Spirit to cut plane services

[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.

[Gsgeorge]

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.

[iheartthed]

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]

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.

[rooms222]

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......