A tale of two-airlines, and two-VERY different responses to customer concerns.
Lets take Spirit Airlines first: it seems a passenger on one of their flights ran into some lengthy delays which ruined their trip. After many unsatisfactory calls to Spirit customer service reps, they sent Spirit CEO Ben Baldanza a politely worded email requesting some compensation. Did they “deserve” any? Maybe not. But they didnt deserve this, either:
The CEOs response:
we owe him nothing as far as I’m concerned. 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.
By sheer accident — it looks like he hit reply all evidently — Baldanzas inexcusably stupid response was sent back to the passenger, and is now all over the internet: Alex Rudloffs informative blog had it first, quickly followed by our friends at Gadling and Chris Elliott.
Let him tell the world how bad we are. — Uh, Ben, I think you just did that yourself.
180 Degrees
Now, heres a recent example of how Southwest Airlines does things: my wife and a colleague were traveling together on a recent flight, and they had no problems, EXCEPT her colleague left his Blackberry on the plane.
Well, the people at Southwest went to the trouble of checking the blackberry’s calendar, saw he had a lunch meeting with my wife, matched her name to the manifest, and called her to ask if she knew who owned the Blackberry. Then they mailed it to him at no cost!
Apples and oranges? Maybe. But customer service starts at the top, the attitude trickles down — treating people as numbers on a financial sheet (or worse) just doesn’t cut it in my book.
The Southwest people had to WORK to get that Blackberry returned. And they could have simply tossed it in Lost & Found (they now have at least 3 customers for life, me, my wife and her colleague).
Maybe its no surprise that the airline industry overall ranks below the IRS in customer satisfaction. And people werent all that satisfied with the IRS, which had a score of 65%. Only one airline ranked above 70%: yep, you guessed it — Southwest (who is also the only profitable one in the past 5 years — go figure)
**USA Today has done a follow-up on this story, so get caught up on the latest.
I am somewhat surprised by the CEO’s email since I have always had very good service on Spirit. I use to think it was better for service than United or American. The reason I no longer fly Spirit is that they have cut down the Chicago - For Lauderdale schedule to one flight daily at 6 AM.
Comment by David — August 22, 2007 @ 10:00 pm
DEAR RICK;
THERE ARE MILLIONS OF US MIDDLE INCOME PEOPLE WHO WILL NEVER FORGET WHEN AN AIRLINE TREATS US BADLY AND WILL PAY MORE JUST TO AVOID THEM!!! IT IS A MATTER OF PRINCIPLE.
THANKS
PAM RICH
Comment by PAM RICH — August 22, 2007 @ 10:44 pm
I think this lack of customer service will end up biting Spirit in the butt. I must say I LOVE a great deal. I find myself tickled pink when I look over receipts where I’ve saved a great deal of money. But the bottom line is I do have the money to go elsewhere if I don’t feel my patronage or my money is appreciated.
Comment by A Ennis — August 23, 2007 @ 12:36 am
This really shouldnt be surprising to any traveler that flies on any airline. The condescending attitude that travelers receive on a daily basis from airline employees is commonplace(and now management). This sounds like an opportunity for an airline forward thinking enough to give good customer service to its customers, even if it costs more money. Not all travelers are just interested in saving a few dollars. For me personally, if I can get away with driving to a destination instead of flying, then driving gets the nod…I really dont care how long it takes. I fly only if it is for business and time is a concern.
Comment by John Benningfield — August 23, 2007 @ 1:08 am
I totally agree with you, I had a former roommate who worked for Spirit Airlines in Fort Lauderdale and they really didn’t care anything about the customers. I flew Spirit ONCE - on a free ticket I got from him - and even at free, the experience was one I’ll never repeat. Sure they may have $8 flights to San Juan from Fort Lauderdale, but you get what you pay for. I prefer to fly a real airline like Continental, where when I have complaints, they actually follow through. Even if you have to go to the station manager to get some action, do it - it’s worth the time and effort.
Comment by Mauro Montoya — August 23, 2007 @ 1:22 am
Spirit seems to excel at upsetting customers and losing money. They have never figured out that if they want to charge enough money to pay the bills they need to provide customer service.
New planes aside. When flying Spirit you get what you pay for and sometimes less. If a fare cost $.01 or $9 or even $19 that is probably all it is worth.
They lost record money in the last year and had to defer aircraft deliveries from Airbus.
Not whom I would fly on.
Comment by A C Vitale — August 23, 2007 @ 4:03 am
Rick,
You are right. We should not take abuse from companies that are not happy to have our business. Unfortunately, people will not follow this rule. If a rotten company saves them $10 on their next flight guess who they’ll be flying.
