Spirit Airlines Files for Bankruptcy

[bjl584]

Spirit Airlines files for bankruptcy protection after mounting losses

[disneysteve]

I hope they stay around. Spirit is our favorite airline. They fly out of Atlantic City which is so much more convenient for us than dealing with Philadelphia. And from various other airports they are always great to deal with. They just don’t have the problems and issues the bigger airlines constantly have.

[ua_guy]

That's a bummer. I read they will continue flying through the bankruptcy...not sure if that's a good thing, or a bad thing...makes me nervous about aircraft maintenance and employee morale.

[kork13]

They were counting on the merger with JetBlue to keep them afloat & level their books ... When regulators blocked it as "anticompetitive" earlier this year, this outcome was almost inevitable.

My brother was flying for Spirit for a little while, but after the merger fell apart, they furloughed him & many others of their more recently-hired pilots. FWIW, Spirit has always run on a shoestring, and their team seems to be relatively satisfied with how things run (better to fly for them than to fly with them), and they're a professional bunch... So I wouldn't worry about safety falling off due to morale.

Of course, personally, I never want to fly with them ... Their nickel-and-dime cattle-hauler approach isn't for me.

[disneysteve]

They were counting on the merger with JetBlue to keep them afloat & level their books ... When regulators blocked it as "anticompetitive" earlier this year, this outcome was almost inevitable.

Yep. Rather than letting the 2 companies work together, they apparently thought it was better to let one (or maybe both) ultimately fail. Somehow that was seen as the preferred option.

Of course, personally, I never want to fly with them ... Their nickel-and-dime cattle-hauler approach isn't for me.

I've flown with them many times and always had a great experience, far better than with the big legacy airlines. Better service. Friendlier staff. More on-time departures. I've even had flights leave up to 20 minutes early when all booked passengers were present and boarded. The planes were every bit as comfortable as the other carriers and, as I said, having them operate out of a small regional airport near us makes the whole travel experience far easier. Parking, security, boarding, etc. It's all a snap with Spirit compared to American or Delta or whoever out of Philly.

[LivingAlmostLarge]

small regional airport sounds great. but the idea of paying to for everything extra. I wonder how it would be.

[disneysteve]

small regional airport sounds great. but the idea of paying to for everything extra. I wonder how it would be.

I love when things are a la carte. That way you only have to pay for things you want. That beats a higher price that includes a bunch of stuff you don’t care about.

[ua_guy]

Doesn't everything cost "extra" on most airlines, unless you fly First Class, or are some billion-mile jetsetter with miles/points?

[kork13]

Doesn't everything cost "extra" on most airlines, unless you fly First Class, or are some billion-mile jetsetter with miles/points?

Not in the same way. Spirit, Frontier, and other discount airlines will charge you for literally anything they can. If they could charge you for the air you breathe, I'll bet they'd try. Sample fees that are "offered": seat selection (varies by how "preferred" the seat is), any/all checked bags, any carry-on bags, using the customer service desk (vs self/online check-in), headsets, boarding priority, .... Name it, they'll find a way to charge for it.

Side note, many traditional airlines are starting to include 1-2 checked bags for free again.

[disneysteve]

Not in the same way. Spirit, Frontier, and other discount airlines will charge you for literally anything they can. If they could charge you for the air you breathe, I'll bet they'd try. Sample fees that are "offered": seat selection (varies by how "preferred" the seat is), any/all checked bags, any carry-on bags, using the customer service desk (vs self/online check-in), headsets, boarding priority, .... Name it, they'll find a way to charge for it.

Side note, many traditional airlines are starting to include 1-2 checked bags for free again.

Some of those charges like seat selection and checked bags are true of all airlines we’ve flown, not just Spirit. I don’t see how they are negatives. We’re able to reduce our travel costs by choosing less expensive seats or not choosing at all and being assigned a seat for free. Isn’t that better than having it rolled into a higher priced ticket? We never travel with carry on bags so we never have to pay that fee. I’m perfectly capable of using the kiosk to tag my bag so why pay more to have a human do it for me? And I’ll never understand boarding priority. Why do people want to get on the plane any sooner than they have to? I’ve got an assigned seat. I can be the last one on and that’s fine with me. Sitting in the terminal or strolling around the gate is much more comfortable than sitting on the plane for an extra 20 or 30 minutes.

[ua_guy]

Some of those charges like seat selection and checked bags are true of all airlines we’ve flown, not just Spirit. I don’t see how they are negatives. We’re able to reduce our travel costs by choosing less expensive seats or not choosing at all and being assigned a seat for free. Isn’t that better than having it rolled into a higher priced ticket? We never travel with carry on bags so we never have to pay that fee. I’m perfectly capable of using the kiosk to tag my bag so why pay more to have a human do it for me? And I’ll never understand boarding priority. Why do people want to get on the plane any sooner than they have to? I’ve got an assigned seat. I can be the last one on and that’s fine with me. Sitting in the terminal or strolling around the gate is much more comfortable than sitting on the plane for an extra 20 or 30 minutes.

Boarding priority is something these days. Because nobody wants to check bags (time/expense), people travel with maximum carry-ons, often exceeding the size/number of allowed "things". If you're last to be boarded, you might as well throw your bag out the back door if you have something that doesn't fit under your seat.

I fly so little, maybe once per year--if even. I used to fly frequently, and I've done budget carriers, and then I had status with Alaska/Delta for a while. I regard everything about flying as part of a really sad circus, I hate doing it. As such, when I fly, it's typically for a work trip I don't want to be on, or it's for vacation/leisure. And so I fly First. I'm never fighting for overhead bin space, seat space, and there's almost 0% chance I'm getting stuck next to a fidgety kid. I'm also a tall guy and don't fit well in coach seats, so having to ride back there is a special kind of torture. Especially for vacation - my comfort is a higher priority than saving money, and on a limited schedule, the flight should be part of the experience and match the rest of the trip.

[disneysteve]

Boarding priority is something these days. Because nobody wants to check bags (time/expense), people travel with maximum carry-ons, often exceeding the size/number of allowed "things". If you're last to be boarded, you might as well throw your bag out the back door if you have something that doesn't fit under your seat.

I understand it for people bringing a carry on. There isn't enough room on the plane for every passenger to bring one so you need to board early to get a spot. In that case, paying for a seat closer to the front can make sense. Since we don't use carry ons, we're happy to pay $15 or $20 less for our seats and sit farther back and board later. Again, I see that as a benefit of the seat charge option, not a negative. Let the people who care pay more and the people who don't care get to pay less.

[LivingAlmostLarge]

Don't you have to pay for bringing on a purse on spirit? Carrying anything on? We're carry on people as well, and the ones who hog the overhead. Sigh. But it's okay since we always sit up front. I don't pay for premium but we get upgraded all the time with status.

[disneysteve]

Don't you have to pay for bringing on a purse on spirit? Carrying anything on?

No. You can bring one personal item. It has to fit under the seat. I always bring a backpack. My wife brings a bag also and right before boarding sticks her purse into that bag.

[LivingAlmostLarge]

No. You can bring one personal item. It has to fit under the seat. I always bring a backpack. My wife brings a bag also and right before boarding sticks her purse into that bag.

I would definitely say that would push us to check 1 luggage for 4 then. How do they know you don't stick the handcarry above even if you only have 1?