Tag: Spirit Airlines

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Confirmed: New Spirit Airlines Fees are Deeply Hateable

May 4, 2012 at 9:00 AM | by | Comments (0)

Airline industry watchers awoke Thursday to a Fox News story about the latest Spirit Airlines clusterfark, wherein the airline is refusing to refund the $197 ticket of a dying Vietnam vet who was banned by his doctor from flying. The mess involves typically grating behavior from the deeply obnoxious airline, so that's not what was notable about the writeup.

Instead what got people's attention was that Kate Hanni, executive director of Flyers Rights, has apparently chosen to inject herself into the controversy and to start throwing around language about "meat in a seat" and "history of cruelty." This is... disconcerting.

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Spirit Airlines Posts, Then Pulls, Colombia Sex Scandal Ad Campaign

April 23, 2012 at 2:18 PM | by | Comments (0)

Spirit Airlines has declared itself proud to be the Ryanair of North America, and you have to admit that the airline works hard to protect its title. Airline industry scientists have spent years trying to untangle what it means to follow in the footsteps of the notoriously grating Irish LCC, and they've discovered at least 5 criteria: (1) obnoxious fees (2) pride in those obnoxious fees (3) arm-waving "look at me" advertising (4) a general air of petulance whenever something doesn't go the airline's way, and (5) unblinking, reflexive, utterly unapologetic disrespect for customers.

Spirit recently doubled down on their customer-screwing fees, announcing that they consider it a badge of honor to be the "poster child" for airline fees and adding that their customers like the fees too. That takes care of criteria 1, 2, and 5. The petulance stuff is covered by the temper tantrum they threw about new fee transparency rules they didn't like, which leaves only the advertising thing. All of which brings us to Spirit's most recent travel advertising campaign.

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Spirit Airlines Has Gone 'Linsane' for Jeremy Lin

February 21, 2012 at 5:21 PM | by | Comments (0)

Just because Spirit Airlines has been stopped by the US government from touting "$9 fares" (you see, they really weren't $9), doesn't mean they'll quit it with the horrible wordplay for easy ads.

The latest victim of Spirit's marketing department is NY Knicks' new star player, Jeremy Lin. Via an email blast and a flash ad on their website, Spirit is exploiting the "Linsanity" to hock "Linsanely" low airfares. There's no mention of actual price numbers of course, but rest assured the fees for carry-ons and everything else under the sun—kinda like their new "Unintended Consequences Fee"—will still be there in the final ticket price, a 3-pointer from Lin or not.

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Emirates, AeroMexico and US Airways Lead the Way with New Routes

February 17, 2012 at 9:32 AM | by | Comments (0)

Sometimes it’s hard to stay on top of all the new route announcements that come our way, so we’ve complied a little bit of a rundown below. As long as you can afford the fares, this should definitely help add to your passport stamp collection.

· Spirit Airlines:
As much as we disagree with some of Spirit Airlines' policies and procedures, we have to admit that they’re pretty darn good at adding new routes. This week they’re bringing back Denver as one of their destinations, and the plan is to start flying to and from the Mile High City as soon as May. Nonstop flights will go to new spots including Chicago, Dallas-Fort Worth, Las Vegas, and Fort Lauderdale. Of course—it goes without saying—just watch out for all those fees and figures before entering in those valuable credit card digits.

· Japan Airlines:
They haven’t even started flying their very first Boeing 787 Dreamliner yet, but Japan Airlines is already dreaming about where they’re heading next. It sounds like airline officials have made a decision, and the next 787 route is going to go back and forth between San Diego and Tokyo-Narita. If all goes according to plan the new flights will begin in December, and this will be the first time San Diego will enjoy a regularly scheduled nonstop flight over to Asia. Oh, and if you can’t wait for some 787 fun, just remember that Boston will be seeing the 787 thanks to JAL as soon as April.

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It's British Airways, Alaska Airlines and Frontier Up and Away with New Routes

February 10, 2012 at 9:21 AM | by | Comment (1)

Sometimes it’s hard to stay on top of all the new route announcements that come our way, so we’ve complied a little bit of a rundown below. As long as you can afford the fares, this should definitely help add to your passport stamp collection.

· Alaska Airlines:
All that Starbucks has them buzzing about the nifty fifty, and that’s why Alaska Airlines is looking to expand towards the East Coast. The carrier is launching a nonstop option to Philadelphia all the way from Seattle beginning on June 11.

