Spirit Airlines

[ljbab728]

This airline is notorious for charging fees. I'm glad we don't have to deal with them in OKC. This is the latest:

http://travel.yahoo.com/ideas/spirit...other-fee.html

I'm thinking that the DOT may not take too kindly to this.

[venture]

Don't have to deal with them...yet. LOL

Granted they are great for markets that are very price sensitive offering air travel to people that don't normally fly. However everything is a la carte. Granted they also make money which is a good thing too.

They could probably do well in OKC and actually make Florida work. Of course there is also the conspiracy theorist in me that has a feeling we could see a Frontier / Spirit tie up at some point. Dave Siegel is in charge of Frontier now, as they prepare to be spun off from Republic, and Spirit's CEO - Ben Baldennza (sp?) - worked under Siegel at US Airways. He was the brain child for the Fort Lauderdale focus city at US Airways before they were ran out and he took the concept to Spirit and made it work.

[ljbab728]

Don't have to deal with them...yet. LOL

Granted they are great for markets that are very price sensitive offering air travel to people that don't normally fly. However everything is a la carte. Granted they also make money which is a good thing too.

They could probably do well in OKC and actually make Florida work. Of course there is also the conspiracy theorist in me that has a feeling we could see a Frontier / Spirit tie up at some point. Dave Siegel is in charge of Frontier now, as they prepare to be spun off from Republic, and Spirit's CEO - Ben Baldennza (sp?) - worked under Siegel at US Airways. He was the brain child for the Fort Lauderdale focus city at US Airways before they were ran out and he took the concept to Spirit and made it work.

I'm still of the opinion that OKC doesn't need that and wouldn't embrace it. They are predators of the worst kind and I always caution my customers against them. They're sort of the cricket wireless version of an airline.

[MikeOKC]

I didn't know about the new advertised fare now having to include all taxes and fees. At least not until a few days ago. I found this about the new rules and - specifically - Spirit Air. ljbab728, it sounds like you're right on the money (so to speak).
http://www.travelagentcentral.com/go...irit-air-33338

This Washington Post article gives all the details for those, like me, who didn't know about this:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/...d=pm_local_pop

[ljbab728]

For those who might still be hoping for Spirit Airlines to begin flying into OKC, they have recently been voted the worst airline in the world for customer service by readers of Travel and Leisure Magazine.

No. 1: Spirit Airlines, Domestic


Score: 44.73 Spirit Airlines received lower marks for customer service than any other airline included in the World’s Best Awards survey. Not surprisingly, T+L readers had a lot to say about this low-cost carrier. “Worst airline in the world,” wrote one reader. “They leave you stranded when they cancel your flight, then basically tell you they don’t care. If they could figure out a way to charge for oxygen, they would do it. Used to fly them regularly but now I would pay more to avoid them.” The airline tries to deflect these types of customer complaints on Twitter, but the automated, robot-generated responses from “Spirit Autopilot” are hardly a consolation to disgruntled passengers. After receiving an unsatisfactory response for a complaint about the airline’s checked-bag fee policy, one user wrote, “This is your retort @SpiritAirlines? Did you also skimp on customer service to save $$?” As it turns out, yes, they did. “A big social media team costs money, so we put our feed on Autopilot to save you cents on every ticket,” states the company’s Twitter bio, which directs passengers to the customer service page of their website instead. That reasoning doesn’t reassure customers like @etholk, who wrote, “It would be nice if [you] guys even pretended to take the opportunity to show your customers that you care about them.”

[bradh]

My cousin is a captain for Spirit. I've heard from both sides on Spirit, those that loathe them and others that love them. I think if you intend to fly them just do your reading on what you're paying for, and what you may have to pay for.

[catch22]

They are the greyhound of the air. You just have to go in with the knowledge you will be charged for everything and the overall experience is not pleasant. But, if you're just trying to fly somewhere you can't beat the price.

[gopokes88]

This is why I like southwest. Still cheap fares but they don't cut corners on customer service and offer enough features to keep me happy

[ljbab728]

My cousin is a captain for Spirit. I've heard from both sides on Spirit, those that loathe them and others that love them. I think if you intend to fly them just do your reading on what you're paying for, and what you may have to pay for.

As noted in my post, the cost of ancillary services is only one aspect of the displeasure the travelers had with the airline. Bad customer service shouldn't be tied to that.

[adaniel]

Flying to VA Beach a few weeks ago out of DFW I walked passed the Spirit gate and it was full of visually despondent, upset looking people. From what I could tell it appeared to be a long delay, even though it was a beautiful day. Probably didn't sell out the plane so Oops! We have "mechanical problems."

The CEO from what I've seen has thinly veiled hostility towards its passengers. Complaints about customer service are just "whiners." Why on earth would you entrust your life towards someone like this?

Wild prediction: absent a top to bottom makeover they won't be around for more than 5-7 more years. Not surprised at all to see their stock price has cratered 60% this year; I think Wall Street is not convinced by their business model of "here's a cheap ticket, now f*** you!" I cannot think of any company that survived long term with such a terrible reputation.

[damonsmuz]

I've never flown RyanAir but if Spirit is anything close to what RyanAir is in Europe then me thinks they would very well here.

[catch22]

Flying to VA Beach a few weeks ago out of DFW I walked passed the Spirit gate and it was full of visually despondent, upset looking people. From what I could tell it appeared to be a long delay, even though it was a beautiful day. Probably didn't sell out the plane so Oops! We have "mechanical problems."
.

