I debated whether or not to post this, so as to not appear to be a whiner. But I thought NK folks might want to hear of an experience from the front lines (ticket counter) today. First, let me buy some whiner offset credits by restating how many times I have enjoyed sharing space with Spirit crews, both in our flight decks and yours. I commuted LAS-DTW for a couple of years. NK was always hassle free access for me, and I was warmly welcomed by crews. Thanks for that.

Now to drop this service gem: My 26 year old girl has been flying LAS-ORD for a few months, to see her fiance as he finishes medical training. She's a mild mannered, polite young lady who will accept getting pushed around, to a point. That point was reached just after 5 am this morning. She tried to check in online at 4:30 for a 6:05 am flight - the response was "your check-in can not be completed." You must check in with a Spirit representative at the airport."

The timeline was short, as she was counting on breezing through TSA Pre-Check with just her backpack, nothing to check. Forced to start at the counter, she was told "Sorry, you're too late. Check in is closed." Daughter explained the online failure (she had a screenshot) and asked what the check-in cutoff time is. 45 minutes. She joined the line at 50 minutes prior and it was approx. 44:30 when the conversation began (no kidding). Handily, she had a selfie standing in line at 05:15. She highlighted that the incomplete online check-in wasted her time by necessitating a detour within the airport, but no matter - she made it to the counter before the cutoff. She was told "we can't help you," but we can re-accommodate you on a flight 11 hours from now. That will double your ticket price." She requested to speak with a supervisor. When the supervisor appeared, same story: "you failed to check in in time." My kid summoned the nerve to say "you're full of $hit" in more tactful words, presented the phone shots depicting the online rejection and the time she appeared at the counter. She was instantly handed a boarding pass and told to run to the gate. No running required, there was plenty of time. Meanwhile other customers were sucking it up and paying 200% for a later flight. As a bonus, the mid-cabin aisle seat she paid for was traded for a last row middle seat. Turns out it was an oversold flight, with buyoffs/travel vouchers being offered.

I'm assuming what my daughter experienced is a standard hazing practice when too few seats exist. In what world can you arbitrarily take away a product delivered at the customer's convenience, and then re-sell it back to the same customer at a random time for twice the money? Prior to reaching the gate, each Spirit employee was rude and dismissive to my daughter. The gate agents were harried and stressed, but pleasant, as was the crew. It was a miserable experience for her. A customer was lost today. Just thought I'd share a glimpse of how that is accomplished.