Originally Posted by
Lobaeux
I believe we don't have a crap product we have an image problem. Huge image problem. All one has to do is go to Yelp and read the reviews, then you realize that probably HALF the people who have reviewed Spirit or comment on stories about Spirit have never flown Spirit. They have taken the media's word (news sites, blogs, forums, etc.) and what "my cousin's girlfriend's next door neighbor's babysitter's dad" said about Spirit. I truly believe our product is not Virgin America, but it's not the worst flight either. We are still getting bad reviews because of a $100 bag fee, seats that don't recline and no free drinks.
I think we're on the right track business model-wise, we still have an image problem.
We don't have a crap product, we have a minimal product which most passengers think is crap.
The averaged American is a spoiled and self centered person, undereducated and unrealistic, a person who has no idea of the costs associated with traveling through a -55C atmosphere in an aluminum tube at eight miles a minute. Spirit's problem is that BBB has not incentivized the front line employees* to properly explain what it means to buy a ticket on Spirit airlines. I find that numerous passengers do understand the game and are quite happy with Spirit. It's the person who buys on Expedia and shows up thinking that all airlines are the same who ends up writing negative reviews on yelp.
Front line employees include: automated ticket outlets(on line brokers, etc), telephone CSAs and Airport CSAs. FA's might also be front line, but I see most of them are actually doing quite well in the battle against perception.