Spirit Airlines

[TiltonBB]

Originally Posted by thinkxingu

Anyone think that by moving to MHT that Spirit will be forced to up their game a bit?

Sent from my SM-G950U using Winnipesaukee Forum mobile app

No. Their strategy is to add extra seats, reduce legroom and pack in as many passengers as possible. The last time I flew on Spirit I felt like a sardine packed into a can. I am only 6Ft and my knees were against the seat in front of me. Never again!

They charge for everything, even $2 for a bottle of water. Also 19 to 21% of their revenue is the baggage fees that are added on to the ticket price. That is a higher percentage than all the other major carriers. Spirit passenger average over $26 per passenger in fees.

The up front ticket prices look good, it is the add on fees that will hit you.

[thinkxingu]

Originally Posted by TiltonBB

No. Their strategy is to add extra seats, reduce legroom and pack in as many passengers as possible. The last time I flew on Spirit I felt like a sardine packed into a can. I am only 6Ft and my knees were against the seat in front of me. Never again!

They charge for everything, even $2 for a bottle of water. Also 19 to 21% of their revenue is the baggage fees that are added on to the ticket price. That is a higher percentage than all the other major carriers. Spirit passenger average over $26 per passenger in fees.

The up front ticket prices look good, it is the add on fees that will hit you.

I get that, but some peeps—like me—are willing to put up with imperfect seating to save money. What I'm not ok with, and this is where Spirit fails for my family, is that they're rarely on time or reliable.

If they could provide reasonable overall pricing and scheduling reliability direct from MHT to where I want to go, I'd be in.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Winnipesaukee Forum mobile app

[Jdarby]

Originally Posted by thinkxingu

I get that, but some peeps—like me—are willing to put up with imperfect seating to save money. What I'm not ok with, and this is where Spirit fails for my family, is that they're rarely on time or reliable.

If they could provide reasonable overall pricing and scheduling reliability direct from MHT to where I want to go, I'd be in.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Winnipesaukee Forum mobile app

Again, my colleague is the former VP of Safety for Spirit. When he tells family and friends not to fly them it has NOTHING to do with imperfect seating. The FAA sets minimum standards for the safe operations of commercial operators. Many air carriers choose to exceed the minimum. Exceeding the minimum creates additional overhead costs that drive up fares. Spirit was designed as a low cost airline, it is their business model. It would require a complete reinvention of their organization to “up their game”….it’s just not who they intend to be. In summary, just because an airline holds an air carrier certificate from the FAA does not mean that they are all on an equal playing field regarding safety of operations. It only means they all meet the minimum requirements. Lack of Federal personnel resourcing also means that not all air carriers receive the same level of regulatory oversight and monitoring. Where do you want to take your family to dinner….at the restaurant that has the “A” scoring from the health department or the one that has the “C” scoring? The health department allows both to remain in operation. Either way, enjoy your meal!


Sent from my iPhone using Winnipesaukee Forum mobile app

[XCR-700]

Originally Posted by Jdarby

Again, my colleague is the former VP of Safety for Spirit. When he tells family and friends not to fly them it has NOTHING to do with imperfect seating. The FAA sets minimum standards for the safe operations of commercial operators. Many air carriers choose to exceed the minimum. Exceeding the minimum creates additional overhead costs that drive up fares. Spirit was designed as a low cost airline, it is their business model. It would require a complete reinvention of their organization to “up their game”….it’s just not who they intend to be. In summary, just because an airline holds an air carrier certificate from the FAA does not mean that they are all on an equal playing field regarding safety of operations. It only means they all meet the minimum requirements. Lack of Federal personnel resourcing also means that not all air carriers receive the same level of regulatory oversight and monitoring. Where do you want to take your family to dinner….at the restaurant that has the “A” scoring from the health department or the one that has the “C” scoring? The health department allows both to remain in operation. Either way, enjoy your meal!


Sent from my iPhone using Winnipesaukee Forum mobile app

Just to be clear, the airlines receive almost no oversight from the FAA, they are mostly allowed to self monitor and only when there are problems do they get significant oversight and inspection by Federal inspectors.

The FAA no longer even calls what they do oversight, they refer to the airline industry as their customers.

Its been a shocking experience to see FAA abandon their former business model in favor of the self inspection/self certify/largely self regulate practices we see today. Its actually frightening and disheartening to see whats happening.

Think about staycations and day trips to Winnipesaukee!

[Jdarby]

Originally Posted by XCR-700

Just to be clear, the airlines receive almost no oversight from the FAA, they are mostly allowed to self monitor and only when there are problems do they get significant oversight and inspection by Federal inspectors.

The FAA no longer even calls what they do oversight, they refer to the airline industry as their customers.

Its been a shocking experience to see FAA abandon their former business model in favor of the self inspection/self certify/largely self regulate practices we see today. Its actually frightening and disheartening to see whats happening.

Think about staycations and day trips to Winnipesaukee!

Shocking indeed. Yet the Part 135 operator I work for has the pleasure of having some 30+ FAA inspectors dedicated solely to monitoring our certificate and they are far from hands off. How they decide to allocate their personnel resources is quite baffling at times!


Sent from my iPhone using Winnipesaukee Forum mobile app

[XCR-700]

Originally Posted by thinkxingu

I get that, but some peeps—like me—are willing to put up with imperfect seating to save money. What I'm not ok with, and this is where Spirit fails for my family, is that they're rarely on time or reliable.

If they could provide reasonable overall pricing and scheduling reliability direct from MHT to where I want to go, I'd be in.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Winnipesaukee Forum mobile app

Again, interesting how different perspectives are.

I would gladly pay a few dollars more per ticket for a modestly better experience.

The problem is that the jump to better airlines and better classes of ticket are usually huge in cost.

Its a no win situation for the consumer, so I have almost stopped all my air travel. At this point I think I would just take the time off and drive to wherever I needed to go. Assuming its accessible by land,,,