[spiritcustomer]

On Dec 30th at 6:29pm Flight 347 from La Guardia in NY to Myrtle Beach SC I had the displeasure of meeting on of Spirits finest as I was boarding. A flight attendant named JULIE who told me I would have to check my carry on as there was no more room in the over head compartments. The plane was only half full at this point with many passengers behind me. As I stepped onto the plane not 5 feet from the entrance I saw a bin with plenty of room for a carry on then another and another. So how could JULIE know that the bins were full when she didn't even have look past her nose to see. I refused to give up my carry on which was well within the Spirit Air spec's stated on the website. I had only a carry on no knappsack no extra bag just my ONE carry on as allowed in my purchase. JULIE proceeded to yell out that "If you don't find a place I am taking your bag". Of course there was room and of course she didn't try to help and above all 15 minutes later 4 passengers boarded with carry on's and a place was available for them in the overhead bins. So how could this be? Well JULIE is either incompetent or just does not care about us! So good luck to all who fly Spirit because if you happen upon an attendant in her 40's about 5'4" auburn hair look out it could be JULIE!

[PHXFlyer]

Originally Posted by spiritcustomer

The plane was only half full at this point with many passengers behind me. As I stepped onto the plane not 5 feet from the entrance I saw a bin with plenty of room for a carry on then another and another. So how could JULIE know that the bins were full when she didn't even have look past her nose to see.

There should be an auto-reply generated for everyone who posts a complaint about Spirit Air. "Yes, we know. Thank you for posting but you probably said what has already been said many times before." We are all very aware of Spirit's lack of even basic customer service and that attitude comes from the top down.

That being said, in your situation you say you found an empty bin just inside from the entry door. You do realize that Spirit has an "ad-hoc" first class section they call "Big Front Seat." There is an extra charge for this section and perhaps the flight attendant was trying to reserve bin space for those customers who had paid more to sit there? Not trying to play "devil's advocate" here just suggesting there may have been a reason behind her actions. Of course she could have taken 15 seconds to explain that to you but that would be unusual for a Spirit employee!

[jimworcs]

Spirit and Ryanair.. kissing cousins. They really are for backpackers and those who otherwise couldn't afford to travel. Everyone else should avoid or lower their expectations to the lowest possible.

[spiritcustomer]

I was not aware of that but then why didn't she stop me from taking the space or as before communicate with the other attendants at the rear of the plane to find a space. If i could find another nonstop airline to my destination I would drop them like a hot potato!

Originally Posted by PHXFlyer

There should be an auto-reply generated for everyone who posts a complaint about Spirit Air. "Yes, we know. Thank you for posting but you probably said what has already been said many times before." We are all very aware of Spirit's lack of even basic customer service and that attitude comes from the top down.

That being said, in your situation you say you found an empty bin just inside from the entry door. You do realize that Spirit has an "ad-hoc" first class section they call "Big Front Seat." There is an extra charge for this section and perhaps the flight attendant was trying to reserve bin space for those customers who had paid more to sit there? Not trying to play "devil's advocate" here just suggesting there may have been a reason behind her actions. Of course she could have taken 15 seconds to explain that to you but that would be unusual for a Spirit employee!

[spiritcustomer]

Why did she not tell me? Why was allowed to take it? Why didn't she communicate with the other attendants to find a place and why was there room for some of the last passengers who boarded?

[PHXFlyer]

Originally Posted by spiritcustomer

Why did she not tell me? Why was allowed to take it? Why didn't she communicate with the other attendants to find a place and why was there room for some of the last passengers who boarded?

I think I answered these questions...

Originally Posted by PHXFlyer

Of course she could have taken 15 seconds to explain that to you but that would be unusual for a Spirit employee!

It's a "Spirit Air" thing. I believe their employees want minimal contact with the "human cargo" they transport. You're just a number to them. Evem their CEO has gone "on the record" stating that "customer service" is not a priority for Spirit Air. They feel that if they can provide basic air transportation at a lower price then people will choose them regardless of past experience or what they've heard from others and they don't care about lost potential repeat business since there will always be someone else looking for convenience and/or a bargain fare. You're a perfect example that this "philosophy" and business model might actually be working...

Originally Posted by spiritcustomer

If i could find another nonstop airline to my destination I would drop them like a hot potato!

Both Delta and US Airways have service from LGA to MYR and Continental does EWR to MYR however the non-stops are seasonal. I checked random dates in June and the lowest Delta round-trip fare was $211 all inclusive and Continental from Newark was only $151. Spirit's fare fell right in the middle at $189 for the lowest but was as much as $279 on dates when Continental and Delta fares were lower.

[spiritcustomer]

Thanks for the heads up I will keep track of the rates.