Spirit Airlines Says: "Don't Fly With Us"

[lllGurulll]

in the past but last year I found Delta out of BDL (Htfd, CT) $10 cheaper than SW. I had to pay 1 bag fee of $15 (DD and I pack light) so it came to $5 cheaper the 2 of us, not really any difference at all but the first time Delta was competitive. This year, SW has cancelled ALL the good non-stops out of BDL and Delta is matching fares at least for now. So now SWA has lost my business. They just aren't competitive in the Hartford market IMHO. My point is there are MANY factors involved in chosing an airline. I'm willing to pay bag fees in order to get the flight times I want. Others may not. And what works for someone this trip may not for the next. The most important thing here? An informed consumer.

On that we most definitely CAN agree on.

 

[Brian Noble]

So it really doesn't matter that SW is charging for baggage in their actual fare. They are still the most affordable for most family travelers.

This depends (very much) on your specific market. Until very recently, Southwest wasn't even in the conversation at DTW because (a) they got rid of all their MCO nonstops and (b) they were priced significantly *higher* than the competition's nonstop flights, even with nuisance fees.

I've noticed that in the past six months or so, SW has gotten a lot more aggressive in pricing out of DTW. But, there are still no nonstops, and as has been pointed out, that's also worth something.

 

[kaytieeldr]

This depends (very much) on your specific market. Until very recently, Southwest wasn't even in the conversation at DTW because

And they weren't in the conversation at BOS because, well, they weren't at BOS. Even now, based on how adamant most DISers are about nonstop flights, Southwest out of Logan still wouldn't be on the radar - because the only nonstops are to Baltimore, Midway, and (recently added) Philadelphia.

 

[KevGuy]

Just another way to gouge the consumer just like the banks with all their fees......

 

[Lewisc]

Spirit isn't like other airlines. Spirit is promoting the $9 club. You join by paying an annual fee or by getting (and using) a Spirit master card. Members get access to fare specials and reduced costs for luggage.

SW doesn't charge for DING. AFAIK Spirit is the only airline which charges customers for access to weekly email specials.

Members will be charged $15 to check a bag. Not free like SW or Jet Blue but not unreasonable.

Spirit is looking for customers to pay a fee (or use a Spirit credit card).

Paying an annual fee in order to do business with an airline is a way to "gouge" customers. I used quotes. Some people may think this is good business. It's certainly different.

 

[lugnut33]

Spirit isn't like other airlines. Spirit is promoting the $9 club. You join by paying an annual fee or by getting (and using) a Spirit master card. Members get access to fare specials and reduced costs for luggage.

SW doesn't charge for DING. AFAIK Spirit is the only airline which charges customers for access to weekly email specials.

Members will be charged $15 to check a bag. Not free like SW or Jet Blue but not unreasonable.

Spirit is looking for customers to pay a fee (or use a Spirit credit card).

Paying an annual fee in order to do business with an airline is a way to "gouge" customers. I used quotes. Some people may think this is good business. It's certainly different.

Sorry, I'm of the opinion that Spirit needs to be run out of business because they are employing these deceptive practices. I know, you'll say it's all there laid out, but it's similar to the credit card companies. Put out all these fees and hope people screw up, then just say, "well, you're and idiot for not reading them all".

Plus it's just wrong. There are certain expectations that are supposed to be included in the flight, one of them is luggage. People travel with stuff, they have forever, since the dawn of time. Now airlines are saying you are expected to travel without... unless you pay us.

How many poor saps are going to get dinged $45 because their bag doesn't quite fit under the seat ahead of them? That'll be a real money maker for Spirit, and Spirit can just blame it on the FAA. I can hear it now, "We're sorry, but due to FAA regulations that strap is too far out, you have to put it in the overhead bin for $45, give me your credit card".

Let these airlines continue to get you to pay fees and they are just going to keep making them up to seperate you from more of your money.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Plus it's just wrong. There are certain expectations that are supposed to be included in the flight, one of them is luggage. People travel with stuff, they have forever, since the dawn of time. Now airlines are saying you are expected to travel without... unless you pay us.

