Spirit Airlines is in a tricky position: It bills itself as an inexpensive airline, but defends its many fees (like for choosing a seat, checking a bag, and having a carry-on) as ways to improve the flight experience, not turn a profit.
Judging from Twitter, Spirit passengers don't buy it. Criticisms outweigh compliments by a wide margin, and complaints are based on bad service, flight delays, and extra charges. Many are angry, others funny, and some are depressing.
Looking back over a week of tweets with the tag #spiritairlines or @spiritairline, here is a sampling of the ways Spirit Airlines manages to anger its customers.
#SpiritAirlines#suck#suck#sucks its frustrating. I'd rather be in the back of a van with John Candy and his Polka band.
— Mary Canario (@MaryCanary18) November 27, 2012
#SpiritAirlines was nice enough to give me an unexpected extra day of vacation...a full 24 hour delay...I mean extra vacation.
— matthew dyrdahl (@matthewdyrdahl) December 3, 2012
#spiritairlines#guitar#ouchtwitter.com/LorenBarnese/s…
— Loren Barnese (@LorenBarnese) December 3, 2012
When you pay $20 bucks for a seat assignment, the seat should be in full operation. @spiritairlines#failtwitter.com/jreynaldos/sta…
— Javier Reynaldos (@jreynaldos) December 4, 2012
— dee (@deesoldier) November 30, 2012can't wait til we can afford to take bags on an airplane #spiritairlines#poormanscarryoninstagr.am/p/SqmAO_E946/
— brad wygle (@bradwygle) November 30, 2012
Boarded the #SpiritAirlines flight 6 hours late... Just in time to hear that we need to wait 25 minutes for the mechanic...
— matthew dyrdahl (@matthewdyrdahl) December 4, 2012
Of course, there are some positive tweets about Spirit Airlines, though most are written when the consumer is not actually at the airport, focusing on the low prices and off-beat (though not always on point) advertising:
Just booked two roundtrip ✈ to #Miami in December for $138.00 !!! Thank you #spiritAirlines @rteeyup
— Josh Taylor (@J_Taylor21) December 4, 2012
Seriously I would love to get in the room with the @spiritairlines marketing team. The only subscription junk mail I ENJOY reading -on point
— Linda Ward (@sadpotatoes) December 3, 2012
Does anyone else get emails from @spiritairlines? Their subject lines are H-I-LARIOUS! A+ for attention grabbing, I click to open everytime!
— A.B. (@ashb_knows) December 3, 2012
And then, there's the exception to the rule:
Two great flights with #SpiritAirlines both on time and no troubles! Great to be back home!
— Stephen Rickards (@BeSoPositive) December 3, 2012
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