The flights will run each and every day of the week, and the planes leave from Seattle and in the morning and depart from Philadelphia in the evening—no red-eyes needed. Alaska Airlines is also connecting to one other new spot, as they’ll also be sending jets back and forth between Seattle and Ft. Lauderdale each and every day of the week. These Florida flights start up on July 16, and if you book before February 13 there’s even some introductory fares where you might just score a deal.

· Air New Zealand:
If you’re looking to head to Bali you might as well stop over and check out New Zealand first, as the airline is launching some new nonstop service between Bali and Auckland a couple times per week. It will just be seasonal service for them between June and October, and the new options will all get done thanks to some of the airline’s Boeing 767-300s. The flight will take about eight hours or so, and that should save you a decent amount of time by not needing a layover. Tickets for the new flights go on sale later this month, so if you’re thinking about adding on a little bit of paradise to your Kiwi adventure now’s the time to do it.

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Spirit Airlines Throws Temper Tantrum, Hikes Fees

February 3, 2012 at 1:17 PM | by | Comments (0)

It seems like only Monday when we were saying that it might be a bad idea to force airlines—some of whom barely have a pulse, as exemplified by the American Airlines bankruptcy—to give up on all the ways they've invented to make money. No one denies that some airline fees are insanely grating, and we complain about them as much as anyone, but with the airline industry recovering from the worst decade ever, maybe this isn't the perfect time for heavy-handed government brainstorming. No one wants a repeat of the tarmac delays debacle, after all.

Naturally the Department of Transportation has chosen now to pass a series of new regulations, including a ban on ticket-change fees for changes made within 24 hours of booking. And we could be doing a post about whether those are bad ideas in theory or in practice or in both. But instead we're going to write about the reaction of Spirit Airlines to the DOT's decision. Because if theRyanair of North America has a specialty, it's in taking something mildly obnoxious and completely owning it.

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Spirit Airlines is Way Pissed at Those New Airfare Rules (Because Now They Can't Deceive As Easily)

January 30, 2012 at 12:56 PM | by | Comments (0)

So the time has finally come for airlines to reveal the actual cost of the airfare they’re selling. We talked about the rules and regulations earlier this month, but now the reactions are starting to pour in.

Notice that Delta happily advertises on their booking page that all ticket prices include all taxes—they note “One Price. Period.” However, that’s not the case for the head honchos over at Spirit Airlines, as they’re more than a little cranky with Uncle Sam and all the new airfare pricing mandates, to the end that they're flat-out insulting consumer intelligence. Right, tell us something we don't know about Spirit, you say.

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This Week's New Routes Arrive and Depart from Aer Lingus, Delta, United and More

December 16, 2011 at 9:46 AM | by | Comments (0)

Sometimes it’s hard to stay on top of all the new route announcements that come our way, so we’ve complied a little bit of a rundown below. As long as you can afford the fares, this should definitely help add to your passport stamp collection.

· Aer Lingus:
Christmas hasn’t even happened yet, but the suits at Aer Lingus are already busy planning where to send their planes once the warmer weather comes around again. They’re upping the frequency on several existing spots which they already serve, but they’re also planning to connect Dublin with Verona and Stockholm. The flights to Sweden will run four times per week, and they’re sending the planes over to Italy just twice a week. Both options sounds like a great way to extend your European vacation—or just to take a weekend getaway in the middle of your trip across the pond.

· United Airlines:
The country’s shot at the World Cup is still a few years away, but if you want to head over to Qatar to start warming up there’s an option thanks to United Airlines. The carrier is planning to start up service between Washington-Dulles and Doha, Qatar beginning on May 1 of 2012.

The flight does make a little bit of a pit stop—for airplane gas and iPad charging—in Dubai on its way to Qatar, so just make sure you don’t get off at the first stop. They’ll be flying back and forth one of their Boeing 777s, so you can expect seats in first, business, and economy. According to United this makes the airline the best in the Middle East, as they’ll be flying to more spots than any other US carrier.

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Emirates, Delta and Allegiant Do Their Thing to Deliver Some New Routes

September 30, 2011 at 8:39 AM | by | Comments (0)

Sometimes it’s hard to stay on top of all the new route announcements that come our way, so we’ve complied a little bit of a rundown below. As long as you can afford the fares, this should definitely help add to your passport stamp collection.

