Spirit Airlines: The Difference Is The Indifference

[54b]

In much the same way a mother tells a young child not to touch a hot stove, I was warned (repeatedly) about Spirit Airlines. So I readily admitted that I'm being a bit disingenuous by posting a critique about Spirit on the very same forum that is overflowing with advice and posts practically begging people not to fly Spirit. But please indulge me anyway as I practice a little social media therapy and childish vengefulness by relating our recent travel travails.

Ironically, we actually felt like we booked on Spirit with our eyes wide open. We did our due diligence and got some very sound advice on how to fly with them from some very smart and savvy travelers. We addressed the myriad potential pitfalls up front:

Seats - Pre-Paid for actual seat assignments (instead of waiting til day of travel) and upgraded for a seat in the exit row for me because I'm tall and we knew the majority of seats have very little leg room.

Luggage - Pre-paid for the number of checked and carry-on bags we knew we'd need and measured and weighed all bags to make sure they adhered to Spirit's stringent guidelines...62 linear inches and 40 pounds is definitely smaller than what most people consider a typical checked bag.

Arrival - Made sure we got to the airport two hours early (even for a 6am flight) and were ready to board as soon as they called Zone 1.

Food - Brought water and snacks for the flight (so we didn't have to pay $3 for a Coke) as well as some sandwiches for the layover in Ft. Lauderdale, whose terminal does not offer a lot of good dining options.

And truth be told, the travel day from Dallas to St. Thomas via Ft. Lauderdale went off with nary a hitch minus the flight to St. Thomas being delayed about 15 minutes while we waited for the "reserve Captain" to arrive to fly the plane. That was a bit unsettling, but when we arrived in St. Thomas on time, we were actually giving ourselves high fives for flawlessly navigating what most people found troubling about Spirit.

But of course, you also have to get home on Spirit. And thus begins the 36 hour Odyssean saga that would reduce my wife to tears multiple times, equip my 8 year old with several new curse words (many of them in Spanish) and provide me with a very Orwellian glimpse on the future of customer service.

Wednesday, June 19

For the scheduled 4pm flight from St. Thomas to Ft. Lauderdale, we actually took the noon ferry from Cruz Bay back to Red Hook so that we knew for sure we'd make it to the airport well in advance. And we did, at 1pm, three hours before our flight.

It was raining, so we knew delays were probable, but planes were still taking off and landing, so we felt pretty good. And we checked the flight status repeated on the way to the airport, which looked good. The ticket agent did alert us to the fact that it looked like the plane would be delayed about 45 minutes, but all was still good and we'd make the connection to Dallas no problem.

We then made our way to Gate 1, which is actually a small room down a hallway from the large, airy main terminal at the St. Thomas airport where all the other airlines depart (make note of this, it's a theme that will continue). The ventilation is not good and the lighting is perfect for a television series that takes place in a morgue. It's almost blue. Very unsettling, but hey, you're not there to get a tan or embalmed, you're simply there to hand a gate agent a pass and get on a plane. So we weren't surprised when we saw no gate agents at the gate since we were there two hours before the flight.

But then all hell broke loose when someone noticed on the Spirit website (on her phone) that our flight had been delayed almost four hours. Not one word from the airline, no announcements over the PA system and again, there were no Spirit representatives to be found. Surely they're on their way with such a significant change in plans, right?

Wrong.

So then everyone started calling the airline's main office, me included, and we hear the same thing again and again, "we can't actually do anything from here because you technically haven't missed your connecting flight yet (even though it's obvious we'll miss it) and you should exit the terminal, go back to ticketing desk in St. Thomas and make arrangements.

One problem, you can't exit the terminal once you've gone through security in St. Thomas. The only way out is on a plane or in handcuffs (which I bet has probably happened a few times with disgruntled passengers setting off alarms on the doors to the tarmac).

