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.

 

Respectfully, seriously?

If I posted on an airlines thread about bad experiences I’ve had, I would be on all of them, Delta included.

Unfortunate your daughter got the run around but this is so far removed from the pilot operations side of things this is clearly a venting post from you, and 3 paragraphs in, you hopefully got it out. Now maybe I’ll share some stories of the “red coats” I’ve dealt with in my travels

 

I don’t know why you feel like griping at the pilots about this. Try customer service, if you can find the number.

 

This thread will age very well.

 

Do you mind sharing how much your daughter paid for her ticket?

 

I had similar happen at her age, back before smartphones and before online check-in was as common (at least to me) and I had to print my boarding pass so I figured I'd do it all at the airport. There was a massive accident on the freeway so I was close to the deadline, and then a bus unloaded a huge number of seniors who didn't know how to use the automated check in machines. There were no in person lanes open for checking in until you had gone through the machine, and no staff to help at the machines, so I was frantically trying to help them to clear a machine for myself. As I was entering my info but before I finished checking in the time clicked over to too late and the system booted me out.

The differences? They refused to let me run for the flight, despite how much I begged. And it was a legacy airline.

I learned a valuable lesson about leaving plenty of time or knowing I was taking a gamble.

 

What time do I need to arrive at the airport for my flight?

Please be prepared and give yourself plenty of time for your upcoming trip. We recommend arriving at least two hours prior to your scheduled departure for domestic flights and at least three hours prior to a departure for an international flight.

Also, the TSA screening requirements have recently changed and require that guests checking bags at the ticket counter or Bag Drop will need to do so at least 45 minutes before scheduled departure ( 60 minutes for international and U.S.V.I. flights), but no more than 4 hours prior to the scheduled departure time.

Spirit may cancel a reservation or seat assignment for any guest without a boarding pass at least 45 minutes prior to a scheduled departure (60 minutes for international and U.S.V.I. flights). Please be available for boarding at the gate at least 15 minutes prior to your scheduled domestic departure and 30 minutes prior to your international departure or you may lose your reservation. In the event of a delay, we recommend that guests remain in the gate area for updates and possible early departures.

 

I should post the story about how a few years ago Delta, in the midst of an operational snafu, left me and my entire family of five plus my in-laws stranded in Daytona Beach while traveling home from spring break. They were so unhelpful and rude, far removed from the oft-touted image of glory of Delta Air Lines customer service. The best option they would accommodate us was a flight three days later. We ended up renting a van and driving 20 hours in order to make it home. Delta Air Lines lost a customer that day, just thought I’d give you some insight as to why.

 

Clearly he needs to increase her monthly allowance so she can book on a "real" airline.

In the end, she still made it to ORD to see her love, albeit in a middle seat. The humanity!

 

Hey legacy pilots of America, I saw this YouTube video of someone getting their bags destroyed, why don’t you fix that. In the meantime why don’t you feel bad all the time because of this, I’d be embarrassed to be a pilot for any airline that has ever done something to any passengers.