They're not expecting anyone to travel without luggage. Sure, they are expecting passengers to pay a la carte for Spirit to transport that luggage - but it's sure as heck not a secret. Any Spirit passenger who doesn't know about the new charges has only themselves to blame.

How many poor saps are going to get dinged $45 because their bag doesn't quite fit under the seat ahead of them? That'll be a real money maker for Spirit, and Spirit can just blame it on the FAA. I can hear it now, "We're sorry, but due to FAA regulations that strap is too far out, you have to put it in the overhead bin for $45, give me your credit card".

Spirit is being pretty public with the size of the underseat area - 16" x 12" x 14". This has to include wheels, handles, and straps - that is, yes, FAA mandate for safety. It's not new. To claim a strap wouldn't fit is somewhat disingenuous, don't you think?

I can pack for one night in an underseat-compliant bag. The rest, if I flew Spirit, would more cost-efficiently (and more conveniently) be in a single checked suitcase.

 

[Lewisc]

A few years ago SW let passengers check 3 70lb bags. The current policy is 2 50 lb bags. You'll get charged if you're a few pounds overweight. Policies change.

There is no longer any reason for passengers to expect free luggage. Almost all airlines charge for checked luggage. This isn't a new policy.

Some travelers still think they need 2 bags per passenger. Some think they need one. Others find two family members can share one bag. Some airlines want passengers to pay for what they use. Passengers need to consider the cost of luggage when comparing fares. Kayak lets passengers include the costs for checked luggage when they search for airfares. I think most passengers should include whatever it costs to check one bag when comparing fares.


Until recently Airtran's maximum size for checked bags (without paying $$$ for oversized bags) was an inch or two under the industry standard of 62" Some locations AT was measuring bags and charging. You can search. Happened to some DIS. Call my cynical but I think that was a deliberate attempt to fleece passengers.

Spirit lists the size for bags that fit under the seat. Passengers should expect to pay $$$ if their bag doesn't fit in the sizing template. Even if it misses by an inch or two. It's a safety issue if the bag doesn't completely fit in the seat in front of you. A passenger who thinks he can beat the system by having a bag that's only a couple of inches too big deserves to pay $45. It would have made more sense to spend the $25 to check the bag before entering security.

I doubt I'll every fly Spirit. The new policy is a logical extension of the way they do business. Spirit squeezes their expenses and looks for fees to charge. That means poor customer service. Quick decisions to drop (or suspend) service to/from under performing cities.

A few of us saw this coming. Charging for checked bags leads to more carryon bags. That means less revenue from bags. It means delayed boarding. It means further delays when some bags have to get gate checked.

Plus it's just wrong. There are certain expectations that are supposed to be included in the flight, one of them is luggage. People travel with stuff, they have forever, since the dawn of time. Now airlines are saying you are expected to travel without... unless you pay us.

How many poor saps are going to get dinged $45 because their bag doesn't quite fit under the seat ahead of them? That'll be a real money maker for Spirit, and Spirit can just blame it on the FAA. I can hear it now, "We're sorry, but due to FAA regulations that strap is too far out, you have to put it in the overhead bin for $45, give me your credit card".

Let these airlines continue to get you to pay fees and they are just going to keep making them up to seperate you from more of your money.

 

[lugnut33]

There is no longer any reason for passengers to expect free luggage.

.

Why? Because all airlines but a few have decided to charge for them and that makes it right and fair? The didn't just add those fees to enhance revenue?

See, that's the kind of attitude that I and others in this thread have been saying is leading to more and more add-on fees. The airlines have you believing that any add-on is a good thing and automatically leads to lower prices. Until Spirit is the lowfare leader and beating everybody out of the water with price, then add-ons are really just a revenue enhancer.

 

[Allison]

And if they need to enhance revenue to stay in business and make a profit? For me personally, I don't understand why that is viewed so harshly.

