SALT LAKE CITY — Spirit Airlines will soon discontinue all service in and out of Salt Lake City, leaving Utahns one less carrier to use for travel and providing headaches for those who have already booked flights on the low-cost airline.
In a statement provided to FOX 13 News, Spirit said it will cancel service from several locations around the country, including Salt Lake City, effective on Oct. 2.
A route map showed that Spirit offered nonstop flights from Salt Lake City to Las Vegas, Detroit, Orlando, and Los Angeles, the latter destinations being popular among Utahns who enjoy visiting theme parks in Florida and California.
"We apologize to our Guests for any inconvenience this may cause and will reach out to those with affected reservations to notify them of their options, including a refund," the airline said.
Last month, Spirit filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy for the second time in a year.
Seeing Spirit in trouble, Delta Airlines has put on sale a number of its flights where Spirit will no longer operate next month.
"One of the nice things that Spirit does, it provides pressure on pricing," said Seth Miller, who runs PaxEx.Aero. "With them leaving the market, there's going to be a real risk that travelers out of Salt Lake are going to start to see some higher prices."
For travelers like Curtis Day, who has relied on Spirit as a manager booking his work team's travel, the departure represents a significant change.
"I felt like Spirit looked after everyone's pocketbook before they looked after, you know, some of the other things that the airlines look at," Day said.
Not all travelers will miss the airline. Jason Lively, who flew Spirit once, found the experience disappointing.
"I tried it once and it really didn't turn out to be a discount by the time they charged you all the additional fees," Jason Lively said.
Passengers who have flights booked with Spirit after October 4 have the law on their side, at least when it comes to their money.
"Don't panic," shared Suzi Barrett with Utah-based flightsfromhome.com. "Legally, they are required to refund your flight. You're not gonna lose any money on this.
However, Miller warned that rebooking may come at a cost.
"That's great. The bad news is if you probably booked Spirit because it was a cheap flight or at the right time, and now they're not flying anymore... so when you go to rebook, it's probably gonna be a little more expensive," he explained.
While a popular, inexpensive way to fly out of northern Utah, a spokesperson with Salt Lake City International Airport said Spirit accounted for just 1-2 percent of the airport's seat capacity.
"Salt Lake City Department of Airports regrets to hear the news that SLC is one of the 11 markets that Spirit is leaving," the airport said in a statement. "We understand the challenges they are facing and wish them well."
