When David Ennis checked in for a recent Spirit Airlines flight from Detroit to Fort Myers, Fla., an agent told him the flight was oversold. When he tried to fly the next day, Spirit told him he was a “no show” for his flight and was holding a worthless ticket.
Here we go again.
No, this isn’t another Spirit is awful story. This one has a happy ending.
His partner, Mary Shepherd, picks up the story. She tried to call Spirit to help Ennis get on the plane, but the representatives she spoke with were “rude and dismissive,” she says.
Then she emailed Heather Harvey, Spirit’s top customer service executive.
She was in touch with me in minutes and listened to my story. I was polite and pleasant — not always my first response, but I am glad I treated her with the respect I did because she returned that many times over.
In no time, she had phoned David, arranged a new flight, here and back, free of charge.
She is the kind of rep all companies need. I have to give Spirit Air a ‘10′ for personnel after dealing with her. She deserves congratulations and praise for her support of weary and a disappointed passenger and partner. My hat is off to Heather and another woman who assisted her with this problem.
This is by no means the first time Harvey’s outstanding work has come to my attention. She’s been behind several good-news stories that I’ve posted on my blog.
Ennis shouldn’t have left the airport when he heard his flight was oversold, of course. He should have asked to be rebooked on another flight, and invoked Spirit’s Contract of Carriage, which provides compensation for involuntary denied boardings.
Then again, Spirit shouldn’t have oversold his flight in the first place.
I’m optimistic that Spirit, which has one of the worst reputations for customer service in the airline industry, can be reformed. Stories like this give me hope.
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{ 14 comments… read them below or add one }
We really need to stop rewarding ignorance and stupidity. A guy shows up for his flight – they annoounce it is oversold – and he just goes home? As in – oh well, my flight is oversold, thats it I’m going home? Are we talking Rain Man here?
I can see that if they did not fly because the flight was truly oversold, then he guy is entitled to a refund or a rebooking attempt, but to just shrug ones shoulders and go home seems to me like abandonment of the trip and being a no-show.
I’ve been a less tolerance of ignorance and stupidity lately because while everyone is entitled to be treated fairly with respect by a travel carrier, what happens when you don’t show up and then discover the flight is overbooked later – were you bumped or were you a no-show?
I’m glad that Spirit did the right thing but who in their right mind makes the effort to drive to the airport, go through the rigmarole of security and then hearing the ‘oversold’ announcement – leaves?
“Then again, Spirit shouldn’t have oversold his flight in the first place.”
Good article, but what’s with this strange comment? Why shouldn’t they have oversold his flight?
“Why shouldn’t they have oversold his flight?”
Maybe because its unethical and should be illegal to take money for something that you know you cannot deliver.
While i will say that the passenger should have re-booked right then, it should also be squarely up to to the airline rep at the gate to help the passenger get on another flight. They are the ones with his money and they are responsible for making things right.
Ditto, Mike, ditto! I am about to fly Spirit (eek!) in a couple weeks using a credit that I have and I am a little nervous!
Hmm, to not cause this whole thing to happen in the first place and deal with the headaches after? :)
Joe, some people don’t really understand all the airline jargon.
Only once have I been in an oversold position, where I went to check in and couldn’t select a seat. I received a “Priority Verification Card” or whatever they call it. I went immediately through security and to the gate, and did not move from the area until I heard my name called to receive a real boarding pass.
Not everyone knows that this is what you have to do in this case. If you don’t get a seat, you become entitled to involuntary denied boarding compensation.
Strongly disagree with many of the comments
Its neither ignorance nor stupidity on the passenger’s part.. Not everyone is a seasoned road warrior. The Spirit ticket agent should have immediately rebooked him on another flight. Its shouldn’t be up to the customer to know what to do. It is entirely reasonable to believe that if the airline cannot accomodate you on your flight the computer would flag that and allow you to fly on another day.
As far as overbooking. I don’t have a problem with it. Its certainly not illegal. That’s not in doubt. Whether its unethical, reasonable people can dispute. I don’t see the problem. When you know that historically on any given flight X percent of your customers will be no shows, its to everyone’s benefit to overbook. The additional revenue allows everyone to have cheaper tickets. If the airline guesses wrong, then you are given compensation. Usually there are enough people willing to accept compensation that people are rarely inconvenienced by overbooking.
> its to everyone’s benefit to overbook. The additional revenue allows everyone to
> have cheaper tickets.
Sorry, I have to disagree with this. The ticket prices are set by market forces, supply and demand, nothing else.
Overbooking just puts the extra money in the airline’s pocket; it is of no benefit to any of the passengers. Is that ok? Maybe. I think Mike makes a good point though.
@Elvis
Yes, it puts more money in the airlines pocket. Given how they have been bleeding money these past few years, we see the result of the airlines not having enough money.
no free checked luggage
no free drinks
fees for curbside baggage
no pillows
no blankets
no behind the seat storage on some airplanes
fees to book a ticket with a live person
Airlines with healthier balance sheets (i.e. a little more money) tend not to nicket and dime
@Elvis
If economic principles are more convincing to you ( and they are to me) I am sure you understand that as supply increases, prices fall, all else remaining constant. Overbooking is the equivalent of an increase in the supply of seats. By contrast, when airlines want to increase the costs of seats, they fly smaller planes which effectively reduces supply. Since demand remains the same, the prices increase.
Hey guys! We are doing our best to make everyone happy – of course we drop the ball, we’re only human! I will promise you that if we are in the wrong – we will make it right. It’s a tough industry to be in right now (as Carver mentioned) and appreciate you guys giving us a chance :). If you have an unpleasant experience let me know about it! We can’t improve without your guidance and feedback, so I encourage you to email the Customer Relations department on Spiritair.com or myself. Hope to see you on a future flight soon!
Ps. The woman that is mentioned is a coordinator that works under me – she is a wonderful asset to the company and I will pass this link on to her – thanks again everybody!
The reason the airlines oversell flights is because of historically, a certain percentage never get on the flight in the first place – and the airlines end up re-accommodating them to another flight. I can’t tell you how many clients “overslept” “got caught in traffic” or simply “forgot” to get to the airport for their flight. An airline that ONLY sells the number of seats actually on the flight would go bankrupt in a month operating with that formula. And yes, if your flight is oversold, take the responsibility of remaining at the desk to be re-accommodated, not expect to be “magically” covered. Sorry, the “travel fairy” doesn’t make it all better – sometimes you have to work a bit.
Just a short note to say does the term “she” have anything to do with the compassion that was displayed to this gentleman.?
Last month my husband had fallen down a marble flight of stairs at a hotel in Tortola. After 20 stitches in his face, our vacation was cut short a week for 4 of us. We needed to fly home immediately. Spiritair was very, very accomidating. Gave us the last 4 seats on the plane. The other couple that was with us tried to sit in their seats but others had stolen the seats, even though our friends had the correct boarding passes. No one on Spirit would make these people move out of their seats and that is just WRONG. When you have numbered boarding passes that should be it. This is not Southwest. That part made me mad, but to be fair, seeing my husband all bandaged up and not able to fit in the tight squeeze seats, they offered him the last 1st class seat up front for free. We are flying again in a few weeks to San Juan PR, when I saw that Spirit was cheaper than the others that fly there I opted to pay more and stay away from the tight sqeeze seats, (he’s 6′2″), no water, no snacks, and the $15 luggage charge. But that wasn’t my biggest reason, I don’t want to get on a flight again and be told that my seat is not my seat and allow it to be a free for all. That is the main reason I don’t fly Southwest.