Spirit Air...NEVER AGAIN - Part II

When I arrived at the airport this morning, I just knew that this horrible experience with Spirit Air had indeed come to an end and I would be comfortably on my way home. Indeed it has ended but not without a few more surprises from Spirit Air.

When I left the airport yesterday, I left believing that I had been booked on the 7 AM flight to LGA. I arrived at the airport at a little after 5 AM wearing yesterday's clothing, bleary eyed and half awake, unable to properly refresh myself because my toiletries and every piece of clean clothing that I had remaining on this trip were of course in the missing piece of luggage that disappeared the day before at FLL. Not to mention my digital camera, a portable printer given me by my employer, every item that I purchased while in Florida and many other non-replaceable valuables with much sentimental if not necessarily intrinsic value all gone hopefully temporarily but quite possibly permanently. I arrived at the ticket counter to discover that I had not been booked on the 7 AM flight to LGA, but the 7 PM flight to LGA instead. Why is there a part of me that suspects that might have been a deliberate "error" on Sandra's part.

Realizing the gross incompetence that is evidently synonymous with Spirit Air, I did not allow it to reduce me to the nearly hysterical mass that I was reduced to by yesterday's traumatic experience and asked if I could be transferred to an earlier flight. I did not think the airport would survive me being forced to wait from 5 AM to 7 PM for a flight out. I was told the earliest flight I could be confirmed for was 3 PM. I then asked if I could be standby on the 7 AM flight and the flight that was scheduled to leave at 12:30 PM. The ticket agent was having a problem straightening it all out but then he was assisted by a young lady whose name I am afraid I did not get although her face was familiar as one of the agents in the terminal the previous day when chaos was reigning supreme. She proved to be a shining ray of hope in an otherwise dim cloud and a commodity that seems to be rare at Spirit Air, a competent employee. She quickly made all arrangements, properly labeled my luggage and gave me a gate pass so I could wait by the gate in case I was able to get on the flight.

Thankfully, she was also the gate agent for the flight. I am sure it was with God's help and her assistance that I was one of only 2 or 3 standy passengers who were finally able to board that 7 AM flight. I am of course thankful to be home finally. The flight touched down at 9:35 AM, they managed not to lose my remaining piece of luggage but still have not managed to locate my missing piece. I saw many familiar faces and outfits as we collected our luggage and met 2 wonderful women, Ruth and Marie, who have invited me to look them up should I be in the Bahamas.

I stand by my original statement. Never again will I step on a Spirit Airlines flight to anywhere. I have experienced lost luggage, cancelled and or re-routed flights, missed connections and other inconveniences that sometimes accompany airtravel. In each case the airlines made sure that I was taken care of, so I know that there are airlines that know how to treat customers. Spirit Airlines however ain't one a dem. 4 days and counting before I either have my missing luggage or am filing a claim for my missing valuables.

To be cont'd...

Spirit Air...NEVER AGAIN

In March I sent my son to Florida on Spirit Air. Far as I know there were no problems so I decided to use them for my trip to Florida for the 85th Boulé of my beloved sorority. The flight down was no problem however the flight back is a different story. BTW I'm not back yet and write this from the hotel that I had to pay for myself after my flight was cancelled with less than one hour to boarding time. Below is my letter to their corporate offices.

Spirit Airlines Corporate Office
2800 Executive Way
Miramar, Florida 33025
Hours of Operation: Monday-Friday from 8:30 AM to 5:30 PM EST
Phone: (954) 447-7965Fax: (954) 447-7979

July 28, 2006

To Whom It May Concern:

I arrived for my flight at FLL at approximately 12 noon on July 28, 2006 even though my flight was not to leave until 3:00 PM. The flight was reported “On Time” until approximately 2:20 PM when the displays were all changed to cancelled. The employee at the gate had no information to give passengers as to why the flight was suddenly cancelled. The only thing she seemed trained or capable of saying was “If you want to get your luggage, go downstairs. If you want to find another flight, go downstairs. If you want to speak to a supervisor, go downstairs. If you want me to try to put you on another flight, stay here.” Of course it was hell and chaos up there, so I went downstairs to try to get some answers.

I arrived downstairs where several passengers from the cancelled flight had already gathered in addition to the regular crowd of arriving passengers. This of course was more chaos. Many of us were waiting on somewhat of a line, separate from the other passengers who were arriving for their flights, hoping to be serviced. At one point an employee told us that we needed to get on the regular line, this was after we had been standing where we were for more than 30 minutes. This was the same employee that I attempted to ask a very general question to while still upstairs at the gate, such as, “Whose responsibility was it to find another flight when the flight is cancelled?” Her response was, “That was not her flight, everyone has their own flight”.

