Q COSTARICA — The closure of Spirit Airlines’ operations, officially announced on May 2nd, resulted in the complete cancellation of its flights and disrupted the plans of thousands of travelers.
In Costa Rica, Spirit operated daily non-stop flights between the Aeropuerto Internacional Juan Santamaría airport (SJO)—San José airport and the U.S. cities of Fort Lauderdale (FLL) and Orlando (MCO).
In response, several international airlines announced special measures to support affected passengers, including reduced fares, flight rebooking, and additional benefits for a limited time.
Avianca
Avianca is offering a protection plan for passengers affected by Spirit Airlines’ cessation of operations, allowing them to rebook for return trips without paying the airfare (subject to availability). But passengers will have to pay taxes, fees, and administrative charges. This applies to tickets issued for travel between May 2 and 16, 2026, and requires passengers to check in at the airport one day before or on the day of their flight.
Avianca’s protection plan applies to travel between the following cities:
Between Fort Lauderdale and the Colombian cities of Armenia, Barranquilla, Bogotá, Cali, Cartagena, and Medellín; Guayaquil, Ecuador; Lima, Peru; Guatemala City, Guatemala; San Pedro Sula and Comayagua (Palmerola International Airport), Honduras; and San José, Costa Rica.
Between Orlando and Medellín, Colombia; Guatemala City, Guatemala; and San Pedro Sula, Honduras.
JetBlue
JetBlue is offering fares of $99 each way for passengers with a valid Spirit reservation on the same route, applicable to travel through May 6, 2026.
In addition, JetBlue has set a price cap of $299 for Blue Basic fares on nonstop flights that overlapped with Spirit routes, with reservations available through May 8th.
Southwest Airlines
Offers access to special fares for passengers with Spirit reservations, who must check in at the airline’s counters at their departure airport. This offer is valid until 11:59 p.m. on Wednesday, May 6.
Delta Air Lines
Announced reduced fares for five days in all markets where Spirit operates, including routes in the United States and Latin America. Travelers can check and book directly on their website or app.
United Airlines
Passengers with Spirit Airlines tickets for the next two weeks can visit www.united.com/specialfares to find special one-way fares from most of the cities previously served by Spirit, including Atlanta, Chicago, Fort Lauderdale, Houston, Las Vegas, Miami, Newark, New Orleans, and Orlando.
These fares, valid through May 16, have a general cap of $199, with exceptions of up to $299 on longer routes.
American Airlines
Implemented special fares at 70 of the 72 airports previously served by Spirit, covering 67 routes. It is also exploring increasing capacity with larger aircraft and adding new flights to key destinations.
Frontier Airlines
Announced discounts of up to 50% on base fares for travel through November 19, as well as a “GoWild” pass for $199.
Bookings must be made by May 10, using the promotional code SAVENOW.
Travel on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays qualifies for a 50% discount on the base fare with a 21-day advance purchase, while travel on other days of the week can receive a 10% discount without requiring advance purchase.
Avelo Airlines
Offers discounts of up to 75% on base fares across its network, in addition to benefits such as status matching in its membership program, with the goal of supporting affected travelers.
These airlines’ actions aim to mitigate the immediate impact of Spirit’s exit from the market, in a context where thousands of passengers must reorganize their itineraries with limited alternatives and on short notice.