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Spirit Airlines Gets Busted For Bullying Its Customers

September 21, 2009 at 9:13 AM | by | Comments (0)

The latest news from Spirit Airlines doesn’t involve a risqué ad campaign or other semi-clever marketing gimmick. This time the news is pretty serious, and they are going to have to break out the checkbook to make it go away because we don’t think the US government takes plastic.

The low cost carrier was fined $375,000 late last week for allegedly violating consumer protection rules. Specifically, they didn’t do such a good job about following guidelines regarding bumping passengers from their flights.

Not only did bumped passengers not get offered anything, like cash, vouchers, or other compensation, they weren’t even told that they were entitled to something. Spirit also didn’t follow through with baggage claims in a timely manner, and in one instance, they didn’t issue compensation until 14 months later. Our favorite thing they got busted for was not revealing the true cost of their tickets. As we’ve mentioned time and time again, there are a lot of fees, taxes, charges, and other requirements added to those low low base fares.

The airline didn’t get in trouble for any safety issues or anything related to their snazzy planes, so if you want a good deal, they are probably still worth it if you're up for their potential shenanigans. Just remember when it comes to Spirit Airlines, it’s more "buyer beware" than with some other airlines. If you want to test them out, they’ve got some $29 one-way fares to places like Boston, Atlantic City, Ft. Lauderdale, and the Bahamas. Just remember that those prices are before a bunch of booking fees and other add-ons, so just be a proper shopper and know what you're getting into.

Related Stories:
· Spirit Air Fined For Alleged Consumer Violations [ABC News]
· Spirit Tempts Us With Another Sale, But Is It Even Worth It? [Jaunted]
· Low Cost Carriers coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: PhillipC]

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