YSK - this is a rant but meant as a public service because everyone should know about this shoddiness.
After a round trip from Newark Liberty Airport to Los Angeles LAX and back it is clear beyond a shadow of a doubt that Spirit Airlines is not worth booking with, despite their (deceptively) low prices.
I knew going into it that they were a discount, no frills carrier. What I was not expecting was arriving 3 hours late with no compensation, and even worse, the return flight getting completely cancelled with no alternative than to wait until the following day. Then that flight via Fort Lauderdale (a 10 hour trip) was delayed 90 minutes causing the connecting flight to be missed so it had to be cancelled as well, resulting in a second overnight stay in a hotel we had to pay for. There’s no hotel vouchers for these events which are clearly their fault. It’s all on you to find and pay for lodging.
So much for trying to be frugal!
Moral of the story… You totally get what you pay for. Avoid Spirit Airlines at all costs.
Spirit is only good if you treat it like the public bus - cheap, uncomfortable, and will get you there at some point in time if you wait long enough.
I personally don’t care. It’s reliable enough that the low prices make up for the times when you get shafted.
There were thunderstorms in the New York area yesterday, as well as an FAA communications issue that caused problems on the DC area yesterday. Both had massive ripple effects on aviation overall. Also, none of the issues caused by them are eligible for compensation.
Airlines are also dealing with massive shortages of pilots, and the FAA also has a shortage of air traffic controllers. COVID say a lot of early retirements in those fields. Also, as a knee jerk reaction to the Colgan Air crash in 2009, the FAA added a 1500 flight hour requirement for new commercial pilots, which means pilot training out if reach for most people, as flight hours often cost hundreds of dollars an hour.
Meanwhile, the whole industry is a race to the bottom. While people claim they want better service, when they actually go looking for tickets, most buy the cheapest ticket possible.
I 1000% agree with you. I had flown Southwest for years, found a better deal with Spirit from Denver to Vegas over a decade ago, it was about about $90 less. Decided to give it a shot. After paying for seat selection, checked and carryon bags, iced water, and then being subjected to a live 30 min branded credit card presentation from the flight attendants, I wouldn’t fly with them if they paid me.
Edit: Forgot to mention after all their other charges, I ended up spending $175 more than I would have with Southwest.