So we wait and wait and wait. Several St. Thomas airport officials are approached and they say they've let the Spirit people know they need to get someone down to the gate. Finally, one guy, who probably drew the shortest straw in the history of short straws, shows up to tell us what we already know and that there's nothing to be done right now for us who will miss our connections because, wait for it, we haven't actually missed the connections yet and won't until well after the plane is in the air. (Note: I guess you could argue that if our Dallas flight was delayed, we could have still caught it...and we actually thought that might be the case of that they'd hold the plane for a few minutes...but it was always on time and they knew it even before we left STT.)

At about the time the flight is to board, a gate agent does show up and starts calling a few names and haphazardly passing out vouchers for those of us who will miss our connecting flights. But the information on hotels and cabs and meals and when we can make our next flight and what's to come of our bags is very sketchy. She doesn't know anything, only what the computer tells her to write out. It's not a situation where someone explains it to you or helps you discuss your options (like you might do if you were allowed to go back to the ticketing desk or over the phone with a reservations specialist when you had over 3 HOURS to wait for the plane to arrive), it's basically a take it or leave it proposition with the added bonus of, "you should ask the people in Ft. Lauderdale."

At this point, we were just happy the plane made it safely and we could get back to Ft. Lauderdale that night figuring we had more options once we got there.

Once we landed, we then had to figure out whether or not our bags that were already marked to go on to Dallas would be put out in baggage claim in Ft. Lauderdale. Spirit's response, "don't know, you should just go down to baggage claim and see what comes out." The reason it would be nice to know that is if they weren't coming out, you could proceed on to either your hotel or the ticket counter.

By this point, it was 11pm and we'd been traveling for twelve hours. My 8 year old had nothing left, but we needed to figure out our options. So I went to the ticketing counter where I figured it was probably winding down for the evening...not even close, it was World War Z up there with huge lines of people, many of them trying to fly internationally with young children. All up and down the line, you could see the anguish on people's faces. Spirit employees would start helping one of them, but then leave their computer and sometimes wouldn't return for like 20 minutes. It was bizarre. And once you'd started to talking to one, the other representative considered you off limits. So you were just kind of stuck.

When it was my turn to talk to a ticket agent, there was still a woman standing next to the same counter crying. I told the agent I could wait so she could help this lady and she said, "no, she's fine, what do you want?" And so I let her know our situation, which actually sounded quite trivial, standing next to someone who seemed in more dire straights than me.

When I inquired about how we were going to get home, she said they'd put me on the same flight the next night at 8:25pm almost 24 hours later. And she said we were lucky to get 3 seats on that flight and I could forget about getting the same exit row seat I'd paid more for. As for a refund, well there was a customer service email contact on the back of my ticket for that (another theme that would play over and over again...it's every Spirit employees go to when they're tired of listening to you we noticed).

Not only does Spirit not have a lot of flexibility due to simply not having as many flights, but they don't seem to have a reciprocity deal with other airlines. I've flown on American before where they canceled a flight and then put me on a Delta flight home. (Note: Should I have known that before I chose to fly them, probably. And it's not like they caused it to rain. There were lots of delays on the East coast on Wednesday).

The best they could do was put us on standby and there was no discussion about flying to Dallas via another city like Atlanta as we later found out other people were doing (lesson learned). How they had the option to do it and we didn't, I'm not quite sure. Maybe I just needed to be more of a jackass. I don't know. But it was never discussed or presented as an option. I mostly tried to play it cool thinking Spirit employees didn't need another irate traveler and might actually help a more sensible person. Wrong.

So at midnight we hailed a cab, which had to be a Yellow Cab, and it took us 10 miles from the airport (that was surrounded by hotels) to a really sketchy local hotel, the kind you have to request towels at. Look, I don't need much in regards to lodging. This was just a place to lay our heads and sleep. But I do need for my family to be safe and feel like we're in a clean environment.

Also, I'd never used vouchers before but it's very clear that hotels and cab drivers detest them. They look at you like you just handed them monopoly money. And even though I made it apparent up front that I intended to add cash on top as a tip, it didn't help. What I later learned from our second cab driver in the morning was that it's not so much the vouchers, it's Spirit. Apparently, if they turn the voucher in for the money and something isn't perfect (kind of like the baggage system), they make it very hard on the company to collect. Big surprise.