I decided to attempt to be cooperative in a difficult situation and got on the regular line. When I finally reached the counter and gave the agent “Sandra” my boarding pass for my cancelled flight, she began to explain how I could get a voucher since my ticket was non-refundable. My question being how was that voucher going to get me home? She said she could put me on the first available flight which would be the next morning at 7 am. I asked her if I could be standby on the flight later this evening, she replied that there was already a long standby list with passengers from the cancelled flight. I asked her where the airline would be accommodating me for the night since I am not a Florida resident who could merely return home and try again tomorrow. She then called another employee “Darlene” to explain that since the cancellation was weather related they would not be accommodating me anywhere. Sandra then printed out info for my flight the next day and said “Next” with me still standing there.

I asked her for information or assistance in finding lodging for the night. She said she could not help me and proceeded to ignore me like I was not there. I repeated my question to Darlene who said she could not help me. I stood there until another employee “MarieAnn” passed by and I repeated my question to her, she said she would be right back with a phone number and disappeared inside a door in the rear. When Sandra realized I had not moved and she was having a problem taking the next customer with me standing there she attempted to say something to me. I told her to continue to ignore me like she had been doing, that I was upset beyond coherent speech and ... She and Darlene then threatened to have me removed if I did not move, I replied I was waiting for MarieAnn and would move once I had information or assistance in securing lodging for the night. Darlene then walked a way and Sandra disappeared inside the door in the rear.

MarieAnn then reappeared with a voucher in hand with a phone number to call for discounted hotel assistance. I then went down to the carousel to collect my 2 pieces of luggage which had been checked on the curb and to add insult to injury 1 piece was missing. I might not have been able to get a flight out but luggage evidently managed to travel without me. I guess within the next 5 days I will find out whether or not I will need to file a claim for the missing valuables that were in that bag.

While I understand that Spirit Airlines does not control the weather in my opinion they do control how employees are trained to provide service to their customers. A happy customer is a returning customer which needless to say I will never be. Good customer service during good times is wonderful, but how do employees respond in times of minor emergencies when passengers may be not only upset but also disoriented and in an unfamiliar environment? Why was information and assistance not offered to me by Sandra or Darlene, why was it necessary for me to become nearly irate to receive assistance, were not my 2 civil requests enough? Why do employees not know the proper way to assist passengers during this kind of minor emergency?

God forbid if my 18 year old son had to endure a similar experience in March when he flew on Spirit virtually alone to FLL and back to LGA to meet classmates and faculty for a school related trip. Being on spring break all of the students were flying in from different locations and then back out different locations. Being the only one from NYC he would have been all alone and would not have had the luxury of being able to reach in his wallet to pull out a credit card to pay for his own lodging in another state. Would he have been just left stranded and alone at the airport with no assistance from the airline that cancelled his flight because it was “weather related?” Since when is it okay to treat passengers in such a deplorable fashion?

Over the years I have experienced lost luggage, cancelled and or re-routed flights, missed connections and other inconveniences that sometimes accompany air travel. In each case the airline made sure that I was taken care of, so I know that there are airlines that know how to treat customers. Spirit Airlines however does not seem to be one of them. Surely I would not feel secure flying with your airline ever again or entrusting anyone whom I love to your care.

Sincerely,



Bernardine E. Lowery-Cruté

Convention...Convention

This summer seems to be the convention summer extraordinaire. As I type this I sit in a business session of a national convention. I actually went from one convention in Boston, MA almost directly to this convention in Hollywood, Florida.

My Boston convention was a national teacher union convention. They pay me to go so I show up faithfully. I was annoyed to be in Boston when the convention was originally supposed to be in San Francisco, CA. I was so looking forward to visiting that city for the first time and then almost last minute I find out that the dates and place had at some point been changed.

My Hollywood convention is for my beloved national sorority. My first convention with my sorors and an event I was so looking forward too. So far the best thing about this convention has been the ocean right outside of the hotel where it is located. The view is awesome and the company I’m keeping is superb. I love my sorors!

Unfortunately on Friday it will all come to an end and I will be back in the testosterone dominated environment that I call home. Oh well!

Hot Fun In The Summer Time...?

I did it again. Let 2 months slip away without a single entry.

Good news:
1. School is over and summer break has officially begun
2. Two close friends had wonderful weddings where I ate and drank way more than I needed to but who cares.
3. Not working this summer so I am truly, truly taking a break, so to speak.
4. I will be at my first Boule in 8 days and it promises to be a H.A.M.
5. Youngest son starts college at the end of the summer. Oldest son starts what had better be his final year of college at the end of the summer.

Not so good news:
1. House full of testosterone and getting on my nerves big time.
2. 43rd birthday less than week not sure how I feel about that in light of the fact that I rejoined weight watchers and my goal 4 years ago was to lose weight by my 40th birthday and I have failed miserably at that goal.
3. Not working this summer which means money will not be as plentiful as I would like.

Oh well! Bye for now.