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Spirit Airlines Says Canceled Flights Cost Them $50M

Spirit flight (photo by: Alan Wilson/Flickr)
Spirit flight (photo by: Alan Wilson/Flickr)

Spirit Airlines is putting numbers on a damaging stretch of flight cancellations this summer. 

Spirit said Monday that it canceled more than 2,800 flights from July 30 to August 9, costing the airline $50 million in lost revenue. Orlando International Airport officials said Spirit canceled more than 280 flights there.

Spirit said the meltdown, along with a surge in COVID-19 cases, is causing more last-minute cancellations and softer bookings. As a result, Spirit plans to reduce its schedule for the rest of the third quarter, which ends September 30. 

Spirit blames the high number of canceled flights on bad weather, airport staffing shortages, and crews being stranded far from their assigned flights.

This story was done with contribution from the Associated Press. 

After a brief stint as Morning Edition Producer at The Public’s Radio in in Rhode Island, Talia Blake returned to WMFE, the station that grew her love for public radio. She graduated with a double-major in Broadcast Journalism and Psychology from the University of Central Florida (Go Knights!). While at UCF, she was an intern for WMFE’s public affairs show, Intersection. In her spare time, Talia is an avid foodie and enjoys working out.