Spirit airlines - user's rights??

[OneMore]

Hi,

This morning, a few hours before my flight with Spirit was supposed to take off, I received an email apologizing for cancelling my flight.

I had to purchase new tickets that resulted in +600$.

After calling customer service all I could get was the reimbursment and two 50$ vouchers, however, why do I have to spend +600$ out of my pocket?

Where are my rights to get compensated for this extra cost I had to deal with?

When it comes to airlines, it feels like your rights are worth nothing.

Has anyone had to deal with a similar situation?


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[ZOO]

I am unsure what you are asking? Spirit refunded your initial ticket purchase and gave you some vouchers for their cancelled flight. Are you asking if you are entitled to the same ticket price from another carrier that you managed to get from Spirit?

[OneMore]

Originally Posted by ZOO

I am unsure what you are asking? Spirit refunded your initial ticket purchase and gave you some vouchers for their cancelled flight. Are you asking if you are entitled to the same ticket price from another carrier that you managed to get from Spirit?

That's correct; apologies if it wasn't clear.

As far as I know, the regulation in Europe is different. Should this happen there, the airline (Spirit) would provide new/equivalent tickets from a different airline, or compensate with a full reimbursment for the cost of the new tickets.

I was wondering if anyone experienced a similar case in the past.

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[HardDrive]

They are not under any obligation to compensate you, they only have to give your money back.

Spirit is a mess. Labor issues with the pilots.

[stevej37]

Just returned from FL on Spirit...at FLL almost all the other Spirit flights were cancelled. Ours was not.
I'll still use them whenever possible...$175 pp/rt DTW/FLL No other airline comes close to their prices, for me.

[widgeon13]

Most airlines are now worse than riding the bus. They will literally screw you every chance they get and make you physically uncomfortable as a passenger, small seats, no leg room and any creature comfort will cost $$. Pillows, blankets, food, etc.

Welcome to the friendly ****ing skies!

[cbush]

My daughter works for an airline, and says that we get what we deserve. When choosing flights how many people always pick the least expensive flight? (Almost EVERYBODY).
How many people stop using a particular airline when they start charging fees for stupid stuff? No one apparently as they are making millions from those fees.
So you get what you pay for. Congratulations- most of our airlines suck now.
And Spirit is pretty much the bottom of the barrel, so no surprise. They keep prices low by sticking it to their flight crews- thus the pilot slowdown, and cancelled flights.

[sammyg2]

Sounds to me like you are UP $100, but you want more.

Next time don't go to wal-mart to fly.

[masraum]

Sounds kind of whiny to me. cancelled flight, refunded tickets. Did they offer to change your flight to another Spirit flight at a later time/date at no charge? That certainly would suck. Usually buying tickets at the last minute is expensive. But then doesn't Spirit have a reputation as being the cheapest and worst airline? I'm not sure you should expect much else.

Life happens.

[Rtrorkt]

Spirit Airlines cancels flight, passenger brawl breaks out - CNN.com
seems these folks were po'ed too

[LakeCleElum]

Shop Walmart and expect Nordstrom service? Nope.

If under 1,500 miles, I chose to drive or ride a motorcycle.....

[legion]

Originally Posted by cbush

My daughter works for an airline, and says that we get what we deserve. When choosing flights how many people always pick the least expensive flight? (Almost EVERYBODY).
How many people stop using a particular airline when they start charging fees for stupid stuff? No one apparently as they are making millions from those fees.
So you get what you pay for. Congratulations- most of our airlines suck now.
And Spirit is pretty much the bottom of the barrel, so no surprise. They keep prices low by sticking it to their flight crews- thus the pilot slowdown, and cancelled flights.

Tickets out of my small airport are $300-$600, round trip, per person, within the U.S.. That means, at best, flying my family of four somewhere will run me $1,200. Ticket prices have been mostly stable locally for the past 15 years, but what I get for that price has decreased. I used to get a meal, free checked luggage, friendly customer service, a decent-sized seat, and I could get four contiguous seats for the same price.

Now I might be able to get four seats on the same aircraft, but if I want them together that $1,200 instantly becomes $1,500. Well, my kids are 5 and under, so I can't let them sit alone, so that's another $300. And that $1,500 after luggage and other fees is more like $1,900. Once again, not checking luggage with small children is not an option. If I bought the "expensive" tickets, that would be more like $3,100 altogether.

The seats are small, the airline employers are either grumpy or outright abusive of passengers. And being anything any less than pleasant back to them may get me arrested or worse, as United has proven. I either have to be molested or submit to having pornographic pictures taken of myself (and wife and children) against my will to be allowed to board the airplane.

OR, I can spend a few extra hours and drive, spend a fraction of what the airline would charge me for the whole vacation, have my civil rights intact the whole time, not have my luggage or person abused along the way, and not be subject to the unaccountable whims of the TSA or airline employees. Guess which I chose to do?

[Pazuzu]

Originally Posted by legion

Tickets out of my small airport are $300-$600, round trip, per person, within the U.S.. That means, at best, flying my family of four somewhere will run me $1,200. Ticket prices have been mostly stable locally for the past 15 years, but what I get for that price has decreased. I used to get a meal, free checked luggage, friendly customer service, a decent-sized seat, and I could get four contiguous seats for the same price.

Now I might be able to get four seats on the same aircraft, but if I want them together that $1,200 instantly becomes $1,500. Well, my kids are 5 and under, so I can't let them sit alone, so that's another $300. And that $1,500 after luggage and other fees is more like $1,900. Once again, not checking luggage with small children is not an option. If I bought the "expensive" tickets, that would be more like $3,100 altogether.

