[allenwilson]

On July 22 my wife and I had reservations on Spirit Air Flight 244 from Guatemala CIty, Guatemala to Ft. Lauderdale, FL. Our flight's scheduled departure was for 12:35 PM. Due to a catastrophic landslide which occurred on the main highway into Guatemala City, we had to take several alternate routes in order to try and make our flight. While traveling we attempted to reach Spirit Air in Guatemala City several times, but no one was answering the telephone in the business office. We called the main reservations number but the agent we reached said there was nothing they could do to inform the Spirit Air ticket counter about our delay. We called the Airport Security Office, but they said we would have to talk to Spirit Air. Thanks to a taxi driver who risked his life, and ours, trying to get us to the airport on time, we arrived at the Guatemala City Airport at 11:25 AM. My wife immediately went to the Spirit Air ticket counter to start checking us in while I handled out luggage. She was standing in line at 11:29 AM and had to wait while another passenger, who was booked on the same flight, was being assisted by the agent at the ticket counter. At 11:38 we finally got to the agent and he refused to check us in saying were three minutes late! We explained our circumstances and the fact that we were in line before the 11:35 AM cutoff. The agent, Juan Castro, was not sympathetic, nor cooperative. Another gentleman was in line behind us, who was also in line before the cutoff, and Mr. Castro said that if he let us on board, he would also have to let the gentleman behind us on the plane, too. I asked to speak with a supervisor, and was told he was at the gate and could not talk with us. I asked Mr. Castro to get him on the phone/walkie talkie and expalin our situation. Mr. Castro refused to do so, simply saying the flight was closed and there was nothing that could be done. Plenty of Spirit Air agents were behind the counter, but all of them looked elsewhere, never once looking us in the eyes.
I then asked Mr. Castro what our options were. He said that he could not help us until he finished whatever he was doing... He was counting money in order to close the account on our flight. After 20 minutes of standing in line and looking right at him, he finally spoke with us again. He informed us that the next flight to Ft. Lauderdale was the next day in the afternoon, but there was no connecting flight to Washington, DC, our destination. The next flight with connections would not be for 48 hours. I asked if he could check for flights with other airlines in order to get us out sooner. He said he could not. Our frustration with the total absence of compassion, assistance, and concern hit the "melting point." I explained that my wife's mother was having life-threatening cancer surgery the next day and that we had to get a flight to Washington DC that day. With no remorse, whatsoever, in his voice he said he could not help us any further. With my wife in tears, had I been a psychotic person with a gun, I imagine I could have used it at that point.
My wife and I eventually, after three hours of trying to find a flight with space, were able to book a flight the next morning with American Airlines, whose agents were most helpful and caring. We had to stay overnight ($136) and added to that the cost of two plane tickets ($984) brought our out-of-pocket expenses for Spirit Air's callous regard and handling of our situation to a total of $1120, plus the cost of our Spirit Air tickets and baggage fees - $500 +/-.
After repeated attempts to talk to someone at Spirit Air about this, I have gotten nowhere. I will never again use Spirit Air.

[stephen]

Unfortunate stories like this show why it is essential these days to get to the airport very very early. Always aim to get there at least three hours before an international flight. Airlines are observing the cut-off times very strictly these days, thirty minutes domestic or forty-five at the busiest US airports, an hour for international flights and will not relent even one minute after the cut-off time. Also the earlier you are the less likely they are to lose your luggage or bump you off the flight. Better to have to wait around for hours at the airport than have to go through the kind of stress and expense you describe. Traffic jams, storms, accidents do happen, so leave time for these kind of events.