in this commentary
- Spirit Airlines returns to bankruptcy court, facing a potential liquidation that could ground its yellow fleet forever.
- Decades of “gotcha” fees and dehumanizing service have alienated passengers who now view the carrier as a necessary evil rather than a choice.
- As bondholders scramble to save the airline, a controversial question emerges: Is it time to let Spirit die so a better airline can take its place?
Spirit Airlines is haunting the halls of bankruptcy court again. For the second time in about a year, the threat of liquidation looms large for the beleaguered discount carrier.
While bondholders weigh their options and unions plead for lifelines, maybe we should consider a compassionate alternative: Let the airline go.
Customers don’t like Spirit’s deceptive fares and dehumanizing customer service. The airline can’t compete against the bigger legacy carriers. Allowing it to die could open the door for better-mannered airlines to take care of us.
A legacy of “gotcha” games
Spirit wasn’t always the industry’s favorite punching bag. After 9/11, it was the scrappy underdog that gave away seats just to keep the country moving. Passengers loved it.
Then the bean counters took over. Spirit pioneered the “bare” fare—you pay for a seat and nothing else. It turned air travel into a giant game of “gotcha”:
- Checking a bag? $45.
- A carry-on? $50.
- Selecting a seat? Up to $200.
Spirit is a great example of letting the market ultimately dictate the fate of a business based on its offerings. All it offered was discounted tickets. It provided next to nothing else, and alienated even those travelers who were willing to buy them.
When a business treats its customers so badly, no matter how loudly it publicizes how “bare” its fares are, it’s committing suicide.
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Complaining about Spirit has become a ritual among air travelers. (It averages just over one star on Trustpilot, a customer service site.) Passengers cry “outrageous,” only to be met with the cold refrain of, “You get what you pay for.” Predictably, the same people who swear they’ll never fly Spirit again find themselves back in line for a $39 fare to Fort Lauderdale.
And that has kept Spirit going, until now.
How this tailspin started
Substandard service isn’t the only problem. Spirit’s current crisis is a mix of bad luck and worse management. The airline bet its future on a JetBlue merger that regulators nixed, leaving it with a mountain of debt and a fleet of grounded planes with faulty Pratt & Whitney engines. (Related: Will this 10 percent interest cap kill your airline points?)
Meanwhile, heavyweights like Delta and United began offering comparable “basic” seats, leaving Spirit struggling to justify its existence. Now, with a second bankruptcy and a desperate $100 million lifeline barely keeping the lights on, the yellow bus of the skies is at the end of its runway.
The dehumanizing flight
If Spirit departs, it certainly won’t be our only loss. Southwest recently ditched its iconic open seating, and the “free” bag has become an endangered species.
The industry is turning us into cargo. On a recent flight, I noticed I hadn’t interacted with a single person from the curb to the cabin. Sure, it’s efficient, but it’s also lonely. We’re being processed. (Related: Airport security rules are changing again—and it’s a mess.)
As a consumer advocate, the most common complaint I hear is that Spirit is dehumanizing. Passengers feel like cattle—walking dollar signs to an airline with an impersonal, uncaring attitude.
Spirit may survive this bankruptcy. It has already shed nearly 100 aircraft and 40 routes. One attorney claims this “new” Spirit is “smaller, tighter, better.”
But should it survive?
Spirit is no longer the plucky startup, nor the dominant low-fare carrier it was before the pandemic. It is a shell of its former self—a ghost. If Spirit disappears, the market will adjust. Other budget carriers will fill the void, hopefully with better manners and fewer fees.
Maybe it’s time to let Spirit go to that big hangar in the sky, where seats are wide, bags fly free, and passengers are treated like humans again.
Spirit Airlines revolutionized budget travel with “bare fares,” but its fee-heavy model alienated passengers. Now facing liquidation, the airline fights for survival.
Your voice matters
What you’re saying
Readers were split between “good riddance” and fear of rising prices. While some celebrated the market punishing bad service, others warned that losing a major budget carrier would hurt everyone’s wallet.
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Suicide by bad service
JenniferFinger argued that Spirit’s demise is a self-inflicted wound. She noted that when a business treats customers poorly and offers nothing but “bare” fares, it alienates the very people it needs to survive.
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The competition vacuum
Mark Sablow and KanExplore warned against cheering for Spirit’s collapse. They fear that without Spirit, legacy carriers will raise prices and reduce amenities because they no longer have a low-cost competitor to worry about.
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Efficient if you know the rules
y_p_w shared a counter-perspective, noting that their experience with Spirit was remarkably efficient. They argued that if you follow the clearly defined rules regarding bags and check-in, the system actually works well.
