More reason to hate Spirit Airlines

[mdgirl]

They give all the other airlines bad ideas about customer service.   But since people are voting with their money I guess you can't blame them. (The article is quite long so I'm just posting a bit of it.)


www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/last-in-service-first-in-profit-margin-spirit-paves-the-way-for-bare-bones-air-travel/2014/09/17/5d3b5e2c-848d-4988-b5c4-2c1a0a4ee527_story.html


MIRAMAR, Fla. — When you purchase a ticket to fly America’s fastest-growing and most-criticized airline, here is what you get: a seat, a mini-tray table, free use of the bathroom, room for your legs, maybe even some room for your knees.

You pay for everything else. A printed boarding pass is $10. Water is $3. The right to bring a carry-on is at least $35. And checked bags? Spirit Airlines was charging for those seven years ago, back when it still seemed unusual.

Offering dirt-cheap fares and add-ons galore, Spirit has become the emblem of a sensible but potentially aggravating industry transition, one in which U.S. carriers are reconsidering every aspect of how they fly and what travelers should pay for.

If anything, economists say, this reexamination is overdue. Airlines have long ranked among the most volatile companies, enduring decades of up-and-down earnings and a series of bankruptcies. Legacy carriers such as Delta and United have only recently grown profitable by raising fares, removing smaller hubs and cramming in more passengers.

But Spirit represents an alternative — and more extreme — version of the new profit-making model, one that strips away even the pretense of a pleasant flying experience and focuses solely on keeping things cheap. Though other airlines are similarly stripping away amenities, Spirit has styled itself as the unapologetic vanguard of bare-bones flying. In a summer of passenger rage over reclining seats, Spirit has launched a lighthearted ad telling potential customers not to worry about such a scenario, because “our seats don’t recline.”

Among domestic carriers, Spirit has the lowest fares (even counting the add-ons) but also the highest profit margins. It has packed planes, but also — by far— the highest rate of consumer complaints. A Greyhound in the sky, some online reviewers say. Broken Spirit, says another. Skytrax, a global airline rating site, says Spirit is the nation’s only two-star carrier.

“The only thing missing was the gate person using a gun to rob you!” one passenger wrote on the Skytrax Web site.

There are two ways to consider these complaints, airline analysts say. One is that the Spirit experience really is aggravating. You have 28 inches of legroom, tightest in the industry. Some customers feel duped by baggage fees that are clearly announced on Spirit’s Web site but not on such third-party travel sites as Orbitz and Travelocity.

But those complaints, others say, might be a product of expectations more than the airline itself. Three decades ago, Southwest was lashed for not serving meals; then travelers caught on. Now Spirit is trying to coach customers anew. Many airlines bake the price of peanuts and carry-on bags into your ticket, the company says on its Web site. But Spirit offers what it calls “Frill Control,” so customers are “never stuck paying for extras you didn’t ask for.” These add-ons allow the company to drop its base fares; 40 percent of its revenue comes from the extras.

“All you get with Spirit is a passage into a tin can into the sky,” says Tom Parsons, who runs the Web site BestFares.com. “I call them the good, the bad and the ugly of the airline industry.”

[Deleted]

I love spirit. I regularly go home to the Caribbean. I pay $300 on Spirit RT. Same flight on American is $700 RT on a good day. I print my boarding pass at home and don't bring a carry on except my purse and I am a happy camper. It's a 3 hour ride to MIA and a 3 hour ride to the VI from there. All I need is a chair, toilet and a good book.

[Deleted]

When I fly,all I want is a seat. I don't need a drink, food, tv, movie, etc.....

[Deleted]

Sept 18, 2014 12:32:22 GMT -5 @susan3589 said:

When I fly,all I want is a seat.

and a toilet...lets not forget that...oh wait since there are no free drinks you probably wont need that potty after all  

but seriously I will stop flying Sprit when they make my stand during the flight

[wise_rita]

Imma need to hear their policy on barf bags.

[GilliC]

Sept 18, 2014 13:50:01 GMT -5 vigurl said:

Sept 18, 2014 12:32:22 GMT -5 @susan3589 said:

When I fly,all I want is a seat.

and a toilet...lets not forget that...oh wait since there are no free drinks you probably wont need that potty after all  

but seriously I will stop flying Sprit when they make my stand during the flight

I'll even give up the toilet. I've never flown Spirit, but I'm fine with RyanAir as long as I'm okay with the hassle. Even their threat of €1 toilet fees on 1 hour flights doesn't really phase me! And from what I've seen of Spirit, it looks like they even fly into "real" airports, so I'm guessing you don't get stuck with the added time and expense of the 1-2 hour bus rides from little middle-of-nowhere airports?

