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Spirit Airlines is accused of lying to severely out-of-pocket passengers about delays as mass-cancellations enter a FOURTH day

Outrage against budget airline Spirit Airlines has mounted amid a fourth day of chaos which saw 50 per cent of its flights axed, and distressing stories of travelers left stranded at airports. 

The Florida-based air carrier canceled more than 340 flights before noon on Wednesday, half of their scheduled routes for the day. 

Many passengers, including seven months-pregnant Robin Wilson, were left to fend for themselves. Wilson's intended flight from Cleveland to Atlanta was rerouted to LA. She was told by Spirit that she'd have to wait four days for the next flight, but Wilson did not have the funds to book a hotel to stay in. 

She faced spending four days 'living' in the terminal of Los Angeles International Airport, and was only put up in a hotel when FOX 11 reported her story, and shamed Spirit into providing the 'high risk' passenger with accommodation. 

'I definitely don't have a flight out from LAX to Cleveland until Thursday. I no accommodations at all…I'm seven months pregnant, I'm high-risk,' Wilson told the network before her issue was resolved. 

Spirit began canceling hundreds of flights on Sunday. It has cited inclement weather, technological issues and and 'operational challenges,' but refused to offer further detail. Thousands of travelers have flooded social media with incandescent rage about the airline's lack of contact with them, and accused Spirit's bosses of lying.

The airline's pilots were even rumored to have gone on strike, although Spirit has made no reference to this claim in its comments to the ongoing fiasco.

Robin Wilson (pictured), who booked a direct flight from Cleveland to Atlanta for Tuesday, is now stuck in Los Angeles until Thursday. She is seven months pregnant

Robin Wilson , who booked a direct flight from Cleveland to Atlanta for Tuesday, is now stuck in Los Angeles until Thursday. She is seven months pregnant

Travelers are frustrating as Spirit has canceled hundreds of flights for the fourth day in a row. In the above photo, passengers are lined up at the Spirit terminal in Los Angeles on Tuesday, waiting for news of their canceled flights

Travelers are frustrating as Spirit has canceled hundreds of flights for the fourth day in a row. In the above photo, passengers are lined up at the Spirit terminal in Los Angeles on Tuesday, waiting for news of their canceled flights

Spirit has cited 'operational challenges' as the reason for the delays and says the number of cancellations will 'progressively drop in the days to come'

Spirit has cited 'operational challenges' as the reason for the delays and says the number of cancellations will 'progressively drop in the days to come'

According to USA Today, a total of 523 flights were axed across the United States Wednesday morning, with Spirit cancellations accounting for the majority of them.

The air carrier claims the routes were changed due to summer storms, technology outages and staffing shortages. The company says as a result of proactive cancellations made Tuesday they were able to ' a more thorough reboot of the network, allowing us to reassign our crews more efficiently and restore the network faster'.

Adding, that the airline is will 'continue to work around the clock' to get travelers to their intended destinations. 

It insists cancelations will taper off as the week continues - but those left high-and-dry by Spirit say they'll believe it when they see it.  

Brenda Deleon told DailyMail.com how her family's eight day vacation to Puerto Rico had to be extended by two days - at a cost of $1,000 - because of Spirit. 

After receiving notification of a cancellation late Tuesday night, Deleon tried to contact Spirit customer service but wasn't able to speak with someone.

 'I called last night and was on hold for 42 minutes, but figured they were closed. This morning I went to the airport to talk to someone but the Spirit kiosk was empty,' she said. 

The Deleon family says their Puerto Rican vacation got extended from eight days to tenWhile they were able to get rebooked on another flight home, the family did have to spend over $800 in additional expenses and accommodations

The Deleon family says their Puerto Rican vacation got extended from eight days to ten. While they were able to get rebooked on another flight home, the family did have to spend over $800 in additional expenses and accommodations

Deleon called the airlines 1-800 again on Wednesday and was able to rebooked their family's flights for Friday at 2.50am. But, they still faced issues with accommodations.

'Our AirBnb was booked tonight so we looked for another home for $478.41 and two days of  car rental for $342.34,' she said. 

'Spirit they will refund only half of what trip costs which is not an option since prices with other airlines skyrocketed. We have to wait it out.'

Traveler Sakinah Scott told of how sitting on the tarmac for five hours on a Spirit jet left her fearing she'd caught COVID while heading home from LA to see her family in Philadelphia for the first time since the virus hit US shores. 

