India, May 4 -- Spirit Airlines ceased operations on the morning of May 2 after 34 years in business, leaving thousands of passengers with unused tickets unsure of what to do next. A notice on the airline's website advised customers not to go to the airport and instead check online for further instructions.

Spirit was the country's seventh-largest airline, carrying about 50,000 passengers daily before its shutdown. The airline operated on an ultra-low-cost model, charging extra for services such as seat selection and even printed boarding passes. It had entered its second Chapter 11 bankruptcy in two years, and when fuel prices surged during the Iran War, its recovery plan became unsustainable.

What happens to Spirit Airlines tickets no...