Lifestyle

This Airline Known For Cheap Deals Closed Its Doors & Left Travelers Without Flights

The one thing you would never want to hear while daydreaming about your upcoming trip and jetting into the clouds, is that the flight actually won't be taking off. Well, that's exactly what happened when Primera Air shut down today. According to an article by USA Today, travelers were unfortunately left without a way to get to their destinations. Primera Air released a statement on their website announcing that they're stopping all operations, which will be taking full effect on Tuesday, Oct. 2. The budget airline, which expanded to the U.S. this year, marketed themselves with cheap flights from places like Boston and Newark to popular bucket list destinations in Europe, including London, Paris, and Brussels. I mean, that sounds like a great deal, right?

If you're someone with a ton of wanderlust who's on a budget, you may have heard about or previously hopped on the great deals offered by Primera Air. They were too hard to pass up, and your wallet probably thanked you. Some of their last-minute deals included fares as low as $69 to travel to Europe from the United States. Even with their good deals, Primera Air previously faced backlash from unhappy customers with regards to the company's customer service, as reported by the Independent.

Primera took to their website to post a message to their passengers.

Today, Primera Air's press release to passengers on their website reads,

Airline Primera Air and IATA codes PF and 6F have been suspended as of today, October 2nd, 2018. On behalf of Primera Air team, we would like to thank you for your loyalty. On this sad day we are saying Goodbye to all of you. Please visit primeraair.com for further updates in next few days. Tour Operator passengers are kindly suggested to address their Tour Operators and Agents for further information and actions. Kindly understand that the usual options for contacts (via email or phone) can not be offered any longer.

For the thousands of customers now without a way home, they'll be looking for flights on other airlines. Around this time last year, something very similar happened when Monarch Airlines also closed its doors. At the time, many passengers were also apparently left without flights home.

When you travel on a budget, it may cost you in the long run.

The Independent reported that prior to today, it seemed like when a flight was canceled, the airline encouraged customers to book their flight on another airline, and they would be given their money back. After today, however, the cheap price paid for a Primera Air flight ticket is now unfortunately coming back around. According to the Independent, it does not seem likely customers will be able to receive anything back from the company. According to BBC, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) advised that passengers who purchased tickets for future flights directly with Primera Air also won't be covered. Apparently, if you booked with a credit card, you should reach out to your company to see what, if anything, can be done.