In a thoughtful show of industry support, United Airlines this morning announced discount efforts to help anyone stranded in Newark that was scheduled to fly on (or work for) the now shuttered Spirit Airlines.
Spirit, which had gates in Terminal B at Newark Airport, ceased operations overnight, the final step in a years’ long battle to emerge from bankruptcy. According to some estimates, more than 1 million passengers are stranded and more than 17,000 workers are immediately out of a job.
David Kinzelman, United’s Chief Customer Officer, announced two initiatives to help those stranded in Newark.
For customers:
If you had a ticket booked on Spirit and your flight was canceled, for the next two weeks you can visit united.com/specialfares to find price-capped, one-way tickets from most cities where Spirit flew, including Atlanta, Chicago, Fort Lauderdale, Houston, Las Vegas, Miami, New Orleans and Orlando, as well as Newark.
Most of these special fares are capped at $199 with limited exceptions, with longer flights priced no higher than $299.
To unlock these fares and see additional details, customers need to go to united.com/specialfares and provide the airline with your Spirit confirmation number, proof of purchase for travel between May 2-16.
For employees:
If you’re a Spirit employee, United is extending pass travel benefits on United to you for the next two weeks. Employees can book in the ID90 portal.
Kinzelman said employees also are welcome to apply for open roles at United at united.com/SpiritEmployees. Doing so there, he said, will give applications a priority designation.
Spirit has struggled in recent years. It had a merger proposal from JetBlue block by a federal judge — and failed to receive a $500 million bailout from the federal bailout in recent weeks.
Spirit also had a presence at Atlantic City Airport. It announced last week that it had scheduled its last flight from the airport. It was scheduled for Sunday.
It’s unclear how Spirit’s demise will impact other travelers. At first glance, fewer options during a time in which fuel costs are soaring does not figure to be a positive.