Comment by tj — August 23, 2007 @ 4:28 am
The power of a lower price is considerable. However, I have just booked a flight to Seattle at a higher price than Delta or American because I consider their treatment of passengers superior. I paid a premium of about $60 and am on a one class flight with more leg room and NOT a 757. There is a limit, though, on how much more I’d be willing or able to spend. Meanwhile, the high demand and full planes allows the airlines to push us around.
Comment by Mary Fran — August 23, 2007 @ 4:29 am
I have frequently flown Spirit and Southwest, from Atlantic City and Philadelphia respectively. Spirit many years ago was wonderful. Not so any more. I recently booked a trip to Cancun on the internet. Two weeks later the price dropped dramatically - about $150 per ticket one way. They wanted to charge me $70 a ticket to change fares. Same flight, just different rate and when I asked why because it didn’t make sense, they said that was their policy. Compare that to Southwest who just credits the difference and thanks you for flying with them. I now try Southwest first because they are so accommodating and fair. This will probably be my last Spirit flight for a very long time.
Comment by Sheri — August 23, 2007 @ 4:40 am
I hope Baldanzas bonus tanks this year. A CEO worth his salt is a least supposed to pretend like he cares about his customers. I feel for any Spirit employee who actually does care about their customers. I won’t be looking up Spirit Air anytime soon.
Comment by Dan Kafton — August 23, 2007 @ 4:47 am
at least there was a reply from spirit, i wrote to the c.e.o of continental in march , , not complaining but praiseing, his staff at Newark, after my suitcase, was still in the U.K
unfortunatly i had a box of whisky , got in duty free, for a friend in san deigo, now with security, not allowed through with liguid, so was going to put it in my luggage , but couldnt, , the staff were fantastic, getting me a box, and form chips, and sealing it all up, and then sending it to my final destination, where it was waiting for me, i couldnt praise them enough, so sent a letter to the ceo, with the names of the two involved, saying what a great team, and airline, GUESS WHAT THEY NEVER ACKNOWLEGED IT, so i dont know if there kindness was rewarded
Comment by stephen jenkinson — August 23, 2007 @ 4:58 am
Southwest has always impressed me with the cheap price, on-time flights, and down-to-earth staff.
Comment by Greg — August 23, 2007 @ 5:18 am
I fly 52 weeks a year - we get what we pay for - you can’t expect A+ service at cheap prices - quality costs money - I rec’v kindness and a smile - the rest is a gift
Sandra
Comment by Sandra Rich — August 23, 2007 @ 5:28 am
I cannot comment about Spirit, but several years ago I was on a Delta flight from El Paso that took off without a working bathroom on a 1 hr 45 min flight. I promised never to fly Delta again and I have stuck to that decision. I will not reward bad service!
Comment by Brett Sorge — August 23, 2007 @ 6:21 am
Rick: While I think you are probably right, I for one strongly believe in the old-fashioned principle that the “customer is always right.” I work in a customer service industry and perhaps that’s where that mentality comes from. I think in this country we’ve gotten too involved in worshipping the almighty dollar to the point that we’ve just about abandoned any good common sense and we certainly have abandoned courtesy in many cases! Years ago, my family & I were treated horribly by American Airlines regarding an overseas trip. That careless attitude nearly cost us a much-awaited for and I should mention costly trip. Continental Airlines saved the day and got us there - at about the same price. Guess which airline I (to this day) refuse to fly, and which one I will go with, even if it costs me a little more??
Comment by Christie — August 23, 2007 @ 6:22 am
I am so glad there is a blog like this came upon this accidently. Booked a flight from Tampa to Jamaica. I must admit it was about $40.00 cheaper than the next airline. Upon arrival and check in of luggage the clerk informed me that will be $30.00. I said for what, 3 baggage check in $30.00. The clerk informed me that as of June 20, 2007 Spirit Airline is now the ala carte airline. Had my travel person told me about the baggage charge, I would have booked a better airline and not had a 5 hour layover in Ft. Lauderdale. Spirit Sucks, yes I will pay more next time.
Comment by Lonnie Albury — August 23, 2007 @ 6:23 am
Comment by Rick Seaney — August 23, 2007 @ 7:18 am
For a lot of people, customer service does factor in. When I started flying for business, I at first went with whatever was the cheapest, eventually settling with Delta due to them flying everywhere I needed to go and generally a decent treatment of customers. On the other hand, my wife and her mother had a horrible experience on an international trip with USAir many years ago (and so did I, waiting for them at the airport for hours with no information). As you said, we get it, things happen (weather, traffic, mechanical issues) but there is no need to be aloof or rude. Consequently, guess which airline is always my first choice and which airline I won’t fly even if they gave me a ticket for free? And I live close enough to Charlotte where I could drive there and have a direct flight to anywhere.