THURSDAY, JUNE 22

We spent about four sleepless hours and got up after the unexplainable itch the bed was causing got to be too much, tried to shower and called a cab at 5am to get back to the airport to fly standby on the 7:55am flight to Dallas that the gate agent said we had a really good chance of getting on. We also thought we could go standby on other flights going to other cities and then on to Dallas. No so much.

After being told just a few hours before by the gate agent that we had a good chance to make the flight, it became very obvious we did not. Plus, there was the added bonus of four seats on the flight being out of commission due to a bad seatbelt or something, something known well before because they didn't offer those seats. After the doors were closed, we approached the gate agent to inquire about other flights back thru other cities and she just said we had to go back out to ticketing even though she was right next to a computer with all the info and we just footsteps from other gates and flights. So we did and by the time we got back out, this particular ticket agent said our only shot was the 8:25pm flight and that it had been that way since before. Great. Hey, we knew standby wasn't a sure fire deal, but there's a big difference between telling you that you have a good chance and little to no chance. But that was hardly what I was upset about at that point.

Once we cleared our heads, we knew we had to get out of the airport for a while. So I called one of the hundreds of hotels that were right next to the airport, and got a decent day rate at the Hilton. Even though we had to pay for it, this was a smart decision and a good tip for anyone in our same circumstances. You just can't spend 12 hours in an airport, especially not with an 8 year old.

After 36 long hours, we finally made it back home at midnight last night.

Some will read this cautionary tale as nothing of the sort and simply say, "hey, you were warned, what do you want, a hug and a lollipop?" And that's valid. Sh*t happens when you travel, 25% of all flights on all airlines are delayed on average. And most airlines have a below average customer ratings. Spirit is not alone here. And I can accept that that is simply a reality and the chance you take when you travel in the post 9/11 era. I was also willing to accept that maybe we had simply encountered one less than accommodating employee and you shouldn't judge after one encounter, but in this 36 hour period, between the Spirit representatives on the phone lines to the ticket counters to the gates to the planes, we probably engaged over 30 different representatives of the airline and they were all equally ill equipped to assist and even more troubling, equally indifferent.

And that I won't accept. Not when they know full well that they're in a business that often is subject to delays and a business in which customers are so much at their mercy and dependent on their guidance.

And you know what's odd, I don't really blame the employees and don't harbor any ill will towards them. I think it's just Spirit. It's a company culture that seems to relish in the difficulties of traveling by air rather than try to mitigate them with backup plans. Moreover, it also seems to be a culture that thrives on upheaval, as if it's a badge of honor when all hell breaks loose on a daily basis and the accepted response for someone who bought a ticket for less money than the industry average is, "well, you not only got what you paid for, you should have expected it." When my wife cried in front of an employee, I actually wondered if they have a point system that awards you for making customers cry. Ridiculous I know, but that was definitely the low point.

I've no doubt Spirit will continue business as usual as the low fares are just too enticing, especially for first time customers, many of whom will likely be far less informed than I was when booking. And a Spirit representative could read this and probably rebuff me in several places arguing that I was simply a victim of circumstance. Nothing more. But what I don't get and what I'd ask that employee, is how Spirit keeps their employees. I can only imagine their attrition rate for employees is surpassed by that of their customers. They couldn't possibly be paying their customer-facing personnel on the front lines enough to take that kind of stress day in and day out. Especially when you consider that Spirit employees know extremely well what us first time customers only really learn when we experience Spirit first hand and that is this:

The problem with Spirit is not that they have a bunch of rules and fees and extras (they are technically up front about that stuff to a point), it's that their business model appears to not only be designed to financially benefit when customers invariably stumble somewhere along the way with all the little intricacies, but also, and perhaps even more tellingly (and this is key), it's a business model that doesn't seem to be reliant on repeat business - a tenet that used to be sacred in the retail game and the primary incentive for providing good customer service.

