It is well-known that flying can be a very stressful affair, but sadly, Spirit Airlines seems to make it worse.
It has been criticized in terms of its numerous complaints and bad reviews among people who are aware of this fact.
Why is this so? In this article, we will examine the problems associated with Spirit Airlines’ notoriety.
We will show how poor customer service and social media backlash have helped to give the low-cost airline a negative public image.
So fasten your seat belts as we look at why Spirit Airlines has a bad reputation.
Table of Contents
What is Spirit Airlines and what is the Public Perception of it?
Spirit Airlines is situated in Miramar, Florida, it’s an American ultra-low-cost airline. It was founded in 1980 and it mainly serves destinations within the United States as well as some international locations.
As a low-cost carrier, Spirit differentiates itself through its low fares which are achieved through add-ons like checked baggage charges and seat assignments.
Spirit Airlines has a negative image among the public due to bad service to most of its clients. It contains a negative image as reinforced by reports of Spirit Airlines delays in flight or cancellations and very long waiting times on customer service phone lines coupled with hidden fees for services that other airlines’ tickets commonly contain.
This budget airline frequently gets one-star reviews and negative feedback on popular sites such as Yelp and TripAdvisor. However, based on factors such as customer satisfaction and on-time performance, a study conducted by The Points Guy in 2018 showed that Spirit was last out of nine major U.S airlines.
Additionally, these strict regulations regarding luggage allowances and extra charges for additional facilities have further contributed to the perception. Overall, many travelers see this airline as being unreliable and an unpleasant experience when flying.
What are the Problems Associated With Spirit Airlines?
I. PRICING PRACTICES: THE “LOW FARE, HIGH FEES” MODEL
One of the key reasons Spirit gets a bad rap is its pricing system. Spirit promotes itself as an ultra-low-cost carrier and sells base fares that are cheaper than many rivals. But with those cheap prices comes a huge caveat.
Hidden Fees: Spirit’s business model is largely based on collecting ancillary revenue (revenue from charges for things that most other airlines offer free) at every opportunity. The base ticket may look inexpensive, but passengers frequently pay much more than they planned. For example, the fees for improving checked baggage, bringing carry-on bags, choosing your seat, and even buying snacks and drinks on the airplane add up quickly — so suddenly the low initial fare isn’t so low.
- Bag Fees: Spirit is notorious for its high luggage fees. While many other airlines permit carry-on bags free of charge, or as part of the price of a ticket, it costs extra on Spirit. The fee is frequently listed as one of the most annoying parts of flying the air carrier.
- Seat Selection Costs: Spirit adds additional fees for passengers who want to choose a seat in advance, a charge some travelers might not expect when making a reservation. The “cheapest” flight becomes the most expensive flight for many once added costs are factored in.
Misleading Pricing: Many travelers report feeling misled by the way Spirit touts its prices, with some describing the pricing as a bait-and-switch tactic. The low number for the base fare is eye-catching, but this is only the base fare as everything else will be added on to ramp up the price until it’s similar to or higher than a traditional airline ticket. This pricing tactic angers consumers who believe they’ve been duped into spending more than anticipated.
II. Customer Service and Experience: A Source of Frustration
One more major factor in Spirit’s bad press is the airline’s customer service and general flight experience.
Rude or Unhelpful Staff: A large number of Spirit Airlines complaints are about its staff. However, passengers frequently complain about rude or unhelpful flight attendants and ground staff, which ruins the atmosphere. Customer service experiences vary widely, and some passengers have said that their complaints go unheeded.
Management of Delays and Cancellations: As with many budget airlines, flight delays and cancellations are not uncommon with Spirit Airlines. But the airline’s ability (or inability) to manage such disruptions is often a source of customer frustration. Spirit has come under fire in recent days for its failure to effectively communicate during delays and cancellations, and there have mostly been passengers left stranded with little support or accommodation offered.
Zero Compensation for Inconveniences: There have also been customer displeasures expressed over the absence of any compensation or offerings made in remedy for delays, cancellations or overbooked flights. In an industry with customers increasingly expecting at least basic service, Spirit finds itself not coming close.
III. Reputation for Delays and Cancellations
Spirit Airlines has a long-standing reputation as an airline with high flight delay and cancellation rates — a reputation that contributes to the brand’s overall poor standing.
Frequent Delays: Spirit has one of the highest delay rates in the airline industry. Flight delays are a frequent complaint, and many passengers feel that the airline does not adequately accommodate these delays. Its fuel efficiency is often called into question though and for a budget airline, it’s reliability as far as time is concerned is often dented as well, making trust not a commodity that customers can pay for and delays are the quickest way to bleed a customer of their trust towards you.
Cancellations and overbooked flights: Spirit Airlines also has a history of cancellations and overbooked flights. When flights are canceled, passengers often say that communication from the airline is lacking, leaving them feeling confused and frustrated.
Prejudice in Customer Trust: More delays and cancellations will deter customers from trusting your service. For many travelers, the tantalizing low base fare no longer matters when the whole experience is tainted by unpredictability and stress. Unfortunately this is typical for Spirit Airlines, which routinely underperforms what passengers expect as reliable service from an airline, particularly legacy carriers.
IV. Stringent Baggage Rules
One of the key gripes that customers have about Spirit Airlines is their stringent baggage rules. Customers are allowed only one personal item free of charge under their “Bare Fare” pricing model and must pay extra fees for any additional carry-ons or checked bags that they bring with them onto the plane.