 

[goofy4tink]

Why? Because all airlines but a few have decided to charge for them and that makes it right and fair? The didn't just add those fees to enhance revenue?

See, that's the kind of attitude that I and others in this thread have been saying is leading to more and more add-on fees. The airlines have you believing that any add-on is a good thing and automatically leads to lower prices. Until Spirit is the lowfare leader and beating everybody out of the water with price, then add-ons are really just a revenue enhancer.

Life changes...pure and simple. We 'used' to get regular meals on flights..didn't matter if that flight was only 3 hrs. You got a small meal. Longer flight? Larger meal. Things change. Only things, in life, that are certain, are death and taxes. It would seem that we can now add 'airline fees' to that as well.

Nobody is saying that everyone has to be happy about these changes. But..airlines are businesses. They get to decide how to run their respective companies. If the paying guest doesn't like those policies, they can move on to a different company...period.

Man....I remember when gas was $.32 a gallon, break was less than that, milk was about $.50 a gallon. Sure do wish those days would come back, but they aren't likely to. Same with airlines....they are going to make as many changes as the economy will bear. A time will come when the consumer says 'enough, I'm not flying anymore'. Then, and only then, will airlines change the way they think about addtl fees. But, until that time comes, we need to be informed about our air travel and exactly what those fees entail.

 

[Lewisc]

Why? Because all airlines but a few have decided to charge for them and that makes it right and fair? The didn't just add those fees to enhance revenue?

See, that's the kind of attitude that I and others in this thread have been saying is leading to more and more add-on fees. The airlines have you believing that any add-on is a good thing and automatically leads to lower prices. Until Spirit is the lowfare leader and beating everybody out of the water with price, then add-ons are really just a revenue enhancer.

An airline that's a beating everybody out of the water on price is an airline that's probably not profitable. An airline, that if small enough, will join airlines like Skybus.

Add on fees are neither good nor bad. They're part of the cost of flying. Include the cost of any add ons that are applicable to you and decide if the total price is good. It's really that simple.

SW is still profitable. Their approach works. Spirit is also profitable. Their approach also works.

 

[Tara]

There is no longer any reason for passengers to expect free luggage.

Why? Because all airlines but a few have decided to charge for them and that makes it right and fair?

Who says expectation has anything to do with "right and fair"??? The fact is that virtually every domestic carrier charges for checked baggage. That is REALITY. To expect something other than reality is foolish. That's the point Lewisc is making.

 

[princessfionasmom]

I didn't read the whole thread, 19 pages is a lot, but just wanted to add my 2 cents. As much as I agree that the fee for the carry on is high, we always do carry on's. It's me, DH, DD (7) and DS (9). However, our carryon's always fit under the seat in front of us because we seem to be always on the flights with the bins full of the oversized, too big to be carryon bags. We pack all our stuff in one bag each plus my personal bag which has snacks and the kids electronics. We obviously do not bring a lot and we are DVC members so we do usually have the villa with laundry and I do a load or 2 during vaca just so we can pack light. I just don't like to be stuck with a lot of luggage and found after the first few times that we just didn't use all the stuff we brough with us. Now we bring the essentials, my kids have also been to WDW enough that they now get one souvenier each to bring home which fits into someone's bag. Now in June we are doing WDW and a cruise so we need to pack for 10 days and will need some dressy clothing for the cruise so we will check 1 big bag for all of us which will have our curise items and our 1 carryon each which will fit under the seat. The fees don't start until after our vaca but I've flown enough to know not to count on their being space in the overhead bins. We usually fly JetBlue or Southwest, I'm a huge Southwest fan but for this trip Spirit was the cheapest by far, even with the baggage fees. All I can say is everyone has a choice, you don't like what an airline is doing, don't fly with them. I don't see Southwest or Jetblue following Spirit but only time will tell.

 

[lugnut33]

The personal item is free. And the bag will be $20 or $30, but your fare is down by $40 or more, so the tradeoff is great.