And that last part is what got lost on me and what I didn't really understand as I read all the posts warning about uncomfortable seats and hidden baggage fees and even big delays. I chalked those up to customers simply not reading the fine print and complaining about things that most other airlines are also guilty of. And for $1000 less than than what I'd have paid on American, I figured Spirit was too good to pass up.

That all said, it needs to be admitted into the record that the flights could have been on time and if they had been, the indifference of the employees would have been a moot issue. In fact, I shudder to think that I could be posting today that there's nothing to worry about on Spirit. Moreover, if I were traveling without young children and had some flexibility (like not having to be back home on a certain date for a job or family obligation), Spirit may still be a viable option and worth the risk for the low prices because if I were flying alone and I got into the same situation as above, I probably would have a better shot at standby or I could just go buy a ticket home on another carrier with the money I saved buying a Spirit ticket in the first place.

Lastly, I'll reiterate that I'm sure a lot of savvy travelers will read this and roll their eyes. And that's okay. One, it's not like I wasn't warned. I touched the hot stove. Plus, when our travel day did melt down in the rain, I should not have been so naive, should have been more prepared and probably shouldn't be acting like I've been hurt in some way now. Honestly, I'm probably more mad at myself than I am at Spirit. This is not a pity party and I do not want nor expect any sympathy.

But I'm still posting this here because I know a lot of forumites who love STJ have been increasingly frustrated with the increasingly expensive air fares on many carriers and probably see Spirit as not only a good option, but their only option for getting to the Rock. And if they have bothered to do research and want to hear some opinions about Spirit, I want them to hear what I don't think I fully understood despite all the warnings.

54b

PS. We had a terrific week on STJ and hope to post a much happier and uplifting trip report soon.

[liamsaunt]

Oh my gosh, I am so sorry! That just sounds like a terrible experience in every possible way. At least it happened on the way home rather than the way down.

I am glad the rest of your trip was good and I am looking forward to your always entertaining trip report.

[kma27]

Wow, that was very interesting reading. Since I have never flown Spirit (and never will) did you really save that much on your tickets? I just bought our tickets to STT for February and paid a total of $1,100.00 flying United and AA from IAD; wanted to fly United both ways (non-stop) but didn't want to pay the $1,500.00 they were asking. I hope your trip was better than your travel!

[Lovermont]

I think the key point here is that they don't have any reciprocity with other airlines. The first thing I always do when my flight looks to have problems, is look for other ways home. It happened in December, when our JetBlue flight was delayed by 3 hours, meaning we'd miss our connection. No problem; walk to the American counter, and get on a different flight. We arrived home about 2 hours after we thought we would. No such option with Spirit.
I know we all read these reviews of Spirit and think "oh, I could suck it up to save some money" but this may be the report that will get me to stop looking at the Spirit website. And, it's a good point you make about the Spirit employees. They must hate going to work! I've worked in customer service, and 9 times out of 10, my problem wasn't with customers, it was with my company's policy about something, and it was my job to convey it. And much like Spirit employees (I'm guessing here) I wasn't paid enough to be the a**hole.
I look forward to your trip report 54b. I trust you had no hydration issues!

[loria]

Wow.....what a nightmare. seriously. YUCK. I flew spirit 1 time and only 1 way to STT...it was unpleasant but i got there without any hitches......but yours is about the 12th nightmare on spirit i have heard.... I am really sorry that you ended your vacation on such a stressful note-- it is hard enough to leave vacation (and a STJ vacation at that) but to go thru all that to get home, well that just really sucks.

[sherban]

Dude, I couldn't read your entire post...too long and too painful...but I get the drift and I'm sorry to hear you were tortured this way.

Most of us have a story or two like this, unfortunately. My nightmare flight was Chicago 13 years ago...with our son when he was one year old, will never forget the nightmare. The punchline of my story is....we were at the counter at the airport and the people behind the counter had informed that we were screwed flight canceled due to weather, no recourse we're on our own...see you tomorrow when flights resumed. Not so fast, my one year old son started screaming so I strategically pointed his pie hole at the manager behind the counter...and...presto! we had hotel and cab vouchers within 20 minutes, I actuallly rememeber him telling one of his employees "get them out of here"...not because of me but because of my precious one year old (screaming) son.

