Spirit Airlines horror story

[shelly314]

Just want to forewarn travelers about Spirit Airlines. Just returned from a cruise on Feb. 6. Booked on a flight out of Ft. Lauderdale at noon. Arrived at airport over 2 hrs. early, stood in a line outside terminal watching the time go by. Told every worker we saw that our flight left at noon and were told "no problem". They were checking in people on flights that left hours after us, but never asked who was on earlier flights. The workers were not at all courteous, but rather curt and nasty. After 2 hrs. in line, we listened as our flight took off without us. When we finally reached the check-in, we were re-booked on a flight that left at 7:15 p.m. No apology, no compensation such as a meal or drink. What an ending to a wonderful cruise.....9 hrs. spent in an airport. Thank heavens this didn't happen on the way to our cruise.....we would have missed it.

[megessey]

Were you in line to check in or was it the line for security?

[lvtotrvl1]

I don't quite understand...why were you outside in line for over two hours?

[shelly314]

We were in a long, long, outside line. There were 4 workers checking in passengers and luggage outside. This is where we were told to go. After about an hour and a half we reached the front of the line only to find 1 worker left, and were told it was getting too late to check in there and that we would have to go inside to check in (which is where they should have sent up orginally). Once inside, we were haphazardly directed to the back of that check-in line, not guided to the front where we might still have made the flight. By the time we reached the front of that line our flight had taken off. We were not the only ones. About a dozen other passengers missed the flight too. It only takes an little intelligence to realize what's happening and make an annoucement that all passengers on the noon flight come to the front of the line, or have a line just for them. And it only takes a second to be polite, understanding and compassionate.....something Spirit Airline employees really lack.

[greatam]

Why didn't one of you get out of line, go inside, find a supervisor and get some help? Walk up to the counter and interrupt, if nothing else. I travel a lot, so know these things, but it would just seem like common sense to NOT keep standing in line for two hours when you KNOW your plane is leaving.

 

Spirit Airlines may not have had the best customer service, but I sure think you could have done something to mitigate the circumstances. Sorry to be so hard, but travelers have to take some responsibility for themselves.

[shelly314]

Greatam......if you read my first post, we did exactly that. We asked everyone inside and outside about our flight, and were told to remain in the outside line and that there would be no problem making our flight. I specifically asked the woman overseeing the lines inside, and she told me that we must remain in the line outside. Remember, we were not the only ones that missed the flight, and by the time we all realized that we were probably not going to make it we were screaming and yelling but were met with indifference. Believe me, we did not just stand in line like some lost sheep. Harsh......yes!

[shelly314]

Greatam......if you read my first post, we did exactly that. We asked everyone inside and outside about our flight, and were told to remain in the outside line and that there would be no problem making our flight. I specifically asked the woman overseeing the lines inside, and she told me that we must remain in the line outside. Remember, we were not the only ones that missed the flight, and by the time we all realized that we were probably not going to make it we were screaming and yelling but were met with indifference. Believe me, we did not just stand in line like some lost sheep. Harsh......yes!

[shelly314]

Sorry about double post.

[greatam]

Greatam......if you read my first post, we did exactly that. We asked everyone inside and outside about our flight, and were told to remain in the outside line and that there would be no problem making our flight. I specifically asked the woman overseeing the lines inside, and she told me that we must remain in the line outside. Remember, we were not the only ones that missed the flight, and by the time we all realized that we were probably not going to make it we were screaming and yelling but were met with indifference. Believe me, we did not just stand in line like some lost sheep. Harsh......yes!

 

Sorry if my post was harsh, but in your OP, you made NO mention of going to look for a supervisor or going inside to get help. "Arrived at airport over 2 hrs. early, stood in a line outside terminal watching the time go by. Told every worker we saw that our flight left at noon and were told "no problem"".

 

And on the Spirit website, the recommended processing time is a MINIMUM of 2.5 hours. "Sunday afternoons, Friday afternoons and Monday mornings may require an additional half-hour. Peak traffic hours are: 6:30 AM – 9:30 AM, 11:00 AM – 2:00 PM, 3:30 PM – 7:30 PM."

 

Fort Lauderdale (FLL)

6:30 AM – 9:30 AM: 1 hr 30 min

10:00 AM – 2:00 PM: 2hrs 30 min

2:00 PM – 4:30 PM: 1 hr

4:30 PM – 7:30 PM: 2 hrs 30 min

 

The airline website also states there are kiosks for check-in. The outside lines are usually manned by contract employees, NOT airline employees. So not a lot of help outside. Sorry your trip was not the way you planned, but don't blame the airline entirely. Lots of times you have to help yourself and be very aggressive about getting that help.