You know, the people who are outraged at this, Neil, you know who they are? They’re the people who fly other airlines and are used to being charged $500 to $1,000 for their fare. And they say, I don’t want my airline to charge me for a carry-on, when I’m paying them $600 to get on the airplane.

The above quote is from Spirit Airlines CEO. Who is this guy kidding? I've already pointed out numerous flights where spirit is more expensive. He acts like if you join the $9 club then all your flights are going to be a penny. Well, they are NOT!! And often times they end up more expensive.

Wanna read the whole interview, here you go:
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,590586,00.html

 

[lugnut33]

Interesting, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood agrees with me and is doing something about it:

Spirit Airlines announced earlier this week that it would start charging passengers for carry-on bags this summer. It has also lowered some fares to one cent. I think it’s possible customers will think they’re booking a penny fare, only to discover that everything else is extra after they’ve made a purchase decision. Do you think that’s the way they ought to be doing it?
RL: Absolutely not.

How should they be doing it?

RL: I think they should fully disclose to people — either if they’re calling or if they’re looking at a computer screen — in a way that’s legible and clearly readable, so that if they are going to charge you, you board the plane and you put your bag above the seat, that whatever that charge is, people can see that.

This idea of trying to deceive people with some little amount of print that nobody can read, or somewhere tucked away, I don’t agree with that.

And we’re gonna hold the airline’s feet to the fire on this. Because we have an obligation to do it and we have the ability to do it.

I think it’s a bit outrageous that an airline is going to charge someone to carry on a bag and put it in the overhead. And I’ve told our people to try and figure out a way to mitigate that. I think it’s ridiculous.

Do you think Spirit crossed the line?

RL: I don’t think they care about their customers. That’s what I think. And I think when you charge somebody to use the bathroom, you don’t care about your customers. I mean, it’s pretty clear.


I’m sure you’ve been following the Menendez bill, which would require airlines to quote a total price on their tickets. Isn’t that the kind of thing your department can mandate in an administrative rulemaking?

Yes, it is.

 

[lugnut33]

I know I'm not in the norm here on these boards, but apparently with the rest of the public I am:

1. TripAdvisor.com did an online poll Wednesday to ask people about Spirit Airlines' plans to charge for carry-on bags beginning Aug. 1.

Not surprisingly, the 1,750-plus respondents in the non-scientific poll didn't like the idea: 91 percent said they wouldn't pay a fee for a carry-on bag.

 

[lllGurulll]

The above quote is from Spirit Airlines CEO. Who is this guy kidding? I've already pointed out numerous flights where spirit is more expensive. He acts like if you join the $9 club then all your flights are going to be a penny. Well, they are NOT!! And often times they end up more expensive.

Wanna read the whole interview, here you go:
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,590586,00.html

Wow! That gut is a real piece of work.

 

[kaytieeldr]

There is no longer any reason for passengers to expect free luggage.

Why? Because all airlines but a few have decided to charge for them and that makes it right and fair? The didn't just add those fees to enhance revenue?

Right and fair for whom? Airlines are businesses, not charities. What about what's right and fair for them? If almost every company in a particular field does something a certain way, it's simple common sense: in this case, if almost every airline charges to check luggage, then, if not right and fair, it's at least reasonable and widespread. And let's not be disingenuous. They added those fees in an attempt to move toward profitability; so, yes, adding fees enhances revenue. Of course, that revenue is severely offset by increased expenses.

 

[kaytieeldr]

This idea of trying to deceive people with some little amount of print that nobody can read, or somewhere tucked away, I don’t agree with that.

This http://www.spiritair.com//Policiesbags.aspx doesn't look like small print to me. It appears to be the same size font as typically used here on the DIS. The prices on the actual price charts are huge. And easily visible - i.e. visitors don't need to even click on a tab - under Deals & Offers are links to:

• Earn Up To 50,000 FREE SPIRIT Miles!
• Sign Up For Email Specials
• View our new Baggage Policies!
• Check Out Our New $9 Fare Club!
• Earn 100% More Miles for Your Stay!