Spirit Airlines??????

[Paumavista]

Daughter just called - she's leaving Denver on Spirit Airlines....it's pouring rain and they drove slower than expected to return the rental car & get to the airport....but they made it safely with 44 minutes till flight time.

Spirit will not allow them to check in....says they are 1 minute late (they require a 45 minute check in). What, ONE MINUTE!!

It is pouring....now it is 30 minutes till the flight will take off (if not delayed by weather) and I made her go back and ask again but they said no. I asked her where it says this on her ticket but she couldn't find it (probably in some small print).

I don't understand? This is a domestic flight (no big TSA issues) - Denver to Las Vegas. While I do understand rules....I also understand customer service, sensitivity to the weather conditions, and the fact that she is sitting in the airport with a plane (less than 300 yards away) that has not even boarded yet. It isn't like she's asking to hold up the plane or re-open the doors - I just think given the weather and timing that a little customer service was in order.

Is this a Spirit airlines thing? I usually fly Delta or Southwest....and I've never had a problem like this......although I've done my share of running to gates.

 

[rrsafety]

If I plan to check in at the airport, how much time should I allot?

If you are traveling domestically or internationally, Spirit Airlines recommends you arrive at the airport 2 hours before your flight is scheduled to depart.

For domestic flights, the cut-off for checked baggage acceptance is 30 minutes (except for Las Vegas and Los Angeles, which is 45 minutes) before your flight's departure time.
For international flights, the cut-off for checked baggage acceptance is 60 minutes before your flight's departure time.

When do I need to be at the boarding gate?

Domestic passengers: at least 15 minutes before departure time
International passengers: at least 30 minutes before departure time
You are not a special needs passenger (ie. Unaccompanied Minor).

Make sure you leave enough time at the airport to get through security, check your bags etc.

http://www.seatguru.com/airlines/Spirit_Airlines/checkin.php

 

[dougp26364]

I believe all airlines have a cut off time to check in for a flight. Most have it printed somewhere (contract for carriage) or on their website. Most aren't quite as hard lined about it as Spirit is being but, Spirit isn't necessarily known as the most customer friendly airline so much as they're known for being inexpensive (cheap) on their ticket prices. Personally, with what I've read about Spririt in the news, I'm amazed they're still flying. They're not an airline I'd choose regardless of price and your post only supports my thoughts on them.

 

[Paumavista]

If I plan to check in at the airport, how much time should I allot?

For domestic flights, the cut-off for checked baggage acceptance is 30 minutes (except for Las Vegas and Los Angeles, which is 45 minutes) before your flight's departure time.
For international flights, the cut-off for checked baggage acceptance is 60 minutes before your flight's departure time. So I guess when they mean CUTOFF.....they mean it! Regardless of when the plane actually leaves and one minute is one minute. It would be nice of them to print this in bold or at least print this somewhere on a ticket

When do I need to be at the boarding gate?

Domestic passengers: at least 15 minutes before departure time
International passengers: at least 30 minutes before departure time
You are not a special needs passenger (ie. Unaccompanied Minor). Well, they had 44 minutes to get to the gate when they were denied check in; and by the time she called me she still had over 30 minutes


http://www.seatguru.com/airlines/Spirit_Airlines/checkin.php

I will be sure to remember this when making my own reservations; I frankly find their hard and fast line rediculous.....given all their typical delays!

 

[x3 skier]

If it was between Spirit or walking, I would choose walking.

Cheers

 

[am1]

It is possible the last of the bags had already been sent to be loaded onto the plane.

Is Denver a hub if not maybe the workers had to be somewhere else.

It is too bad that it happened but one should decide these things are possible while choosing an airline.

 

[Paumavista]

It is possible the last of the bags had already been sent to be loaded onto the plane. One the facts we have always been told with other airlines is that if it is "late" that the bags may not make it onto the same flight - this would not have been a problem at all since they live relatively close to the airport in Vegas and could easily have chosen to return to get their bag - the GOOD customer service choice should have been provided to the customer........."customer can board this flight (since you have roughly 40 minutes to walk to your gate) but your bags may not make it till later/tomorrow.....or choose to wait 6 hours with your bags for the next flight"

Is Denver a hub if not maybe the workers had to be somewhere else.

