Spirit Seeks to Win Flyers With Service
Joe Cortez June 22, 2016
Customer service turnaround is executive’s primary focus for summer months.
American low-cost carrier Spirit Airlines is planning to improve their negative image in the marketplace, starting with boosting their overall customer experience. In an interview with Bloomberg, Spirit chief executive Robert Fornaro outlined a plan to turn the airline around.
“We’re number one with price, and that creates a lot of benefits,” Fornaro told Bloomberg in an interview. “But it doesn’t mean you can’t be good with service.”
In multiple Air Traffic Consumer Reports released by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), Spirit Airlines had the designation of receiving the most complaints, along with being the least likely to arrive on time. However, the airline wants to be more aggressive in reducing both of those numbers, starting with their flying time.
According to the DOT, an average of 69 percent of Spirit’s flights arrived on time in 2015. Fornaro told Bloomberg the airline’s new goal is to get flyers to their destinations on schedule at least 80 percent of the time, which would bring the carrier up to the industry average. In addition, keeping flights running on schedule could reduce certain costs, including booking passengers on competing airlines when Spirit flights are canceled.
The new dedication to customer service is not limited to improving on-time percentage. The new chief executive said he is also tasking flight attendants to be friendlier in their discourse with passengers, including explaining how baggage fees and charging for soft drinks can keep flight prices low. Fornaro told Bloomberg the goal was to create stability for the airline throughout the summer and fall.
Fornaro previously served as the chief executive of AirTran Airways prior to their merger with Southwest Airlines. Prior to his announcement as CEO, former Spirit head Ben Baldanza made the airline famous for embracing their position as the “most hated” airline, along with offering sales which bordered on the salacious.
[Photo: Getty]
Spirit would have to go a long way to get to the level that they merely sucked. Would not even consider flying them.
As long as they have ridiculous fees that other airlines don't have (they go WAY BEYOND just bag fees), I don't care how much they improve their service, to me charging nuisance fees is bad service in itself, and as long as they do that, I'll consider to have bad service.
I don't even look at them due to their bag fees. Don't lure me in with cheap fares only to hit me up with insane bag fees.