In the aftermath of Spirit Airlines’ announcement that they’ll be charging up to $45 for carry-on bags, five airlines have pledged that they won’t jump on the fee bandwagon. New York Sen. Charles Schumer said today that American, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, US Airways and JetBlue have told him they won’t start charging for carry-ons. [More]
spirit airlines
Senator Joins DOT Secretary In Blasting Spirit's New Carry-On Bag Fees
By 4.12.10
Spirit Airline’s ballsy new $20-45 fee for carry-on bags has already caught the attention of the Department of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, and now New York Senator Charles Schumer is rattling his sword. [More]
DOT Secretary: Spirit Airlines Doesn't Care About Their Customers
By 4.9.10
If you found yourself getting all riled up by Spirit Airlines’ announcement on Tuesday that they are now charging for carry-on bags, you were not alone. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood has taken aim the move, calling it “outrageous” and “ridiculous.” [More]
Spirit Airlines Now Charging Up To $45 For Carry On Bags
By 4.6.10
Welcome to the slippery slope of air travel fees. Today, discount flier Spirit Airlines announced that they will begin charging anywhere from $20 to $45 for you to carry on your own bag. [More]
Is It Poor Taste To Solicit Hotel Rewards Points Donations?
By 1.16.10
Jeremy received a solicitation from Hilton to donate his points from the chain’s loyalty program, HHonors, to the Red Cross in order to help victims of the earthquake in Haiti. He thinks that this e-mail blast was in poor taste. Do you? [More]
Spirit Air Hit With $375,000 Fine For Really Screwing Up
By 9.18.09
Spirit Air, home of fees for everything from buying your ticket online to being a victim of a plane crash (OK, they dropped that one), has been hit with a record $375,000 fine from the Department of Transportation for, among other things, false advertising, adding extra fees to its fares (toldja) and taking as long as 14 months to compensate passengers for lost luggage. Spirit’s response? Some perks are bound to fall by the wayside when you’re an “Ultra Low Cost Carrier.”
Spirit Airlines Charges $10 For Buying Tickets Anywhere But Ticket Counter (Again)
By 3.24.09
Habitually awful carrier Spirit Airlines is bringing back its “passenger usage fee,” which charges passengers $4.90 each way for booking tickets online or over the phone. The only way to avoid the fee is by purchasing directly from a ticket counter at the airport. Convenient!
Spirit Airlines Tries To Charge Cancellation Fees On Passengers It Put On Flight 1549
By 1.19.09
Update 3:10pm ET: the airline has said it won’t charge the men after all.
Spirit Airlines wants $90 each from Rob and Jeff Kolodjay, two of the passengers in last week’s U.S. Airways flight 1549, because they’re not using the return leg of their tickets. Rob and Jeff were on flight 1549 in the first place because Spirit canceled their original flight.
Spirit: Now With Mind-Numbing In-Cabin Advertising
By 9.20.08
Kick open the exit doors and release the inflatable slides, Spirit is outfitting their entire fleet with cabin-saturating ads. Billed as Spirit’s “latest innovation,” the ads will litter “seat backs, window shades, overhead bins, tray tables, drink carts, napkins, cups, menus (what menus?) boarding passes, trash bags, soap dispensers,” and probably even barf bags.
Spirit Airlines Drops $10 Fee For Ordering Tickets Online
By 8.2.08
As quietly as it came, the $10 “web convenience fee” Spirit levied for the favor they were doing you by letting you book online, has gone. The fee no longer appears in Spirit Airlines’ contract of carriage. A small victory for common sense, though they’ll probably just figure out a way to make it up somewhere else. How about $5 fee for takeoffs and landings?
Spirit Airlines Executive Contact Information
By 7.28.08
Got an unresolved complaint with Spirit Airlines and regular customer service not working out for you? Then you might want to make use of the Spirit executive contact information we’ve got posted inside (especially the info for the CEO’s assistant). Reading these posts about how to write a good complaint letter, how to send an eecb, and how to deal with executive customer service may also come in handy. With this info, you’ll go from frowny consumer to jet set in no time.
Spirit Airlines Stealing Your Money Is "Nonrefundable"
By 7.25.08
Our network of spies and informants have penetrated every major American corporation. The following is dialog from a recent Spirit Airlines board meeting, as imagined by reader David, whom they screwed over. The first sentence of this post is therefore a non sequitor, but that’s ok. What’s not ok is Spirit’s policy making its various fees and upgrades non-refundable. So if they screw up your ticket and then have to issue you a new one, you don’t get to keep the upgrades you bought. They just take your money, because of their ironclad policy against refunds. Now let’s join that imagined Spirit Airlines board meeting, already in progress…
Spirit Airlines Charges $10 Fee For Ordering Tickets Online
By 7.21.08
One of the major points of having your customers order online is supposed to be that it makes it a more efficient and convenient process for everyone. Not so at Spirit Airlines, which is now charging $10 roundtrip extra fee if you order your tickets online. They’re calling this the “web convenience fee.”
Spirit Airlines' Customer Service Number Leads To Phone Sex Line
By 6.30.08
When you fly an ultra low budget airliner, you expect ultra low service, but even under that business model, it seems reasonable to assume that calling customer service won’t take you to a phone sex line. Reader Barbara would agree. She writes:
Spirit Airlines Increases Fees For First Checked Bag
By 6.16.08
Spirit Air will raise its fees for checking one bag, according to an email from the airline. On June 20th, Spirit will increase the fee for checking one bag from $10 to $15 if the checked bag is declared online, and from $20 to $25 if it is declared at check in. And Spirit’s belief that any publicity is good publicity continues.
Spirit Airlines Hold "Threesome Sale"
By 3.28.08
Spirit Airlines, holding a “Threesome Sale”, is apparently desperate for attention and I guess we’ll just have to give it to them. In this sale, members of the $9 Club get fares from $3 each way, seat upgrades for $3, and $33 for 33 hours. This comes on the heels of their last titillatingly titled marketing push, the “M.I.L.F sale,” which simply meant “Many Islands Low Fares,” and in no way, shape, or form, referenced American Pie. Now, before you get all outraged, remember that this is called “targeted marketing.” If you’re buying tickets for $3, classiness is probably not the first thing on your mind. I can’t wait for their next sale. I hear their marketing teams is busy coming up with clever acrostics for “gangbang.”
Read Before You Click: Spirit Airlines Signs You Up For Club Membership and Travel Insurance
By 7.31.07
If you buy a ticket on Spirit Airlines’ website, the purchase screen has the nasty habit of prefilling options to buy travel insurance and join the Spirit Airlines fare club. And those fees? Nonrefundable, even if you cancel your membership. How nice.
All US Airline CEO's Contact Infos
By 5.2.07
This appears to be a giant list of all US airlines’ CEO contact info (for instance, the phone number for US Airways corresponds with the information listed on their SEC filing) Shoot your complaints to the top of the totem pole with this information. — BEN POPKEN
