Spirit Airlines Wants You Back

Spirit Airlines has resumed flying after a strike by pilots and is promoting “strikingly low fares” to win back the customers it abandoned six days ago. 

Oh, ha-ha. Get it? Strikingly? That light-hearted banter must warm the hearts of the passengers whose vacations were ruined and those who were stranded far from their homes and jobs, forced to buy excruciatingly expensive walk-up fares because Spirit made absolutely no provisions to meet its obligations to them.

To make it all right, Spirit CEO Ben Baldanza has issued a bland apology and promised to win back customers’ trust with lovely gifts and prizes. Spirit is offering a $50 coupon with a flood of fine-print restrictions and 5,000 extra frequent flier miles for new bookings.

I’m sorry folks, but if that woos you back to Spirit, you’re no smarter than the abused spouse who caves to a bouquet of roses and a little whimpering. Put some ice on that black eye, renew the restraining order and don’t fly Spirit Airlines.

Spirit Airlines, Exposed For What It Is

I’ve done some vigorous complaining here about my treatment at the hands of American Airlines on a recent flight, and about the general decline of airline customer service.

But my experience was nothing like — could not hold a candle to – the treatment Spirit Airlines is dishing out to its customers right now.  I could tell you the whole sorry story but let me refer you instead to Joe Brancatelli’s Portfolio.com column. He has, as usual, nailed it, leaving me to post his link and go get another cup of coffee.

What Spirit Airlines Is Up To: No Good

Joe Brancatelli holds forth on Spirit, which is trying to get stranded passengers to accept vouchers instead of refunds:

 ”Pretty sleazy, huh? Well, that’s what Spirit Airlines does best. It is an airline built entirely around playing off passenger ignorance, regulatory laxity and pushing the envelope of legality to the the breaking point.”

 Want to read the rest? You have to subscribe to Joe’s business travel site: joesentme.com. It’s well worth the $49 a year.

Spirit Pilots Strike Strands Thousands

Turns out that Spirit Airlines could not keep flying in spite of a strike by pilots. The airline has stranded thousands of people this weekend and is refunding fares, the Associated Press reports.

As if a refund fixes the problem when you’re stuck far from home.

I just had an unpleasant experience with a flight diversion that I thought was handled poorly by American Airlines. But I had no doubt that eventually American would get me to Bradley as promised. Which it did. With Spirit, who knows?

Spirit Airlines Strike Alert

Pilots for Spirit Airlines,  who have been without a contract for three years and who say they earn 40 percent less than the pilots at JetBlue and AirTran, may go on strike Saturday. Spirit says it will keep flying through a strike but hasn’t said how. Rumor says it’s going to employ a charter airline to keep flights in the air.

Spirit Airlines: Free To Pee

Spirit Airlines has announced that it won’t charge for the use of lavatories on its flights, which I would be relieved to hear if I ever intended to fly Spirit, which I don’t, or if I believed a U.S. airline could get away with charging for lavatories, which it could not.

Read the rest of this entry »

Spirit Introduces Non-Reclining Seats

Could Spirit Airlines have accidentally done something right? For the wrong reasons, of course.

Spirit has introduced new aircraft with seats that don’t recline, a cost-saving measure because the seats are lighter and easier to maintain. (Remember, this is the airline that brought us $45 fees for carry-on bags.)

Surprisingly enough, I like the idea. I think reclining airline seats cause more trouble than they’re worth. My very first blog post three years ago was a rant on this subject, which I called “the recline of civilization.” And I haven’t changed my mind.

I’m still not going to fly Spirit. I just hope, for once, that its idea catches on.

Spirit Airlines To Charge For Carry-Ons

There are already so many reasons not to fly Spirit Airlines that it seems like overkill for the management to add another.

Read the rest of this entry »

Advertising En Route

Have you noticed that every time you are immobilized in public, something tries to sell you stuff?

Stuck in traffic? There’s a billboard. Pumping gas? Audio and video commercials on the pump. Eating in a restaurant? Big-screen TVs everywhere.

Airlines are already putting ads on your boarding passes. And ultra-low-cost airlines like Spirit are plastering ads in the interiors of their jets. So it’s not surprising that the legacy carriers are looking at opportunities to sell “brand placement” on their aircraft, as CNN reports.

I don’t believe the world of commercial aviation will fall apart if we passengers are subjected to yet more advertising in-flight. I just wonder at what point a company that sells you a service has an obligation to treat you like a paying customer instead of a captive audience to be sold to the highest bidder.

More Flights, Lower Fares To Europe, Costa Rica

American Airlines will add flights in April between New York and three destinations: San Jose, Costa Rica; Madrid; and Manchester, England.

I see some pretty good fares this spring on all three of those routes, which is probably not a coincidence. Any increase in supply can push prices down in the ultra-competitive airline business.

Read the rest of this entry »