[Loralu]

I was also on this flight, and went through the same experience as Shelly, and I can assure everyone that every attempt was made on our part to avoid missing our plane. We arrived in plenty of time to get to our flight despite the recommendations you listed below (not necessary). Spirit also explains how customer service is a priority on their website.. well they failed to do this with us and many others for our flight.

 

You know what I don't understand.. Someone comes on here and posts something like this to let people know of thier experiences (good or bad) and there is always someone else out there with nothing better to do than to want to argue with the person posting. Everyone has different experiences and ours was one out of the norm.. and Spirit airline employees were the ones to balme because of their incompetence and rude customer service.. that's it! No excuses will change the facts. Oh and for the record.. if you were not there in our situation you can only speculate and assume we did something wrong.. well think again, you were not there.

[shelly314]

Amen!

[lyttleone1977]

Sorry about the bad luck, but what day was the 6th? 2 days after the Super Bowl, right? You wouldnt think that a week day would be so hectic since, but it was probably because of the Bowl. I flew on Spirit last year, on a Saturday which is supposed to be one of the busiest days of the week, and had no problems, very quick actually. Just a recommendation, next time before you cruise, find out what else is going on in the area. My family is flying into FLL (most likely on Spirit) the first day of the boat show, so I have made my hotel reservs way out, and if I have to, book a later flight home. Its called being prepared for anything that may happen. Its all about traveling!

[INSIDERS CABIN]

Shelley, I feel your pain! Altho our spirit airlines horrror story took place 2 years ago at ft. lauderdale, returning to ohare, it was exactly the same. We are very saavy travelers, and have never encountered a situation like the Spirit airline one. What is more, we will never encounter this again, because no matter the bargain fare, we will not be seduced into buying it!

 

All of these posts suggesting you could have taken other measures--these people were not in the line! We had all of our 4 cellphones busy calling Spirit to book, rebook, or find out what to do......to no avail. To add insult to injury, i was the passenger picked for extra screening, while the ranting and raving passengers gaped at me.....never again!:mad:

[greatam]

 

All of these posts suggesting you could have taken other measures--these people were not in the line! We had all of our 4 cellphones busy calling Spirit to book, rebook, or find out what to do......to no avail.

 

This is the whole point of my post. Calling Spirit (or any airline's) general number while you are standing in line is useless, as is asking someone walking by or in the general vicinity. The only time you can call a number while standing in line and REALLY get help is when you are an elite FF and have a special number to call.

 

What one MUST do in these trying situations is get OUT of line (leave someone in line WITH THE LUGGAGE just IN CASE the line starts moving) and find someone who CAN do something for you. Whether that means just walking up to the check in counter INSIDE and ignoring the line (and the stares and complaining) or finding a supervisor in an office (yes, they all have offices at the airport), in these situations you MUST be very proactive and aggressive.

 

 

To add insult to injury, i was the passenger picked for extra screening, while the ranting and raving passengers gaped at me.....never again!:mad:

 

Extra screening has NOTHING to do with the airline. The dreaded SSS appears randomly on tickets for ALL airlines.

 

I am sorry for your experiences. But sometimes you MUST take the bull by the horns and really make waves. And in this situation, the squeaky wheel definitely would have gotten the grease.

[Loralu]

m sorry for your experiences. But sometimes you MUST take the bull by the horns and really make waves. And in this situation, the squeaky wheel definitely would have gotten the grease.

 

Greatam.. do you work for Spirit? You obviously didn't read our posts very well. As indicated.. we all took the bull by the horns and the tail and every other part. We DID go inside and seek help, and we were as agressive as we could be without being arrested.. you just don't get it.. and you won't because you were not there.

 

We also were prepared.. we didnt book a flight out on Monday because we were trying to avoid the Superbowl traffic.. also we went to Ft. Lauderdale instead of leaving out of Miami (where we cruised from) to also avoid the Superbowl traffic.

 

Well anyway... its's over and I have written a letter of complaint to Spirit, don't know what good it will do. I'm with you Insiders Cabin.. I don't care what kind of bargians they offer.. it's not worth the hassell to fly Spirit.

[nho9504]

Greatam.. do you work for Spirit?

 

I have to post to defend Greatam. I have read her posts for a long time on various boards.

