Local finds way back home
Posted/updated on: May 6, 2026 at 2:49 am
TYLER — Hundreds of miles off the East Coast and unconnected from the internet, Tylerite Sorayda Rivera was enjoying what was supposed to be a relaxing cruise, but quickly became a search for a way back home after Spirit Airlines canceled her flight in its spontaneous shut down.
On Saturday, Spirit Airlines said that it has officially gone out of business after 34 years. According to our news partner KETK, Rivera, who had flown to Miami from the DFW Airport, found out this morning immediately after reaching cell service at the end of her cruise.
“As soon as we got to Florida this morning,” Rivera said, “I turned on my phone, got my airplane mode off and I went to my Spirit app. It turned out that Spirit canceled all their flights because they’re no longer in business.”
As she opened the Spirit Airlines app, she received a pop-up saying all flights were canceled, effective immediately. The airline also said they are unable help rebook flights, but would issue automatic refunds.
Rivera said she had heard the company was experiencing bankruptcy, but never expected the shutdown to happen so soon or on such short a notice.
“That was pretty stressful because having to buy a ticket for short notice is pretty expensive when you have to, again, just get a short notice ticket.”
Luckily, Rivera was able to book a flight back home, although it didn’t come without a price.
“I have a physical disability called spinal muscular atrophy,” Rivera explained. “Because of this I have to use the power chair for full-time mobility. Traveling is already difficult, and can be difficult for an able-bodied person. Then you add the disability and the 420 lb. power chair on top of it, it just adds another layer to the whole thing.”
The cost was the reason for Rivera’s initial choice of Spirit as an airline, as it was known to be fairly inexpensive compared to others. With no refund yet received, Rivera opted for the most economical choice, which would fly her back to Texas, but not to DFW.
“Thankfully, I was able to find another airline to just fly me home,” she said. “But then the problem I ran into there is that I’m flying into the most affordable ticket again, just trying to save some money [ … ] I have to fly into Love Field [Airport], but my van, my wheelchair accessible van that I drive, is at DFW.”
With a new flight set and booked, Rivera plans to be back in Texas by tomorrow at 5 p.m. Rivera is staying positive, despite the setback, and opts to look at the bright side.
“The way that I see it is that this is just meant to happen,” Rivera said. “I probably wasn’t supposed to be on that airplane for whatever reason. Now, I’m just hanging out at my best friend’s house for the rest of the evening.”
Choosing to see the silver lining, Rivera said the situation served as a learning experience.
“I learned a very, very valuable and expensive lesson that when you’re trying to save money or trying to cut corners, that can be more expensive,” Rivera said. “So this is just another hurdle that life has thrown at me. It’s not that I deserve it, it’s not that I’m unlucky. It has nothing to do with that — it’s just life.”
