FORT LAUDERDALE-HOLLYWOOD INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, FLA. (WSVN) - Travelers are dealing with another day of delays at South Florida airports.
As of 10 a.m. Wednesday, 21 incoming Spirit Airlines flights have been canceled at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.
Sixteen departing flights were canceled and many passengers have been left feeling stranded and frustrated.
“I’ve been in line for about three hours now and hoping for the best,” said passenger John Dupont. “That gentleman up here was in line for eight and a half yesterday, and he’s back in line for three today, but no, there’s been almost zero help for us.”
People waited for some answers as to when they would get to their destination.
“I’m traveling with seven people, plus an infant. We started in St. Croix yesterday, and I received a text at 5:00 in the morning saying my connecting flight from Fort Lauderdale to LaGuardia had been canceled,” Dupont said. “In Fort Lauderdale, we’ve all been on our own. The baby’s got a fever for about five days. We’re just trying to get home in New York.”
Dupont immediately tried to get in contact with Spirit Airlines and, like thousands of other passengers, had no luck.
“I’ve been here since 5 this morning. I waited in line for two and a half hours, and I finally got rerouted,” said Chelsea Martinez. “I was trying to go to Hartford, but they rerouted me to LaGuardia, and through TSA I’m sitting there waiting for my flight, and now they re-canceled it.”
On Tuesday, 61% of Spirit’s flights were canceled.
Spirit Airlines is blaming operational challenges including weather, system outages and staff shortages.
Spirit Airlines released a statement reading in part, “The last three days were extremely difficult for our guests and team members, and for that we sincerely apologize. We continue to work around the clock to get our guests where they need to be.”
However, for customers, that apology isn’t good enough.
“I just think that they keep pushing the flights back and pushing them back. I don’t think they’re gonna do anything for us,” Martinez said. “I fly Spirit all the time, and this just isn’t right. This isn’t right, what you’re doing to your customers.”
“This is the first time I’ve flown Spirit, probably will be the last time I fly Spirit,” Dupont said.
Travelers have been camping out inside the airport. They said there has been no food and no flight vouchers given to them by Spirit Airlines.
The company said they expect cancelations to slow down by Thursday.
Copyright 2024 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.