Spirit to cut plane services

**rooms222** · August-08-09, 11:01 PM

Looking at the online schedule after Novermber 15th or so, it appears Spirit is dropping the non-stop from Detroit to Los Angeles and cutting NYC-La Guardia to one flight a day. Spirit and the $9 fare club have helped keep prices affordable to fly out of Detroit. I have taken many, many flights on them at great prices [[i.e. below $120 r/t, often well below).

Spirit was started in Detroit, but moved their headquarters from Eastpointe to Miramar FL. Their main focus is now the Caribbean and Florida, but the Detroit flights have remained, but shrunk as our economy has. Spirit tried 2 LA flights a day last year [[big disaster) and had three a day to NYC just a year or two ago. Just 4 months ago, Spirit's CEO was talking about dropping Ft Lauderdale-Los Angeles, but now Detroit gets dropped instead.....

I have noticed lots of discounted seats and lots of connector traffic through Detroit this year, a sign of the soft market.

On a brighter note, Fort Lauderdale still has three flights a day to/from Detroit, and Tampa is increasing to two flights a day, at least for the winter. Seasonal service to West Palm Beach will resume, but from Feb 10, 2010, not the end of November as it has in the past.......

LodgeDodger · August-08-09, 11:09 PM

I'm not surprised, but I am disappointed.

**iheartthed** · August-09-09, 07:58 AM

I don't fly Spirit, but I'm surprised that they are cutting service on the DTW to LGA route. I know a lot of people who take that flight several times a year.

**rooms222** · August-09-09, 09:55 AM

I think most of the passengers originate in Detroit. They are keeping the AM flight to NY and the late afternoon one to Detroit. This flight does ok, I think......

Alao, they are dropping the nonstop to/from Myrtle Beach from Detroit. It is now a direct flight through NYC.......This may be seasonal.

**Ray1936** · August-09-09, 11:33 AM

Had some nasty experiences with Spirit. I'll never fly them again for a number of reasons, including the fact that if you try to contact them by telephone, you get Ghandi in India who spik no Inglis. I also don't like to do business with airlines that fly French planes [[Airbus) or that charge for luggage. Future flights I'm staying with Southwest.

**Gsgeorge** · August-09-09, 08:44 PM

Originally Posted by Ray1936

Had some nasty experiences with Spirit. I'll never fly them again for a number of reasons, including the fact that if you try to contact them by telephone, you get Ghandi in India who spik no Inglis. I also don't like to do business with airlines that fly French planes [[Airbus) or that charge for luggage. Future flights I'm staying with Southwest.

Ray, absolutely 100% DITTO, to the T. Spirit is crapola. Lots of hidden fees, worst customer service ever, and horrible on-flight service. You know an airline is desperate when you walk down the concourse in DTW and a Spirit rep begs you to sign up for the $9 club. Next time that happens I'm gonna tell them to stick that $9 bullcrap you-know-where. After taxes, luggage fees, snacks on the airplane, etc. that $9 looks a lot more like $90-$300. Might as well fly a normal airline and not get slapped in the face with surprises, crappy service, and cust.serv. reps named "Kevin" who suspiciously sound like they reside in Bangladesh and refuse to transfer you to someone who can actually speak English or works where the company is headquartered in FLA. NO THANK YOU.

Bye bye Spirit. Won't be sad to see you go to airline graveyard. End rant.

**Detroit500** · August-10-09, 10:54 PM

Spirit is okay, I have had mixed experiences with them.

However, after some very recent positive experiences with Northwest, NW/Delta have made me a customer for life. I don't even look for fares from other airlines unless the price seems remarkably high for a flight.

**iheartthed** · August-11-09, 08:40 AM

Originally Posted by Ray1936

Had some nasty experiences with Spirit. I'll never fly them again for a number of reasons, including the fact that if you try to contact them by telephone, you get Ghandi in India who spik no Inglis. I also don't like to do business with airlines that fly French planes [[Airbus) or that charge for luggage. Future flights I'm staying with Southwest.

That's funny. Until very recently [[like in the past 2 years), Spirit's customer service call center was based in the Detroit area.

ETA: And Southwest must be the only major airline in the western world that doesn't use Airbus planes...

**Ray1936** · August-11-09, 10:56 AM

Originally Posted by iheartthed

ETA: And Southwest must be the only major airline in the western world that doesn't use Airbus planes...

That's part of their success. They fly Boeing 737s exclusively. This means only one accumulation of aircraft parts for repair/replacement instead of a half dozen types for multiple aircraft.

Hey, I'm a devout non-import car buyer. By the same token, I'll support airlines that "Buy American".....Boeing, rather than Airbus. Screw the French.

**MikeM** · August-11-09, 11:52 AM

Hey, just like autos, lots of Airbus parts are built here and lots of Boeing parts are built overseas. Also, if Southwest wins the auction for Frontier they will become an Airbus owner/operator, although I'm sure they will sell of the assets. Owning a single fleet type is great for mainenance, parts, training, etc., but you run the tiny risk of having your fleet grounded [[DC-10, ATR, MD-80) like it nearly was in the 1990s with the rudder problems, and you limit yourself on routes.

**rooms222** · August-11-09, 11:55 AM

Unfortunately, Spirit closed the call center here. Their first subcontractor went bankrupt. One was from India, the other from the Phillipines [[Hint: try to avoid the call center at all costs).

Online is the only way to go with Spirit. If that fails, write, fax, email, or call an actual person down in Miramar. The call center cannot handle many tasks, and you can rarely even get through to them. The one success I had was by calling the Spanish line.

Spirit has its quirks and its issues. For those who don't know the system, it is fraught with frustrations and disappointments.

Still, I look back at all the trips I have taken from Detroit [[or brought friends and family to Detroit) at $120 or less r/t per person non-stop, they have been one of the good things in my life the last ten years or so.

LA for 6 $119 r/t each
LA $85/rt
Tampa $60 r/t
Tampa $99 r/t
Tampa $50 r/t
Tampa $65 r/t
SF $95 r/t
and about 20 trips to NYC for between $20 and $100 r/t....

If your dates are flexible, these trips are readily available with the $9 fare club. Also, we have made numerous peak trips on Spirit at a higher price, especially to Fort Lauderdale and New York......

Now everyone charges for checked bags, but Southwest. Southwest would be my choice for places that Spirit does not fly [[Southwest also allow free changes on trips which noone else does).

Southwest's prices have been inching upwards, however, and from Detroit, many cities are not that cheap or convenient on Southwest if Spirit also flies the route......

**Ray1936** · August-11-09, 02:07 PM

Another problem with Spirit for me....they only have one flight a day from Las Vegas to Detroit, and it's a red-eye. This old bird just can't handle the overnighters any more.

MikeM....those are good thoughts I hadn't thought of before. But SW is still my preference. I like the laid-back flight attendants, also. Always there with a joke. Had a hard landing at Chicago Midway not long ago, and the flight attendant said, "Sorry for the landing. It wasn't the pilot's fault, and it wasn't the first officer's fault. It was the Ashphalt." Followed by a plane full of laughter. Good stuff.