Tag: spirit airlines

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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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New Routes Arrive This Week from American Airlines, Copa, and Spirit

June 24, 2011 at 9:53 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.

· Copa Airlines:
If you want to head down to Panama, look no further than Copa Airlines. They’re adding their very first nonstop option in the country’s Midwest beginning later this year, sending planes back and forth between Chicago-O’Hare and Panama City. The new flights are set to debut on December 15, and Boeing 737s will link the two spots daily. Even if your final destinations isn’t Panama—this is still a good thing—as you can get to plenty of spots in the Caribbean and South America once you reach their hub in Panama City.

· Delta:
Over at Dunder Mifflin International Airport—or as it’s really called, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport—there’s a new route just in time to welcome a new head honcho at the paper company. Delta will be starting up nonstop service between the airport here and the airport in Atlanta beginning at the start of September. There used be daily options to Atlanta, but these flights were stopped back in 2009. Hopefully the promise of Dunder Mifflin souvenirs in the airport gift shop will keep flyers heading back and forth between the two cities.

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Spirit Airlines Introduces $5 Boarding Pass Fee, Continues to Confuse Passengers

June 22, 2011 at 1:46 PM | by | Comments (9)

Okay, this is really starting to get ridiculous. Spirit Airlines has officially become like those little kids at European markets who flash a magazine or a piece of cardboard in your fact to distract, while they go about picking your pockets. How so? Well, Spirit loves to do garish ad campaigns that take cheap shots at news headlines (ah hem Weiner Sale), and then introduce jaw-grindingly frustrating new fees.

Spirit's formula hasn't changed and so, just after they sent Strippermobiles out into the streets, they've today announced a $5 fee to print your boarding pass at the airport. You will be charged the $5 per boarding pass if you've booked Spirit flights after yesterday, for travel beginning after November 1, 2011. Just in time for families traveling over the holidays!

It gets worse...

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Spirit Airlines' Sleaziest Ads Yet Bring Out the Strippermobile

June 10, 2011 at 3:49 PM | by | Comments (0)

Strippermobiles. Yes, these are a thing, moving trucks that have been retrofitted with clear plexi windows, to show off the fleshy goods pole dancing inside. Usually Strippermobiles are found in Las Vegas, advertising various strip and fully nude clubs more effectively than billboards. Today, however, one is cruising Sin City on behalf of an airline—Spirit Airlines, to be precise.

Because one crass sale wasn't enough this week, Spirit has launched this in-your-face campaign in both Las Vegas and Los Angeles to advertise their $9 Club fares between the two cities.

Our favorite sign being held by the bikini babes? It's got to be "I'll go both ways for $18." Get it? Roundtrip. Now for more photos:

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'The Weiner Sale': Yep, Spirit Airlines Totally Went There.

June 7, 2011 at 1:34 PM | by | Comments (0)

How old is Spirit Airlines' marketing team? We're going to guess pre-pubescent, based on their love of throwing MILF sale and making light of the Gulf oil spill. These days, they've been laying it on pretty think though, focusing on sex scandals as material for their punny sales.

First is was Charlie Sheen (the "Living the Dream" sale), then Arnold Schwarzenegger ("Sexy Maid Acquired" sale), and now—naturally—Spirit Air is all about the Rep. Anthony Weiner scandal.

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Spirit Air's Newest Tactless Ad Makes Fun of Schwarzenegger-Shriver Family

May 25, 2011 at 2:24 PM | by | Comments (0)

We used to joke that Spirit Airlines had set its eyes on becoming the Ryanair of the United States. They have the single worst baggage fee policy in the country, they flirt with innovations like non-recline seats, their top officials enjoy acting like jerks, etc.

Then that turned out not to be a joke at all, which we found out when Spirit CEO Ben Baldanza proudly declared that Ryanair "has been an inspiration" to the American LCC. So we were unsurprised when Spirit rolled out ads based on Charlie Sheen's meltdown and even on the Gulf Oil spill. And we're now equally unsurprised to learn that the airline has gone ahead and made a joke of the Schwarzenegger-Shriver ugliness.

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