'It looked like a hurricane shelter': Spirit Airlines flight cancellations vex travelers

The summer of major flight woes continues, leaving Spirit Airlines passengers the latest to be stranded. The Florida-based budget carrier canceled 277 flights Monday, or 36% of its scheduled flights, on top of 165 canceled flights Sunday, according to flight tracker FlightAware. Flight delays are also an issue, with 159 so far Monday and 342 on Sunday. Passengers reported waiting hours in line for refunds and other customer service help at airports in cities including Orlando and Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Some stranded travelers camped out. "It looked like a hurricane shelter," passenger Rebecca Osborn said of Spirit's counters at Orlando International Airport. Spirit Airlines spokesman Erik Hofmeyer blamed the flight cancellations on weather and unspecified operational challenges, a common refrain from airlines including Southwest and American this summer. (American has its own woes Monday, canceling 429 flights, or 14% of scheduled flights, and delaying hundreds more as it struggles to recover from Sunday storms at its massive Dallas hub.) "We're working around the clock to get back on track in the wake of some travel disruptions over the weekend due to a series of weather and operational challenges," Hofmeyer said. "We needed to make proactive cancellations to some flights across the network, but the majority of flights are still scheduled as planned."<br/>