayed a total of 467 flights

DALLAS - American Airlines and four smaller carriers have reached agreement with the government for billions more in federal loans, a sign of the industry’s desperate fight to survive a downturn in air travel caused by the virus pandemic.The Treasury Department said Thursday that it had finalized terms of new loans to American, Spirit Airlines, Frontier Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines and SkyWest Airlines.All the leading U.S. airlines had previously accepted a combination of grants and loans to help cover payroll costs through Sept.