 

And if you are not so lazy, you can simply search Greatam's posts on this site - you would readily see how much more she knows about airlines, flights, and air travel general, then 99% of the posters here. IMO, she is willing to post here is doing many infrequent travellers a big service.

 

No, she does not work for Spirit. She owns a logistic company - in case you dont understand what logistic is - it is to handle/transport/move/deliver goods from one location to another. Her company handles perishables between South America and anywhere in U.S. Because of her business she travels a lot, enough to be the elite member of mainline airlines - in case you have no idea - that means flying 100K miles a year.

 

Greatam posted here because she wanted to help, to share her knowledge and experiences with others, especially those who do not travel often and have no clue on how to handle unforeseeables when they travel - which, unfortunately, happen a lot. Like she said, many times you as a traveller, have to take things into your own hand and be aggressive in order to get things done.

 

As for Spirit, I dont fly it, as I see its pricing is deceiving. I dont fly any of the so-called low price airlines, Spirit, Southwest, Jetblue... because they are not really lowpriced at all. I am sure they handled things badly on that day you guys missed your flights.

 

However, I do think Greatam posted to make constructive suggestions so next time you know better how to handle the situation. Remember, you could face similar situation with any airline, not just Spirit. Knowing how to travel defensively is your best bet.

[jerseygirl3]

I've been flying Spirit Airlines for almost 20 years and never had a problem like you described. On any flight I've taken, someone comes around and asks if anybody is on such and such a flight to be sure nobody is left standing in line and might possibly miss their flight. There is absolutely no way I would have continued to stay in line past the time that my flight was due to leave. I would have raised hell so somebody would listen, even if it meant going to the front of the line and cutting in. If an employee told me to just get back in line, they'd have to call security because there is no way I'd allow that to happen and miss my flight. I think perhaps you were all a bit too passive (don't mean that to be critical). Calling Spirit's 800 number would have yielded nothing, especially since this was Super Bowl weekend, my guess is you would even have trouble getting through.

 

I usually find Spirit's prices very reasonable, plus we live 15 minutes from Atlantic City, so their non-stop flights from A.C. to various FL cities is very convenient. I can frequently find flights for $59 each way.

[nho9504]

I've been flying Spirit Airlines for almost 20 years and never had a problem like you described. .

 

Spirit did not come to existence until April of 1993 - the first scheduled flights to destinations in Florida. Before that, their name was Charter One, and wouldn't you guess it, it was a Chartered tour operator.

 

The $59/$8/$0.01 whatever pricing, is gimmick, because there are never a r/t you can book in such faresx2 - unless you can stay at one place for 2 weeks or more, then catch a return flight priced at that level. Otherwise, you only get one half of the trip being priced this way, the other half is at a much higher price. When you add the costs together, it is not much cheaper than flying mainline airlines. They advertised big time in Florida newspapers about their fares so I subscribed their email alerts - after a few round of such alerts I realize it is worthless for the reason above. I dont ever bother to read their alerts any more. I tried to unsubscribe it, but the emails persist!

[parody]

The $59/$8/$0.01 whatever pricing, is gimmick, because there are never a r/t you can book in such faresx2

 

Yes, this appears to be their typical MO. However, in a email of a month or two ago, they must have messed up as I was able to fly Spirit from PVD to RSW on Feb. 11 for $20 (not including taxes and fees) with a return on Feb. 15 for $20. It will be interesting to see if this ever happens again!

[shelly314]

I orginally started this thread to let other travelers know of our experience, so that they could be enlightened as to what could happen. I was simply trying to help. I had no idea that I would stir up the wrath of some other members. In LoraLu's defense, I also thought that Greatam was a employee of Spirit Airlines. Why else would someone come to their defense so readily? Why was it so impossible to believe that Spirit actually made a big mistake and caused considerable misery to a lot of travelers?

 

nho9504.....I understand that you are a friend of Greatams, but was this really necessary? "And if you are not so lazy", "in case you dont understand what logistic is", "in case you have no idea"?

 

It was my intention to help those planning flights. I had no idea that this board was intended strictly for praise for the various Airlines, and that any criticism would be met with extreme hostility. Chalk it up to my ignorance that has been so aptly pointed out.

[nho9504]

Dont know HOW you read others posts.

 

1) Greatam does not come rushing to defend Spirit - she came to remind people you need to be aggressively protect yourselves when obviously the airline employees dont give a damn.

