I paid the $15 because some years ago I had to sit between two 300 pound wrestlers.
Let's start with the good news. I found a nice parking spot near the terminal in the long-term lot at Atlantic City International, a short walk to the terminal (only $7 per day for parking). Check-in was simple and although the airport has no Wi-Fi connection, it was clean and comfortable, if a bit spartan. The plane, a modern Airbus 319, left on time and arrived a few minutes early in Myrtle Beach. The leather seat was comfortable and I had no one next to me for the one-hour flight. No quibbles with any of that.
The online ordering had gone well until it was time to specify my seat. First, Spirit asked about baggage; I could check a bag for $15, or two for $25.
Spirit's training manual must include the words: "Do not listen to the customer, do not show mercy, stay focused on charging them for any change."
On Tuesday morning, I checked in online for my flight later that day and printed my boarding pass. I made one last check of my itinerary and, to my horror, found that Spirit had booked me on their evening flight this coming Wednesday, not the morning one. I was certain I had reserved the morning flight since I knew I had to be back early (and I do know the difference between AM and PM).
I called Spirit's customer service number, which is buried on their web site to discourage any customer from actually using it, and went on hold for 10 minutes.
Of a complaining customer requesting a refund, the Spirit CEO wrote: "We owe him nothing. Let him tell the world how bad we are."
I asked to speak to a supervisor. She was less helpful. She gave me the same, "Sorry sir, $90 to change." I asked her to make the change and charge my credit card but warned that I would be alerting American Express to what I considered an act of malfeasance by Spirit. Then she said, "Sorry sir, we are inside 24 hours, and I cannot even make the change." "We are not," I almost screamed, "inside 24 hours for a flight next Wednesday." Oh, yes, "you are right," she acknowledged, adding "Sir" as the training manual surely advises.
I'd like to say I will never fly Spirit Airlines again, but I know - and more importantly, they do too - that I probably will because, sometimes, the price is too good to resist (unless they go out of business which is a real possibility). Resistance is futile when it comes to Father Time, the IRS and, sad to say, the discount airlines.
Footnote: The Internet is filled with complaints by those who have had much worse experiences on Spirit than I did. Last year, Spirit CEO Ben Baldanza, responding internally to a passenger complaint and request for a refund, unfortunately hit the "Reply all" button and sent his true feelings far and wide. "We owe him nothing," Baldanza wrote of the complaining customer. "Let him tell the world how bad we are. He's never flown us before anyway and will be back when we save him a penny."