Sakinah Scott (pictured) says she sat on a crowded airplane for five hours before the plane actually took flight. She was then faced with additional delays

Sakinah Scott says she sat on a crowded airplane for five hours before the plane actually took flight. She was then faced with additional delays

'I was extremely excited about the trip. I arrived on time to LAX and boarded my Spirit plane with ease and quickness. I thought it was going to be an easy flight,' she shared.

However, her experience quickly 'turned into a complete nightmare'. She says right after the boarding pass was completed, the pilot instructed passengers that the plane had to remain on the ground due to misplaced paperwork. 

She told DailyMail.com it took officials over two hours to locate the paperwork, but by that point a storm had developed over Las Vegas and they weren't permitted to fly.

'We were told that no one could get into Vegas. Then we were told to wait on a full plane on the ground not in the airport,' she shared. 'I spent five hours on a packed plane on the ground wondering 'is the moment I contract COVID?''

Scott eventually made it to Philadelphia, but is now stranded in the city due to a cancelled return flight. She has tested negative for COVID. 

'I received a text message last night saying my flight was canceled with no explanation,' she said, noting that she was unable to get in contact with a customer service agent. 

'I am stranded in Philadelphia now, so my nightmare is ongoing.'

Social media users echoed similar tales, saying they found themselves stranded without fair compensation. 

Social media users are expressing frustrations with the airline, some even indicating they will never fly with Spirit again

Social media users are expressing frustrations with the airline, some even indicating they will never fly with Spirit again

'Spirit Airlines, this is the absolute first and last time I ever travel with you,' one passenger tweeted. 

'I didn't know anything could be as bad as Spirit Airlines,' said another. 

One traveler even reported that the airline provided them with inaccurate tracking information - raising travelers' hopes they'd escape the wave of cancelations, only to cruelly dash them shortly after.

The Twitter user called Snackicakes shared a grab from the airlines's app showing their flight apparently en route to the airport they were departing from, and a claim that it would even arrive early.  

'We never took off. The plane left the bay and came back ten minutes later with ORLANDO as the destination,' she tweeted, accompanied with a photograph of the alleged tracking information.

One traveler said Spirit provided passengers with tracking information indicating their flight was en route and that they would land early, although it never even left the jetbridge

One traveler said Spirit provided passengers with tracking information indicating their flight was en route and that they would land early, although it never even left the jetbridge

Spirit passengers have experienced issues since Sunday. The airline canceled 42 percent of flights on Monday and 61 percent on Tuesday.

'The last three days were extremely difficult for our guests and team members, and for that we sincerely apologize. We understand how frustrating it is for our guests when plans change unexpectedly,' Spirit spokesman Field Sutton told USA Today. 'We're working to provide refunds for cancellations and, when possible, to re-accommodate our guests.'' 

Spirit says they have rebooted their system and expect cancellations to decrease. 

'We've implemented a more thorough reboot of the network, allowing us to reassign our crews more efficiently and restore the network faster. As a result, cancellation numbers will progressively drop in the days to come,' the airline told the Sun Sentinel in an emailed statement. 

Spirit has warned travelers to continuously check their flight status before heading to the airport.

Anyone whose flight has been canceled is entitled to a refund, according to Department of Transportation rules.

Spirit says the easiest way to receive a refund is through their online chat feature. 

The Florida-based air carrier canceled more than 340 flights before noon on Wednesday, which was half of their scheduled routes

The Florida-based air carrier canceled more than 340 flights before noon on Wednesday, which was half of their scheduled routes

Several other air carriers, including American Airlines, have also reported delays and cancellations due to weather and other extenuating circumstances

Several other air carriers, including American Airlines, have also reported delays and cancellations due to weather and other extenuating circumstances

Meanwhile, American Airlines is also experiencing delays and cancellations.

Robin Phelps, of Kentucky, told WSOC that she and her family missed out on their family vacation to New York after being stranded at Charlotte Douglas International Airport during their layover.

Phelps, who was traveling with her husband and two kids, said their flight from Charlotte to New York was delayed due to weather. 

The family reportedly boarded plane and sat on the tarmac for over an hour before being instructed to exit the aircraft.

'My kids were starving. We hadn't had a proper dinner at that point. It's past bedtime. We already missed naptime for the baby, so now we were getting to bedtime,' she explained. 

The Phelps family spent the night at a hotel, then rented a car and drove back home to Kentucky.

“Stranded my family with no flights/hotels/food/luggage. Kids hadn’t eaten or slept all day stuck on planes,' she tweeted at American Airlines.

Phelps says the air carrier refunded the family for their unused flights and baggage fees, as well as issued a $500 credit for each member of their family. 

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