 

2) I do not know Greatam but I have read her past posts and this particular one - I feel the accusations you and Loralu have towards Greatam are totally offbase, that is why I posted. I still think, if you guys do a simple search of the poster, you would have known Greatam has nothing to do with Spirit. On the contrary, because she has access to airline reservation system (from her business), she often offers her helps to others to search flights, fares, and offer ideas on complex bookings which, in many cases, are the International, open jaw type of bookings versus the domestic, going down to FL, or CA, for a 7-day Caribbean or Mexico cruise. Again, if you care to spend a few minutes to search, you would NOT get an idea Greatam works for Spirit.

 

3) Nobody praises Spirit here for its services.

 

I orginally started this thread to let other travelers know of our experience, so that they could be enlightened as to what could happen. I was simply trying to help. I had no idea that I would stir up the wrath of some other members. In LoraLu's defense, I also thought that Greatam was a employee of Spirit Airlines. Why else would someone come to their defense so readily? Why was it so impossible to believe that Spirit actually made a big mistake and caused considerable misery to a lot of travelers?

 

nho9504.....I understand that you are a friend of Greatams, but was this really necessary? "And if you are not so lazy", "in case you dont understand what logistic is", "in case you have no idea"?

 

It was my intention to help those planning flights. I had no idea that this board was intended strictly for praise for the various Airlines, and that any criticism would be met with extreme hostility. Chalk it up to my ignorance that has been so aptly pointed out.

[Loralu]

Well my goodness.. I really thought these boards were for people to share their experiences.. apparently I was wrong. It seems that if you share your experience here.. you get bashed by others who claim to be more informed and think everyone else is an idiot! and lazy..huh!

 

I must also apologize for telling my story... I didn't know there were rules of engagement here.. and that I needed to read other peoples posts to get background info before asking questions.. thanks NHo for pointing that out to us.

 

Nho.. maybe you work for Spirit air??? or maybe your really Greatam.. but using another name here.. it's all possible since you seem so upset about everything. Well I'm done with this thread.. I'm gonna move my lazy butt back to posting with more civil people, But feel free to continue with your ranting.. you must enjoy it!:eek:

[sheilacp]

Hello to everyone:

 

I'm so sorry to the OP about the rotten experience with Spirit. Certainly a terrible way to end a vacation!

 

In the "spirit" (sorry - couldn't resist:p ) of informative and polite postings, I just wanted to say that I have had nothing but good experiences with Spirit. I've flown from Detroit to either Orlando or Ft. Lauderdale several times now with their crazy cheap fares - just got back from Disney, and we (DH, DD, and myself) got $8 each way. Other times we've gotten $59 or $79 each way. I do respectfully disagree with the posters that say you can never get the "good" fares both ways. Yes, it is difficult - and not usual - to be able to get those fares for both segments, but it does happen. You just have to really watch the specials and be willing to be flexible. In fact, each of the times that we got the special fares we didn't have a trip planned - we just decided to take the trips when we were able to get the good rates.

 

In my personal experience, I have never felt like I was sacrificing service for price. We have had nothing but excellent service with all of our Spirit experiences - in fact, I have found their communication to be much better than the "mainstream" airlines. As far as being nickle & dimed - paying for snacks, $10 for a second bag per person, etc... - I don't mind it one bit as long as I'm paying a pretty low fare for the flight itself. If, however, I was paying full price - yes, I would have a problem paying those other charges.

 

I guess I just wanted to throw in my $.02. I wasn't in line with the OP, so I won't say what he/she could've/should've done, I just wanted to share my story with Spirit.

[goodml]

We've flown with Spirit multiple times out of Detroit to FLL and we had one experience similar to what the OP has described. It was December 2005 and we had the noonish flight leaving FLL non stop to DTW. We were at the airport at 9:20 for our 12:10 flight. Same scenario except there was a bunch of us lined up against the wall across from the check-in desk rather than outside. At that time they had recently expanded their schedule to include a bunch more Caribbean destinations and they had a lot of flights leaving that morning. They absolutely (and quite rudely) refused to allow any of us on a domestic flight to check in before the international ones were all handled. People got really really angry especially as the clock hit about 11:50. It's the only time in my life I thought there was a possibility I'd be standing in the middle of a riot:eek: .There were probably 50 people waiting to check in and they wouldn't even allow us to use self check-in terminals. It was chaos, people were screaming at employees, making demands, threats, you name it. Security was called and they finally let us all check in. We boarded at about 12:25 for the 12:15 flight but at least they did hold the plane. It really was terrrible customer service and I'm one who enjoys flying Spirit but I do think they have a scheduling problem at certain times of the day in FLL.