Spirit airlines refused to give us a cup of water at first

[Topper]

While I do think it is lame to charge for water

The vast majority of Americans pay for water to be brought into their homes and many municipalities charge you for the water that exits your home. Water is not a "free" commodity.

 

[NHdisneylover]

Drinking water on airplanes costs the airlines money (it is bottled, the weight ads to fuel costs, etc)--I do not think it is fair to expect it to be provided for free in the same way that it can be somewhat expected in a restaurant, etc (which is likely getting its water at a lower cost, mostly subsidized by local taxes).

OP, I don't think it is a big deal that you forgot to your credit card and that you (or your ever so thirsty brother) did not just buy some water at the airport, but I do think it is odd to post about being "denied" water to think there is some sort of lack of compassion when someone does not give you for free an item that they are supposed to sell. I mean, if you had been out on a hot day and stopped in a store and were unable to pay for the bottled water they sell, would you post about being "denied" if the clerk did not give you the water?

and, FTR since it has come up n the thread a few times, I have two teens who travel on their own often and both have a credit card with their name on it because I feel one is needed for emergencies while travelling. I, personally, feel that is prudent at any age.

 

[bcla]

The vast majority of Americans pay for water to be brought into their homes and many municipalities charge you for the water that exits your home. Water is not a "free" commodity.

Some people are used to using well water from their own property, although it's generally pretty nasty stuff in my experience.

Municipal water of course has costs. Around here our water bills include usage, sewage service, and even elevation surcharges to pay for the cost of pumping water uphill.

 

[Monica Nieves]

The 'no water' from Spirit is horrible..yes I had asked for a cup of water on my last flight from Hartford, Conn....and they thought I would be happy with a cup of ice..how ridiculous is that..they said they sell the water..but I refused to buy any..probably won't fly Spirit again..

 

[jdb in AZ]

The 'no water' from Spirit is horrible..yes I had asked for a cup of water on my last flight from Hartford, Conn....and they thought I would be happy with a cup of ice..how ridiculous is that..they said they sell the water..but I refused to buy any..probably won't fly Spirit again..

Welcome to the DIS. Hint: Check the date of the post you're replying to. This is a "zombie thread" from three years ago.

 

[L&Lfan]

I always think it’s crazy on Spirit when I see the flight attendant pour a whole pot of coffee down the bathroom sink/toilet because no one bought it and they won’t give it away. In that situation you’d think they could at least offer it to the business class folks.

 

[mnrose]

I always think it’s crazy on Spirit when I see the flight attendant pour a whole pot of coffee down the bathroom sink/toilet because no one bought it and they won’t give it away. In that situation you’d think they could at least offer it to the business class folks.

There is no business class on Spirit. They have the "bigger" seats you can buy, but it's by no means "business class." LOL

 

[Turn the Page]

When my oldest traveled alone, they still accepted cash. I wonder if they allow parents to prepay for some in-flight things for their kids if they are unaccompanied minors now? That could definitely be a pain since a child wouldn't have a credit card. That flight where I paid for the drink was the first time I had encountered the no cash rule so I am sure his parents didn't know about it either.

DD12 just flew unaccompanied minor on Delta this summer. The $300 unaccompanied minor fee they charge included snacks and such. The agent who spoke with me when I booked it said they try to keep all the unaccompanied minors in the back two rows of the plane, all together, so they can have their own flight attendant who will fill them full of all the sugary drinks and candy they can eat lol. Of course, DD12 was on very small planes so I think she was the only kid flying alone on all of her flights but still.

I can't speak for other airlines but as far as Delta goes, they charge a hefty fee but it is super convenient.

 

[sam_gordon]

I wonder if someone wanted to make issue out of the "no cash" rule... on all bills is the following: "This note is legal tender for all debts, public and private." So is it legal to accept CC only?

ETA: Apparently it is. Oh well.

 

[RedAngie]

I wonder if someone wanted to make issue out of the "no cash" rule... on all bills is the following: "This note is legal tender for all debts, public and private." So is it legal to accept CC only?

ETA: Apparently it is. Oh well.

Yes, businesses can refuse to accept cash in many situations.

I remember an embarrassing incident when I was a teen and my father caused a scene at some store because he wanted to pay with a $100 bill. The college-age cashier apologized and said she couldn't accept it and pointed to a sign at the register with the store policy. My father wasn't having it. "Young lady, this bill is legal currency of the United States of America, blah, blah, blah." My mother had to go over and pay with smaller bills. I think the store only accepted $20 bills or lower and its own credit card, not Master Card or Visa (which was BankAmeriCard at the time).