Ahhh memories...

[54b]

Appreciate the responses...just realized how long that post was, apologies for the length. Could have been more concise, but I've got to admit it felt good to get it off my chest.

kma27, we actually started looking at flights about 10 months out. We typically fly American and try to use miles. Even at 10 months out, American was around $2400 all in for the 3 of us from Dallas to STT via Miami or Puerto Rico. We waited for about two months to see if the fares would go down, they did not.

The final total on Spirit was $1477 for the 3 of us and that included checked bags and carry ons, assigned seats and a premium seat for me. We could have done it for as little as like $1200.

Lovermont, no hydration issues I actually started every morning with a 20 oz gatorade and a banana (hat tip to forum). That helped a ton.

[Tracy in WI]

Well, I've flown Spirit several times without an incident. I am also flying them tomorrow as I head down to St. John and I am now praying that I don't have the same issues...... By the way, my flight from Chicago was $675 EACH so definitely no discount this time around although they were the least expensive.

What a really crappy way to end a vacation.

[Teresa_Rae]

It was long, but worth the read since you were the writer.

What a nightmare. The first time we flew them was the last.

[JJShaw]

I am so sorry to hear about your crappy trip home. Especially since I am the one (guilty) that always has good things to say about them as we've always flown them and had good luck with them (Knock on wood) We are booked with them for our November trip. I can understand Mrs54B being upset, esp with a little one at home waiting on Mommy and Daddy. I do hope they compensate you and I would call everyday til something was settled about it. As I said before you would think they would have held the flight to Dallas for a bit and tried to make up time on the way there. Im still puzzled by that one and they really should work with other airlines so cases like yours you would have the option with another airline. esp where kids are involved. Yes there were other delays I had 2 clients ( well one family) flying back in from other airports and they were delayed as well..but not as bad as you all were. Another thing that makes a difference is we have the flexibilty with our kids being older that if they werent with us, we could manage and work schedules are fairly flexible too..so I know that would make a difference...Again..Im sorry you had such a headache to the end of perfectly good vacation...

PS..Cant wait to read your trip report..we look forward to it everytime you go to STJ..

[DonnaM]

Ouch! Thanks for sharing. I appreciate all the detail because it illustrates multiple ways that Spirit failed. Those employees probably know that the higher ups have nothing to offer either and they just need to move you along.
I was tempted to book them for a non-stop flight this fall but am not going to. It wasn't to STJ. It was to DFW to watch our son play football against SMU. Too important to risk missing!!
Looking forward to your trip report!

[Agent99]

You said it all when you used the term "Orwellian". It's the new normal.

[cmw5682]

Flew Spirit twice. The first time the pilots went on strike while we were in St. John and they told us to wait it out or find our own way home. I had to get home so I bought a last minute ticket for 4 times what I paid for the original ticket. Yes, they refunded my flight plus a $200 voucher, but I was still out $$ for buying the second ticket.
Although I swore I'd NEVER fly them again, the $200 voucher plus a dip in prices made a $200 rt ticket price hard to pass up. Bad decision. Sat on the runway in St. Thomas for 3 hours while they found a PILOT without too many hours in the books which made us miss our Miami connection. Nothing but rude people and no flexibility. NEVER AGAIN, not even if it's free!

[Myheart'sinSTJ]

That sure is a crappy way to end vacation, I am also flying Spirit in August (connection from FLL to STT) knowing what I am getting into and I can only hope and pray that there are no issues. I have seen them pull people out of line because they thought their one personal item was to big (to me it looked like a normal size back pack) sent them to the counter and had to end up checking the item and paying more money, just like you said, they are just waiting for you to make a mistake so they can profit from it. I just sweat bullets until I'm actually seated on the plane. Wouldn't it be wonderful if Southwest flew to STT, it's a dream of mine, I love that airline

[cocosmom]

MyheartsinSTJ- FYI Soutwest now flys from BWI to San Juan...that could be a good option to get to STJ