Spirit Airlines: The Difference Is The Indifference

[Tracy in WI]

We made it to gorgeous St. John today only two hours late. The initial delay out of Chicago was on the same plane they were using to get to St. Thomas, so we were fortunate. Lots of weather issues and to be honest, we had friendly Spirit staff the entire day.

The worry is always that a delay will mean you have to wait for the next available flight on Spirit, with no reciprical agreement with other airlines, it does cause stress that you just don't want on the way to or home from a vacation.

But, Amalie had our rental car waiting for us in the parking lot at the airport, the Beach Bar was great, saw Jimbo and Kelli at High Tide, Met the infamous Rob from HGTV at St. Johnimals and spoke with the incredibly knowledgeable and kind
Theodora at Mooies. Not bad for a first day.

[JJShaw]

We made it to gorgeous St. John today only two hours late. The initial delay out of Chicago was on the same plane they were using to get to St. Thomas, so we were fortunate. Lots of weather issues and to be honest, we had friendly Spirit staff the entire day.

The worry is always that a delay will mean you have to wait for the next available flight on Spirit, with no reciprical agreement with other airlines, it does cause stress that you just don't want on the way to or home from a vacation.

But, Amalie had our rental car waiting for us in the parking lot at the airport, the Beach Bar was great, saw Jimbo and Kelli at High Tide, Met the infamous Rob from HGTV at St. Johnimals and spoke with the incredibly knowledgeable and kind
Theodora at Mooies. Not bad for a first day.

Glad you made it..You were in my thoughts and I even checked the flight stats once to see if you had left Ft Lauderdale..glad all turned out well for you..

[Myheart'sinSTJ]

We made it to gorgeous St. John today only two hours late. The initial delay out of Chicago was on the same plane they were using to get to St. Thomas, so we were fortunate. Lots of weather issues and to be honest, we had friendly Spirit staff the entire day.

The worry is always that a delay will mean you have to wait for the next available flight on Spirit, with no reciprical agreement with other airlines, it does cause stress that you just don't want on the way to or home from a vacation.

But, Amalie had our rental car waiting for us in the parking lot at the airport, the Beach Bar was great, saw Jimbo and Kelli at High Tide, Met the infamous Rob from HGTV at St. Johnimals and spoke with the incredibly knowledgeable and kind
Theodora at Mooies. Not bad for a first day.

Glad you made it..You were in my thoughts and I even checked the flight stats once to see if you had left Ft Lauderdale..glad all turned out well for you..

Tracy, what JJShaw said , hope you have a great week, if you think of it, snap a few pics of SSR

[nhstorm]

Hello,

I read your post and understand your frustration. I travel for my job domestically and internationally so to say that I understand your feelings is an understatement.

As a seasoned airline traveler I follow one rule which is that I try to fly predominantly on one airline and obtain the highest frequent flyer status possible. Then when problems like you described happen, I am treated better and faster than others with lower status or no status. So become a frequent flyer to any airline you fly so they "know" who you are.

Additionally you can go to this website link to learn more about rule 240. This rebooking rule was in effect when airlines were regulated by the government and it is still in use by some airlines (not Spirit though) and it is a good guide to help you understand each airlines policies for future reference. As noted on the website, airlines can change their rules at any time.

Hope this helps. http://www.airfarewatchdog.com/blog/380 ... revisited/

You can also use social media like Twitter to contact airlines directly when problems arise. the airlines are very sensitive to this and typically respond pretty quickly if you tweet a negative comment while you are in the midst of having problems.

At least you had a great visit to the Rock.

[54b]

Good advice, nhstorm, and to be honest, I feel a bit silly now looking back at my ad nauseam post and certainly know that in the pantheon of travel horror stories, mine is still quite banal. Mostly, I think i'm just mad about being mad about something I could have avoided. You can't fight apathy with anger, only conviction.

And while I appreciate the empathy of my fellow forumites, I didn't write the post for that or with the hope that Spirit would read it, find religion and send me a cookie bouquet...I wrote it for the guy that does a search on Spirit Airlines six months from now in the hopes that he or she will have more conviction than I did, either to avoid Spririt or book them with eyes wide open and no regrets regardless.

And I think your last point is the most important one...not only should we count ourselves fortunate to have had another great trip to The Rock, but also shouldn't let this ordeal disparage its significance in any way.

[Capn Dan and Ruby]

Wow! That sure puts a 2 hr. wait on our luggage in Atlanta to shame!!!! I seriously feel ashamed to even be bothered by it! Even our trip from hell last year, was simply a trip from purgatory in comparison!!! We drive to Atlanta and do non-stop with Delta now. I start watching the prices as soon as possible. We paid $ 575 a ticket plus $25 each way for each bag. The Spirit gig looked good for my kids who will be leaving out of Ft. Lauderdale next year, but we will have to see.

[54b]

Wow! That sure puts a 2 hr. wait on our luggage in Atlanta to shame!!!! I seriously feel ashamed to even be bothered by it! Even our trip from hell last year, was simply a trip from purgatory in comparison!!! We drive to Atlanta and do non-stop with Delta now. I start watching the prices as soon as possible. We paid $ 575 a ticket plus $25 each way for each bag. The Spirit gig looked good for my kids who will be leaving out of Ft. Lauderdale next year, but we will have to see.

I'll never fly Spirit again, but if your kids live near Ft. Lauderdale and they have some flexibility, it might actually be worth it, especially if they're not the ones you're depending on to check into to the villa or rent the car. Even if their plane is delayed, the last ferry over to STJ isn't until Midnight...but I'd probably still fly American out of Miami if I were them.

[PA Girl]

I think there is a lot of value in your post because I am sure a lot of people don't fully understand how wrong things can go when flying an airline that doesn't code share. My mom looked a Spirit for a trip to Aruba but decided it wasn't worth the risk.

I do know a number of people that love them for short hauls down south but the flights are direct and the travelers are retired or stay at home parents taking the kids to visit the grandparents.

[Capn Dan and Ruby]

I think you are right 54b! They will have jobs to get back to!

[LynnieGirl]

I guess we should all be glad we weren't on this flight...Yikes My daughter and I had a similar experience on Southwest in 1999. The plane banked hard to the left and did a nose dive. It then rocked back and forth for a few minutes and straightened out. We were never given an explanation. The flight attendants were like: "I don't know what you mean, it was a smooth flight".

http://www.nbcnews.com/travel/horrifyin ... 6C10512258

[gobucs]

[quote][/quote]
Well it wasnt weather delayed as it happened to us going too on 6/24 and coming home on 7/1
By the time we got to Ft. Lauderdale it was 11:00pm then we still had to wait for our shuttle to get our car then drive 4 hours home
We opted to get a hotel room as we were exhausted so another added expense.
Someone told me at the STT airport that they have been delayed the same times everyday for the whole month of June so i dont know whats going on with them

I will never fly Spirit again as this has happened twice already

P.S. Will post a report soon