But I'm completely with you on the seats. RyanAir is always talking about the saddle seats, and with my circulation problems, there's no way I could stand even for a one-hour flight (not counting unexpected delays!), so that could eventually be the deal-breaker for me. If they ever do pull that, I'm definitely reading the fine print regarding medical exceptions (I'm the bridesmaid that passes out 20 minutes into a wedding).

[Deleted]

Sept 29, 2014 7:37:29 GMT -5 wise_rita said:

Imma need to hear their policy on barf bags.

BYOBag lol

[Deleted]

Oct 6, 2014 15:18:00 GMT -5 GilliC said:

Sept 18, 2014 13:50:01 GMT -5 vigurl said:

and a toilet...lets not forget that...oh wait since there are no free drinks you probably wont need that potty after all  

but seriously I will stop flying Sprit when they make my stand during the flight

I'll even give up the toilet.

lol

[wise_rita]

Oct 6, 2014 15:18:00 GMT -5 GilliC said:

Sept 18, 2014 13:50:01 GMT -5 vigurl said:

and a toilet...lets not forget that...oh wait since there are no free drinks you probably wont need that potty after all  

but seriously I will stop flying Sprit when they make my stand during the flight

I'll even give up the toilet. I've never flown Spirit, but I'm fine with RyanAir as long as I'm okay with the hassle. Even their threat of €1 toilet fees on 1 hour flights doesn't really phase me! And from what I've seen of Spirit, it looks like they even fly into "real" airports, so I'm guessing you don't get stuck with the added time and expense of the 1-2 hour bus rides from little middle-of-nowhere airports?

But I'm completely with you on the seats. RyanAir is always talking about the saddle seats, and with my circulation problems, there's no way I could stand even for a one-hour flight (not counting unexpected delays!), so that could eventually be the deal-breaker for me. If they ever do pull that, I'm definitely reading the fine print regarding medical exceptions (I'm the bridesmaid that passes out 20 minutes into a wedding).

There's NO way in hell that horse shit would ever past safety regulations, though, no?

[GilliC]

Oct 6, 2014 18:27:00 GMT -5 wise_rita said:

Oct 6, 2014 15:18:00 GMT -5 GilliC said:

I'll even give up the toilet. I've never flown Spirit, but I'm fine with RyanAir as long as I'm okay with the hassle. Even their threat of €1 toilet fees on 1 hour flights doesn't really phase me! And from what I've seen of Spirit, it looks like they even fly into "real" airports, so I'm guessing you don't get stuck with the added time and expense of the 1-2 hour bus rides from little middle-of-nowhere airports?

But I'm completely with you on the seats. RyanAir is always talking about the saddle seats, and with my circulation problems, there's no way I could stand even for a one-hour flight (not counting unexpected delays!), so that could eventually be the deal-breaker for me. If they ever do pull that, I'm definitely reading the fine print regarding medical exceptions (I'm the bridesmaid that passes out 20 minutes into a wedding).

There's NO way in hell that horse shit would ever past safety regulations, though, no?

RyanAir's vertical seating concept won't unless they change the rules:

‘Stand-up seating would require changes to European rules for the certification of aircraft. The current rules determine that each passenger has to be provided with “a seat or, if they are immobile, a berth”.

However, the SkyRider saddle designed by Airbus is technically still a "seat" so while it hasn't passed safety evaluations yet, it theoretically could without rewriting the regulations.



www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1311623/Skyrider-saddle-plane-seats-launched-Aircraft-Interiors-Expo-Americas.html

[Deleted]

Oct 7, 2014 11:44:43 GMT -5 GilliC said:

Oct 6, 2014 18:27:00 GMT -5 wise_rita said:

There's NO way in hell that horse shit would ever past safety regulations, though, no?

RyanAir's vertical seating concept won't unless they change the rules:

‘Stand-up seating would require changes to European rules for the certification of aircraft. The current rules determine that each passenger has to be provided with “a seat or, if they are immobile, a berth”.

OK that is the limit of my cheapskateness...  I would NOT fly like that to save any amount of $

[AAM2012]

I have no problem with Spirit's concept because I don't necessarily need to have checked luggage, peanuts, movies, etc. My only annoyance with Spirit is the fact that they charge you to pick your seats. You have no other option, you have to pick your seat so why not just raise the ticket prices by $20 or whatnot.

[vigurl]

Oct 10, 2014 23:00:20 GMT -5 AAM2012 said:

I have no problem with Spirit's concept because I don't necessarily need to have checked luggage, peanuts, movies, etc. My only annoyance with Spirit is the fact that they charge you to pick your seats. You have no other option, you have to pick your seat so why not just raise the ticket prices by $20 or whatnot.

No you dont.  I never pick my seat.  You just dont pick and they randomly assign one to your boarding pass (Which you print at home) volia...save yourself $9