That's illegal. Plus makes zero business sense.

The CEO from what I've seen has thinly veiled hostility towards its passengers. Complaints about customer service are just "whiners." Why on earth would you entrust your life towards someone like this?

The CEO is not a mechanic nor a pilot. A pilot would not accept an aircraft if it were knowingly unairworthy, and a mechanic would not sign an aircraft off for being knowingly unairworthy.

Wild prediction: absent a top to bottom makeover they won't be around for more than 5-7 more years. Not surprised at all to see their stock price has cratered 60% this year; I think Wall Street is not convinced by their business model of "here's a cheap ticket, now f*** you!" I cannot think of any company that survived long term with such a terrible reputation.

They have had consistently the best profit margins in the industry. Their stock price has been upset because of the decline in oil prices, ironically. Other airlines able to match fares, consumers have more money. Once oil goes back up, so will Spirit stock price.

[ljbab728]

Once oil goes back up, so will Spirit stock price.

Could be, but will the public perception of bad service go back up? I had a customer recently who insisted on using Spirit for an international vacation trip even though I didn't recommend it. It was entirely because of the price. I don't think they will ever make that mistake again. They were not happy for a number of reasons.

[catch22]

's

Could be, but will the public perception of bad service go back up? I had a customer recently who insisted on using Spirit for an international vacation trip even though I didn't recommend it. It was entirely because of the price. I don't think they will ever make that mistake again. They were not happy for a number of reasons.

They've been an airline since the 1980's, and their ULCC experiment has been a success since 2006 -- almost 10 years. Ryanair, as an ULCC has been a success in Europe for close to 16 years. There is clearly a market for it, and at that a profitable business niche.

[ljbab728]

's

They've been an airline since the 1980's, and their ULCC experiment has been a success since 2006 -- almost 10 years. Ryanair, as an ULCC has been a success in Europe for close to 16 years. There is clearly a market for it, and at that a profitable business niche.

I have no doubt they can continue to make money. I just have no desire to see them in OKC. I have enough problems dealing with issues that my customers have with more conventional airlines. I don't need the headaches they would present.

[Plutonic Panda]

Have used Spirit twice to fly to L.A. and I had virtually zero problems with them and in fact had the opposite of a problem with them. . . I saved over $300 every time I used them.

[ljbab728]

Have used Spirit twice to fly to L.A. and I had virtually zero problems with them and in fact had the opposite of a problem with them. . . I saved over $300 every time I used them.

Lucky you, as per their reputation for the worst customer service of any airline. I'm sure they can satisfy many people or they couldn't stay in business. I just don't like the odds that they won't.

[catch22]

As mentioned before, I flew them LAX-FLL (2300 miles) and was just fine. A Benadryl and 2 gin and tonics will cure any discomforts. I usually have a few gin and tonics no matter the flight, the Benadryl was the only difference.

They are starting PDX-LAX next year, I plan to book a trip. Can't beat their prices for just a few hours of being uncomfortable.

[ljbab728]

As mentioned before, I flew them LAX-FLL (2300 miles) and was just fine. A Benadryl and 2 gin and tonics will cure any discomforts. I usually have a few gin and tonics no matter the flight, the Benadryl was the only difference.

They are starting PDX-LAX next year, I plan to book a trip. Can't beat their prices for just a few hours of being uncomfortable.

Have an extra gin and tonic for me, catch. (And tell them to stay out of OKC.) LOL

[Teo9969]

Spirit will be fine. Understanding how economy options work is important.

[adaniel]

's

They've been an airline since the 1980's, and their ULCC experiment has been a success since 2006 -- almost 10 years. Ryanair, as an ULCC has been a success in Europe for close to 16 years. There is clearly a market for it, and at that a profitable business niche.

Actually Ryanair is an example of what Spirit SHOULD do (but probably won't). Ryanair has completely revamped its customer service process and eliminated or reduced a lot of fees over the past few years. Spirit has doubled down on their strategy.

I would not dismiss their recent poor stock performance as some function of oil prices. Their revenue per passenger fell last quarter quite steeply, and several analysts have questioned their ability to keep growing given that they are so universally loathed.

In any event, I don't expect them to expand to OKC soon as they are getting their clocked cleaned by a Wright-free Southwest in Dallas. My guess is that may spook them from growing in this part of the country.

[ljbab728]

Spirit will be fine. Understanding how economy options work is important.

As I said, that has nothing to do with customer service though. And that could be their downfall.

[TexanOkie]

I wouldn't take Spirit for longer trips, but I've flown them twice for weekend trips where I could fit everything in a carry-on; the cost and time savings actually made the trip feasible to begin with, and I got to share in some life-changing milestones in friends' lives.

[andrew3077]

There was a Planet Money episode about Spirit Airlines a few months ago and it made me sympathetic and almost respect the way they do things at Spirit. I've had a miserable experience, but made me understand them a bit more at least.

Episode 517: The Fastest Growing, Least Popular Airline In America : Planet Money : NPR

[whatitis]

Flew them knowing everything would cost and it worked out for me. I just didn't buy anything I didn't need. Was a flight from Dal to Fort Lauderdale. for me and my wife it was a total of $600 cheaper to fly out of Dallas with Spirit. It was a 4 day trip so a small bag for each of us was fine. It was a direct flight and was only about 3 hours so it was fine.

I did try to contact customer service and it's non-existent. However what I needed from them wasn't really important so I just lived without it.