The seats are small, the airline employers are either grumpy or outright abusive of passengers. And being anything any less than pleasant back to them may get me arrested or worse, as United has proven. I either have to be molested or submit to having pornographic pictures taken of myself (and wife and children) against my will to be allowed to board the airplane.

OR, I can spend a few extra hours and drive, spend a fraction of what the airline would charge me for the whole vacation, have my civil rights intact the whole time, not have my luggage or person abused along the way, and not be subject to the unaccountable whims of the TSA or airline employees. Guess which I chose to do?

Just for the sake of argument...
It was your decision to have a wife, it was your decision to have two kids, it was your decision to live at a small airport, and it was your decision to travel for vacation.

So, complaining about the cost of flights would seem to be caused by your decisions, not the airlines.

[motion]

Originally Posted by Pazuzu

Just for the sake of argument...
It was your decision to have a wife, it was your decision to have two kids, it was your decision to live at a small airport, and it was your decision to travel for vacation.

So, complaining about the cost of flights would seem to be caused by your decisions, not the airlines.

Its also his choice not to have the airline credit card, which gives free checked baggage and other bennys.

When I read all the *****ing and moaning about air travel, I can't help but think that people bring it on themselves. They don't do the necessary legwork and research to improve their flying experience.

When I buy an Allegiant LAX-BIL roundtrip ticket for $150, I expect to end up in a cramped center seat and be treated poorly from start to finish. If I pony up another $100, I can fly Delta and have a very good experience. Its my choice.

[legion]

I'm just pointing out that flying for me has essentially become paying a small fortune for a horrible experience. Why should I have to do more work when there is a cheaper and easier alternative? If the airlines want my business, they can make flying worthwhile for me, but they've been going in the opposite direction for a long time.

[stevej37]

Originally Posted by motion

Its also his choice not to have the airline credit card, which gives free checked baggage and other bennys.

When I read all the *****ing and moaning about air travel, I can't help but think that people bring it on themselves. They don't do the necessary legwork and research to improve their flying experience.

When I buy an Allegiant LAX-BIL roundtrip ticket for $150, I expect to end up in a cramped center seat and be treated poorly from start to finish. If I pony up another $100, I can fly Delta and have a very good experience. Its my choice.

Exactly right! Spirit roundtrip from Det to Florida $175 pp....and can pick between 5 or 7 diff times of the day for departure...easy choice!
I can put up with a cramped seat for 2.5 hrs and all that goes with it for this price.
Can't drive it for that and a hotel would be needed and it would take 2 days.
No complaints at all from here.

[Rick Lee]

Originally Posted by motion

Its also his choice not to have the airline credit card, which gives free checked baggage and other bennys.

When I read all the *****ing and moaning about air travel, I can't help but think that people bring it on themselves. They don't do the necessary legwork and research to improve their flying experience.

When I buy an Allegiant LAX-BIL roundtrip ticket for $150, I expect to end up in a cramped center seat and be treated poorly from start to finish. If I pony up another $100, I can fly Delta and have a very good experience. Its my choice.

That's kind of how I think too. I have an AA MasterCard and it gets me free checked luggage and, when I whip it out to pay for in-flight booze, they might charge me for one, but never for the next few drinks. I think it came with 50k miles when I got it too, so that's good for a RT domestic flight. I have an Amex Bus. Gold Rewards card too and, though it has an annual fee, it also has an airline credit, where they'll cover (IIRC) up to $150 of fees with any airline for checked luggage, drinks, upgrades, etc.

Yesterday I flew United from Houston to DC and bought four Scotches. They charged me for one. They were gonna comp that one too when my Amex wouldn't work. When I took out the AA card, they said they were gonna charge me. LOL.

[BE911SC]

Originally Posted by OneMore

That's correct; apologies if it wasn't clear.

As far as I know, the regulation in Europe is different. Should this happen there, the airline (Spirit) would provide new/equivalent tickets from a different airline, or compensate with a full reimbursment for the cost of the new tickets.

I was wondering if anyone experienced a similar case in the past.

Sent from my Moto G (4) using Tapatalk

You're not in Europe, you're in the good old USA and that's just capitalism for ya. In Europe, if an airline oversells a flight and has to leave passengers behind, EU rules mandate a 300-Euro (pretty sure it's 300) payment to each displaced passenger. I've been through it and aside from the extra four-hour wait it was a nice way to deal with the issue. (Delta, Amsterdam to Seattle, 2010.) Oh, and they also comped my lunch at the airport and were very polite. All in all a fine way to make 300 Euros.

Spirit is a low-cost carrier and you don't get the same treatment you might with a legacy carrier, beatings by airport cops not withstanding.

Lastly, it is astonishing the level of entitlement that people seem to have when the slightest delay or disturbance of their air travel plans occurs. I know that putting 150-300 people into a metal tube and transporting them across the globe in mere hours seems like magic, but it isn't. When that process is delayed or cancelled the expectation of instant magical solutions never fails to amaze me.

[john70t]

The airline industry pricing is a a huge grey area.

It's about the same as the medical industry responsible for over half or more of bankruptcies/foreclosures.

A blank check required of every consumer in advance payment of any possible contract to provide transportation services.
-Yet no government oversight/enforcement of signed contract.
-Yet the industry receives 100% government backing and support, funded by consumer tax dollars.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by legion

Ticket prices have been mostly stable locally for the past 15 years, but what I get for that price has decreased.

Isn't it like that with most things. Either you can pay the same and get less or you can watch prices continue to go up. Isn't that inflation and pretty much a given?