· Emirates:
Get that loofah ready, as it’s time to shower at 35,000 feet. Alright, that might be a little premature, but Emirates is expanding their reach into the United States. Eventually they’re thinking that they’ll be utilizing plenty of Airbus A380s to whisk passengers here and there, but for now it’s going to be the trusty Boeing 777 doing its thing.

Dubai will be connected with Dallas as of February 2, and when March 1 rolls around it will be nonstop from Seattle to Dubai. Even if the Middle East isn’t your final destination, there’s plenty of connections, and it seems that Emirates has it figured it out when it comes to long-haul flying.

· Skywest:
For those looking to head to Yellowstone in the middle of the winter—good luck—but you can get there thanks to SkyWest. They’re connecting the airport in Cody, Wyoming with Salt Lake City flying under the Delta umbrella. There will be one flight a day this winter, and they’ll be serving the route with the ultra-comfortable CRJ200 regional jet. This route isn’t too popular when the weather turns chilly, so it’s actually subsidized by Uncle Sam and the Essential Air Service. .

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Frontier, Alaska and Strategic Airlines Bring This Week's New Route News

August 19, 2011 at 9:10 AM | by | Comments (0)

Sometimes it’s hard to stay on top of all the new route announcements that come our way, so we’ve complied a little bit of a rundown below. As long as you can afford the fares, this should definitely help add to your passport stamp collection.

· Alaska Airlines:
Hawaii is pretty popular, and it’s especially popular for those flying aboard Alaska Airlines. The airline already sends plenty of flights between the mainland and paradise, and this week there’s news that they’re sending one more plane back and forth. The Seattle to Honolulu route is getting a third daily flight beginning on December 22, and will fill a gap in the airline’s daily schedule between the two cities. The new flight will leave Seattle around 4pm and get into the Aloha State right around 8pm—local time. This means you can cut out of the office early, and be in Hawaii for a late night dinner in Waikiki.

· Strategic Airlines:
We knew that Strategic Airlines was planning to link down under with the nifty fifty, and now Uncle Sam—along with the Australian version of Uncle Sam—are fine with the international flight. The airline will be flying nonstop between Brisbane and Honolulu beginning on December 14 with the assistance from Airbus A330s, and flights between Melbourne and Honolulu initiate on December 15. Flights are now available to be booked, and there’s even a little bit of a special sale going on. One-way flights from Brisbane will start at roughly $500 and the ones from Melbourne start at around $600—aloha!

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Spirit Airlines Celebrates FAA Shutdown, Wants Congress to Eliminate Taxes or Something

July 27, 2011 at 3:31 PM | by | Comment (1)

On Monday we flagged for you the unofficial airfare tax holiday that the United States is currently "enjoying," courtesy of Washington DC being the most insanely dysfunctional place on the planet.

Without getting into too many details: House Republicans told Senate Democrats that they would only fund the FAA if three powerful Senate Democrats gave up on something called the Essential Air Service, which is a program that sends a bunch of money to (ironically) totally inessential rural airports in those Senators' states. Everyone from liberal journalists to travel bloggers agree that the subsidies are totally unjustifiable, so this was partly an attempt to embarrass the Democrats. The Republicans basically said "there's no way you guys are shameless enough to hold up FAA funding just to keep sending obviously wasteful pork to tiny airports in your states," to which the Democrats responded "actually, we're exactly that shameless." And that's why there are no airfare taxes right now, because FAA doesn't have enough money to collect money.

The sad thing is that we don't have the space to dwell on that insanity, because of course Spirit Airlines looked at both sides of the political aisle and said "you want to see shameless... we'll show you shameless."

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2011 US Airline In-Flight Entertainment Guide

June 28, 2011 at 10:33 AM | by | Comments (5)

Three cheers for in-flight entertainment! Hip hip, hooray! Hip hip, hooray! Hip hip, hoo...misses the days of crossword puzzle magazines and listening to your CD player on a flight? Not us! And thankfully, not the airlines either as the majority of US carriers engage in a race to see who can have the biggest seatback TVs or the fastest in-flight WiFi.

Like it or not, what the airlines offer can vary greatly, especially where movies or music is involved. Thus, in the interest of helping you to be the coolest and most informed traveler around, we've laid out exactly what to expect when you sit in your seat. Our annual guide (now in its third year) highlights domestic carriers, plus the bonus of Air Canada because they get around the US enough. Enjoy, travel happily, and let us know your thoughts in the comments!

Click Here to see a printable chart of IFE onboard the airlines

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