Originally Posted by
Maddoggin
Orlando-based AirTran Airways, another low-cost carrier that said it has an agreement with Spirit to offer assistance whenever possible, added a last-minute flight from Orlando to San Juan, Puerto Rico, on Monday. That flight quickly filled up, with some passengers paying as much at $444 for a one-way ticket.
I'm guessing that Spirit, like many other carriers has some sort of inter-airline agreement to carry passengers that are displaced due to mechanical failure, overbooking, etc. Airline A (Spirit) cancels the flight and redirects reservations to Airline B (Air Tran). Airline A ends up losing the revenue (or at least part of it) and pays airline B to carry their passengers.
The nature of the agreement means that this wouldn't be struck work since Spirit has no financial gain during the process. Air Tran would be the whole beneficiary.