Having a flight canceled is no fun, but when it slips the airline’s mind to rebook you, the headache factor skyrockets. Just ask Jane Waun, whose plans for a Florida vacation were grounded when she was bumped along with her family from a Spirit Airlines flight. Spirit never rebooked her, and the family had been dropped off at the airport, so they were stuck. Waun had to pay to stay at a hotel — although she still had to pay for that first night at her vacation destination, too — and then pay last-minute prices to book on another airline the next day.
Spirit’s response was only to offer a refund for the outbound portion of the family’s tickets. When Waun took her complaint to small claims court, she was awarded a judgement of $1,350.75 because Spirit never sent anyone to represent them. The company then filed for a rehearing, claiming it didn’t know about the court date. Unfortunately for them, a signed delivery receipt proved otherwise, and the judge upheld the initial judgement. A spokeswoman from Spirit told the Detroit Free Press the airline would probably pay the amount awarded to Waun “and move forward.”