As a result, many travelers have felt annoyed and stunned by surprise charges after not being informed about these guidelines before reserving their tickets.
Read More: How To Remove Bad Reviews From Indeed?
V. Lack of Amenities
Spirit Airlines keeps its flight prices lower than other carriers by not offering many usual amenities. For example, there is no free in-flight entertainment nor Wi-Fi wireless internet connection, and the seats do not recline.
Consequently, compared to other airlines, this makes flying less enjoyable and comfortable.
VI. Unreliable On-Time Performance
Spirit Airlines is also known for its poor punctuality record. As per data published by the Department of Transportation (DOT), Spirit has been consistently ranked as one of the worst-performing major US airlines in terms of punctuality trends on arrival time i.e., on-time arrivals met or missed within 15 minutes).
Consequently, this causes dissatisfaction among travelers due to missed flights or delayed flights resulting from inconveniences.
VII. Little Routes
Spirit Airlines are only goes to a few destinations compared to larger carriers with many routes. This can be a disadvantage for travelers who require specific points or those who will be more comfortable if they have several options in planning their trip.
VIII. Extra Charges and Costs
One of the main reasons why people love flying with Spirit Airlines is because their base fares are low. However, other airlines provide these services at no cost or lower rates than the fares charged by Spirit Airlines.
Therefore, all this means that one may end up paying so much more on additional fees and charges making the total cost of the flight comparable to that of other airlines.
IX. No Frequent Flyer Program
Unlike most major airways, there’s no loyalty program for frequent flyers in spirit. This implies that travelers do not have any chance of accruing miles or achieving any status benefits by consistently selecting flights operated by Spirit.
For occasional travelers, this might not be an issue or concern but for frequent flyers, they are likely to miss out on some advantages provided by other airlines’ respective loyalty programs.
X. Destinations Limited
The expansion of its route network by Spirit Airlines over the years has been noted, but it still maintains few destinations compared to other major airlines.
This means that it is not always possible for someone to travel with Spirit if they are planning since their desired place is outside the hub or focus cities of Spirit.
Why is Spirit Considered a Bad Airline?
Various reasons have made Spirit Airlines be termed as a bad airline on several occasions. Firstly, their terrible customer service reputation stands out prominently due to many complaints of rude staff and unhelpful policies.
The second reason is that the company is infamous for its numerous extra charges ranging from baggage fees to seat selection charges resulting in overall flight costs being higher than expected because these additional costs can accumulate over time.
Furthermore, there are no frequent flier programs at Spirit that would reward customers who book flights with them regularly unlike other airlines. Finally, travelers may not always find an option for traveling with Spirit Airlines when going to those places where such opportunities are available only on select occasions such as this season’s destination.
Therefore, one may say that there are some disadvantages associated with such deals. All these factors contribute to why most passengers view Spirit Airlines unfavorably.
Has Spirit Airlines Taken Any Steps to Improve its Reputation?
- Spirit Airlines designed its Free Spirit loyalty program specifically to reward customers who fly often with points that can be used for flights and other benefits.
- It also concentrated on enhancing its on-time performance as well as customer service in a bid to repair reputation.
- Spirit, in an attempt to enhance transparency about additional costs, introduced fee simplification strategies and increased visibility of the same.
- The airline is trying to expand its route network so it covers more destinations that would benefit a larger group of people.
- To provide customers with more options and incentives when booking flights, Spirit has entered into strategic alliances with airlines and travel partners.
- The Free Spirit loyalty program is made up of different tiers where higher levels have better rewards such as priority boarding or free checked-in bags.
- Points may be redeemed not only for tickets but also for staying at hotels during business trips, taxis, and other extras.
- This company gained recognition for being cheap because of economically-priced services that target budget travelers making them their primary clients.
- Besides, there is a possibility to choose the “Bare Fare” option which allows passengers to pay only the minimum fare they need for their journey first then add extra if needed.
What are the Ways to Improve the Reputation of Any Airline Industry?
Airlines can take some actions to make sure that the public online image of the industry is enhanced. The first measure is to improve services rendered to clients. Airline companies need to ensure excellent passenger service experience by working on prompt and polite responses.
Technological investment toward efficiency in travel experiences is another way of enhancing their reputation. Some of these include different reservation systems, better mobile phone user interfaces, and in-flight entertainment among others.
Lastly, maintaining a good safety track record as well as complying with strict security measures remains vital for building faith among passengers. Otherwise, these companies might want to go green by going for sustainable activities like the use of energy-efficient Inside Spirit Airlines planes or reducing CO2 emissions hence targeting environmentally conscious individuals who may decide to fly with them.
Also, open communication during times when there are disruptions or delays could help relieve anger and create customer loyalty. Through these airlines, service excellence will always be ensured for the benefit of having a better brand within this competitive sector.
Conclusion
It is a fact that Spirit Airlines has a bad name because of several things. The rising spirit Airlines problems today such as; low fares at the expense of customer comfort and amenities and inconsistent and unreliable flight schedules, have made many passengers complain about them.
Moreover, most customers cannot understand their pricing tactics, and their service to clients is very poor to the extent that it has worsened people’s thinking about them. On the other hand, if only the company takes measures towards bettering its reputation such as investing in sustainable efforts while offering honest communications with their clients during disruptions like this one.
Because of settling those areas, Spirit Airlines will be able to rebuild itself from environmental-minded travelers or its loyal customers who won’t trust back in it.