 

[L&Lfan]

There is no business class on Spirit. They have the "bigger" seats you can buy, but it's by no means "business class." LOL

Oh, preach sister! I know it’s not business class; I mean couldn’t they offer the coffee to those in the “ big seats” instead of pouring it down the hopper! I still love that 6am Spirit flight from Atlantic City to WDW!

 

[skyblue17]

Never, ever, eeeeeever fly without a bottle of your own water. The first thing I do when I get through security is go and buy a biiiiig bottle of Smart Water.

Also, pretty much every airline these days only allows you to purchase via CC. And Spirit is known for including NOTHING in their base price.

That said, if it's a health issue, they should still be giving out a fresh BOTTLE of water. You'd think that would be preferable to someone passing out on the plane.

 

[DebbieB]

If I was sitting near your brother, I would have bought the water with my credit card and then taken the cash. I'm surprised no one volunteered.

 

[bcla]

I wonder if someone wanted to make issue out of the "no cash" rule... on all bills is the following: "This note is legal tender for all debts, public and private." So is it legal to accept CC only?

ETA: Apparently it is. Oh well.

Sure. No business is required to accept cash or any particular denomination. "Legal tender" is poorly understood by most of the public. It does mean that a government agency must accept it for payment of a debt like a tax bill. There have been some doozies over the years of people protesting by paying with small bills. One guy carefully folded (origami style) $1 bills that had to be unfolded and counted. That's just being a jerk.

 

[bcla]

Never, ever, eeeeeever fly without a bottle of your own water. The first thing I do when I get through security is go and buy a biiiiig bottle of Smart Water.

Also, pretty much every airline these days only allows you to purchase via CC. And Spirit is known for including NOTHING in their base price.

That said, if it's a health issue, they should still be giving out a fresh BOTTLE of water. You'd think that would be preferable to someone passing out on the plane.

I just bring something like my empty Nalgene bottle and fill it when I get in the terminal. Most airports now have water filling stations with filters and everything.

 

[DebbieB]

Even on the major carriers... almost EVERYTHING is extra.

On our last, 8 hour flight, they didn't have anything left to eat... NOTHING... not even to purchase.

8 hours, and I swear, I was beginning to think the drink cart was only going to come by once.

Do not even begin to get me started on airlines.
ANY of them.
Just plain in-humane and evil.

The major carriers offer soft drinks and a small snack (pretzels, peanuts) for free. Delta, American, United. Before USAirways merged with American, they tried to start charging for drinks and got alot of grief. I think they thought the others would follow. They stepped back and offered it free again.

 

[Kellykins1218]

My brother and I flew from orlando to Detroit last night. The cabin was quite dry and my bro became a little dehydrated. They announced that they only sold water if you had a credit card which my brother does not own and I only had cash. My brother was so desperate he asked for a cup of water from the sink in the washrooms (I know, gross) and the attendant told him it was not meant for drinking. He just looked at us awkwardly and then walked away. We asked another flight attendant for a cup of water for the reasons above and she reluctantly gave us one 20 minutes later (no idea where it came from) for which he was so grateful for. So now I am curious as to whether even a charter airline should be obligated to give their customers cups of water on a flight if you are unable to pay for their bottled water. What are your thoughts?

Ok, being thirsty is not the same as being dehydrated but, if you had cash, why didn't you just ask around to see if you could pay someone & they could put it on their card? Seems like a simple thing. I know I would have no problem helping somebody out that way.

 

[anniemae]

Ok, being thirsty is not the same as being dehydrated but, if you had cash, why didn't you just ask around to see if you could pay someone & they could put it on their card? Seems like a simple thing. I know I would have no problem helping somebody out that way.

I would have offered as well if someone spoke up about needing water. I don't know if you will get a reply though, this thread is about three years old and OP has not posted in a while.

 

[skyblue17]

I wonder if someone wanted to make issue out of the "no cash" rule... on all bills is the following: "This note is legal tender for all debts, public and private." So is it legal to accept CC only?

ETA: Apparently it is. Oh well.

There's a growing number of food establishments here in NYC that do not accept cash of any kind. It's mostly locals who work in the area that go to these places and are aware/have no issue using a card but I have to wonder what happens when people don't realize until they are at the checkout.