It is too bad that it happened but one should decide these things are possible while choosing an airline.

Yes, I know given their experience we will not choose Spirit.....and in researching the web I have literally read hundreds of complaints!



Daughter did say her first experience waiting in the military lounge in Denver for the next flight was pretty nice (her friend is a military captain; they'd been to attend a wedding of friends who all graduated from the academy in Colorado Springs). In spite of "lack of "Spirit"....Denver airport treats its military personnel very well.

 

[Paumavista]

Duplicate post

 

[Ken555]

The first misunderstanding is that the airline industry understands customer service. The second is...Spirit - you get what you pay for every time, based on what I've read and heard for years. Even though Denver is their hub, I won't fly them when skiing in Colorado regardless of the price (and they are far from the least expensive once you factor in bag fee and reserved seat fee).

Anyway, did they put them on the next flight? If so, they did their job...such as it is...

 

[Talent312]

For every "okay" story, I've heard 10 horror stories about Spirit.
I wouldn't fly 'em, unless they paid me, and it'd have to be a lot.

 

[tschwa2]

per the spirit website:

What time do I need to arrive at the airport for my flight?
We recommend that you arrive 2 hours prior to scheduled departure for domestic flights and at least 3 hours prior to scheduled departure for international flights. Due to lengthy TSA security checkpoint times, it is recommended you check local news and airport information prior to arrival at the airport.

We reserve the right to cancel the reservation or seat assignment of any customer who does not have a boarding pass at least 30 minutes prior to scheduled or posted departure time (45 minutes for Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Fort Lauderdale, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Orlando; 60 minutes for international and U.S.V.I. flights).

Due to additional Transportation Safety Administration screening requirements, customers wanting to check baggage are required to do so at the ticket counter at least 30 minutes before departure (45 minutes for Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Fort Lauderdale, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Orlando; 60 minutes for international flights).

If you are not at the boarding gate more than 15 minutes prior to departure (30 minutes for international flights), you may lose your reservation and become ineligible for denied boarding compensation.

They were probably overbooked and rather than offer compensation to bump passengers their computer cancels everyone out who doesn't check in by exactly the minimum check in time.

 

[b2bailey]

A similar experience with Alaska Air...

Last month I was flying Alaska Air to Cabo San Lucas out of San Jose, CA.
My dear friend who drives to SJC frequently, somehow missed the exit. We had to turn around and go back. This caused me to arrive 58 minutes before departure. I was denied boarding, AND had to pay $100 to book on the next flight. So, if Spirit DID NOT charge more for the rebooking of flight, they actually treated customer better than Alaska treated me.

 

[Paumavista]

Don't understand this?

Last month I was flying Alaska Air to Cabo San Lucas out of San Jose, CA.
My dear friend who drives to SJC frequently, somehow missed the exit. We had to turn around and go back. This caused me to arrive 58 minutes before departure. I was denied boarding, AND had to pay $100 to book on the next flight. So, if Spirit DID NOT charge more for the rebooking of flight, they actually treated customer better than Alaska treated me.

I just don't get it - - did they allude to the fact that they had overbooked your first flight?....do you think that's why they didn't allow boarding?

I really do understand the issue with baggage potentially not making the same flight given a loading schedule.......but it can't possibly take you more than 10-15 minutes to walk to any boarding gate?? Was the airport impossibly crowded? (although if it IS very crowded it's usually the result of delayed flights.....which actually would allow you even more time to get to your boarding gate)

On another topic....just watched a FRONTLINE show the other night on video conferencing (actually more like imagination conferencing).....people meeting in "sky" conferences literally every day from around the world - no longer necessary to FLY to business meetings......supposedly the new WAY of "getting together" - airlines are going to have to do ALOT better if they want to keep what business will be left..........