Stranded travelers frustrated by Spirit Airlines delays

Jeff Ehling Image
Thursday, June 18, 2015
Staffing troubles strand Spirit passengers
Weather in Chicago and Houston played a role with creating travel troubles for hundreds of airline passengers.

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- A frustrating day across the country as hundreds of Spirit Airlines passengers are finding their flights cancelled for yet another day.

Spirit says thunderstorms in Chicago and Tropical Storm Bill in Texas kept it from getting its pilots and flight crew to the airports where passengers were waiting.

At IAH in Houston several hundred passengers were waiting on planes that may not take off for days to come.

One woman told us she had been waiting for three days to fly to Kansas City for a funeral. She missed the burial but is still hoping to see her family.

Another group of travelers is trying to get to a wedding in Cancun. Instead of waiting they are driving to Dallas to catch a flight Thursday afternoon. Spirit says Cancun, Chicago and Kansas City are among those experiencing the worst of the delays.

Spirit says it could be days before their system in fully operational, but added only about 15 percent of flights are being affected.