Fuck Spirit Airlines!
 

I purchased an inexpensive flight on Spirit Airlines r.t from Fort Lauderdale to Tampa and back to visit my parents for Thanksgiving. So I missed my early morning outbound flight this morning and since they didn't have any other options, I walked over to the other terminal and purchased a one-way on SouthWest airlines to get me to Tampa today.

So I call Spirit just now to make sure that they don't automatically cancel my return reservation back to Fort Lauderdale tomorrow evening and the third world gentlemen on the phone tells me that since I missed my outbound flight that my return is void and I can't use it and that I have to purchase another ticket to get home.

I have traveled a lot on business and pleasure over the years and I have changed, canceled or missed flights many times and only used one leg of a trip and it was never a problem as long as you called to confirm that your reservation was still in the system. These airlines are really hurting and trying to nickel and dime their customers. At least on SouthWest you can come and go any time of day and if you miss a flight, it's no big deal. Fuck Spirit airlines, and be aware they will try to screw you if you make any changes to your itinerary.

Thanks for the info, because I was thinking of buying a ticket through them :o/

Most airlines will cancel the return if you miss the first leg or your flight...

Not exactly- most airlines previously would only cancel the confirmation from the system because they figured that you wouldn't show up. But they didn't actually cancel the reservation and refuse to honor the return flight if you did show up or called ahead to confirm for your return flight. This policy is not only new, but it is a new low.

I thought this was the norm as well. I've never heard of an airline allowing you to resume the reservation down the road if you miss the first leg.

That sucks... Not a fan of spirit at all, but they did honor my ticket when I flew out of Dulles a day light some time back. Helped alleviate some extra stress on an already shitty day.

Your naysaying is really undermining my righteous indignation! I can only say that have done so several times in my life, and I am sure that I am not the only one who has. I am paying to go both ways after all, just because I miss the outbound is no reason to cancel the return. I think a lot of airlines are hurting and they are looking to wring any bit of extra money that they can by tightening the rules like charging for pillows and shit. Fuck the airlines that don't put customers first like Southwest, you get treated better on a Greyhound bus.

YOu can have your credit card fight that for you... you can even get a refund

That really sucks..

too bad for you! Thanks for the information

FYI, I talked to a supervisor today and he informed me that this policy of forfeiting the return flight if you miss your outbound flight is only three months old at Spirit airlines. So this is indeed a new policy. Even when I asked nicely he said that he had no ability to override the policy. Previously they- and all the airlines in my experience- would only temporarily cancel your confirmation when you no showed for one leg but would honor the ticket if you called to confirm or showed up for the return leg of our round trip. Anyway, I am flying back home Southwest. They have a lot more flexibility and treat the customers better, instead of looking to nickel and dime you or make you pay twice if your plans change.

It may be a new policy at Spirit but I have to agree that most airlines have doen it for years. Delta did it to me more than once.

The larger question looms why you would fly hell bro you could drive it in four hrs I gaurantee you would save enough time to be worth it...admitted a 9 dollar fare or whatever is prolly tempting but what do ya expect?

Mike, driving is much slower from Fort Lauderdale to Tampa in most cases. I live five minutes from the airport and the flight is just fifty-five minutes. It is usually an easy stress free flight, a least on Southwest. I tried to save a few bucks with Spirit's' super discount fare and it cost me since I missed their early a.m. departure due to the horrendous line at the international terminal that they are in. Southwest's terminal has no line for security in terminal 1.

I also hate driving far distances. I have better things to do with my time than hurtling through space over the highway just to get somewhere, especially when I can get a cheap flight. My parents live almost 90 minutes north of Tampa so it would be nearly a six hour drive in any case. But even if they lived right off the highway in Tampa itself, it still is a lot longer in time not to mention aggravation and gasoline to drive, just to turn around and go home the next evening. I know you love driving long distances, but it's not for me.

I completely agree and understand. I would do the exact same.

I will PAY for convenience. Especially when I am supposed to be relaxing, on vacation, or a business trip. I do not need to PAY, and have a lot of stress and aggravation on top of it.

:2 cents:

That sucks man. I had that exact thing happen once on an international flight.

I feel your pain.

Agreed a lot of airlines do this since a lot of times they offer return trip flights cheaper than they do one way legs of the flight. A lot of people knew this and would book the return with the intention of only using one leg of it.

Still sucks when they already nickle and dime you to death.

Shocking, surely as you pay for round trip you are entitled to flight back.

They are the worst ever.

OMFG I have to use them to fly from Fort Lauderdale to Panama and back and DO need to make sure I get the commecting flight back to the USA and from there to the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
any recommendation for a better carrier?

its NOT just spirit all the airlines now cancel your ticket if YOU MISS your first flight, happened to me on united and on NWA

next time get there on time

Fuck that, I need some flexibility in my travel schedule. I am going to take Southwest next time since they go back and forth on that route all day and they can always put you on a later flight in an hour or two if you don't make your first one. When I go to Vegas in January I am going to do the same, instead of using America West or whoever else I might have used before.

sounds like a small budget airline....never heard of em actually.. lol