Comment by Aleks — August 23, 2007 @ 7:37 am
I have traveled for over 30 years from the US to the Orient and Europe. I have flown domestic and foreign carriers and based on my experience there are air lines I will not fly. While I have not flown on Spirit this blog has ensured I will never spend a penny with them. Mr. Baldanza should read Ken Blanchard’s book Raving Fans: A Revolutionary Approach To Customer Service and apply the concepts contained within.
Comment by Wilson — August 23, 2007 @ 7:41 am
When I get horrible treatment by any business and vow never to return to said business; I don’t. I always shop for the best price, however, I willingly pay more to avoid businesses that I’ve had a scathingly terrible experience with, like Kmart & National Airlines. And guess what? I think there are many others like me; judging from the status of Kmart and National (an airline which no longer exists).
The CEO at Spirit is reaping what he sowed in bad press, and subsequently lost revenue and employee dissatisfaction. (I would never work for such an @ss!) It is clear that he has the same attitude about “his” employees, and surely does not pay them well, hence, customer svc does not exist on their airline. The trickle-down effect is still alive.
Meanwhile, I drive as much as possible and fly Frontier when possible - it is refreshingly pleasant despite air travel nowadays!
Comment by Jill — August 23, 2007 @ 7:53 am
The complaints about Spirit Air have reach our little coastal pueblo here in Costa Rica. Lilah flew from D.C. to San Jose, Costa Rica and will never fly Spirit again. I’m not going to list the numerous things that happened to her, she chalked it up to getting what she paid for….It’s extemely stressful dealing with airports, the lines, security, customs, etc. who needs to be treated with anything less than common courteous by the carrier. Pamela
Comment by Pamela — August 23, 2007 @ 8:01 am
I stopped flying American Airlines back in 2000 because of their attitude toward customer service. I even wrote them a letter a couple of years later, telling them why I left and what it would do to get me back (I was AAdvantage Gold when I left, and at the time I wrote the second letter I was Skymiles Platinum). I could tell from their response that their attitude hadn’t changed. They didn’t say so in so many words, but their attitude was that this is the way it is, and we hope you enjoy continuing to fly Delta.
Comment by Bob — August 23, 2007 @ 8:13 am
I agree! we get what we accept.
Comment by Jack — August 23, 2007 @ 8:29 am
I suspect there are lot more of us who avoid vendors selling substandard services than the airlines would ever suspect. Besides, with the ability to compare fares on a slew of websites, we now realize that the difference in fares across airlines is often just a “penny”. I’ve never flown Spirit before but I assure you that I won’t, even if they do offer a penny’s saving.
Comment by tim — August 23, 2007 @ 8:40 am
I refuse to patonize any and all businesses that give poor service. It’s my most logical weapon. Compounded with other like minded individuals, it works.
Comment by Nancy Macias — August 23, 2007 @ 9:15 am
I gave up on Spirit a few years ago (out of Atlantic City & FLL). They were always rude and the the fares were not cheap like they used to be. I found a different airline a year ago (out of Philly) and I found service smooth & caring at the gate, and on the flight very happy & professional. No more nasty faces from flight attendants when I am coming out of the bathroom and THEIR beverage cart is in the way (That was Spirit airlines), no more nasty comments when I couldn’t get my carry-on in the overhead bin fast enough for them (Spirit again!). Oh, you are probably wondering who my new airline that I fell in love with is, after 5 flights with them???? Southwest!
Comment by Suzanne — August 23, 2007 @ 9:19 am
I feel like I get the best of both worlds when I fly Southwest - inexpensive fares and excellent customer service. I once wrote a letter of praise to Southwest for the excellent phone support I received when attempting to purchase a discounted fare online. They not only responded to me with a letter thanking me for my feedback, but also included a copy of a letter sent to the employee I praised and the president (of Southwest) wrote me a personal note as well. I love to hear Southwest “wins.”
Comment by Kelsey — August 23, 2007 @ 10:05 am
Whenever a friend or family member tells us their experience is bad with a certain company, whatever the industry… we tend to listen to their recommendation of whether to do business with that company in the future. That CEO is really out of touch if he thinks referrals (good or bad) don’t influence a persons decision to do business with a company. I, for one, will not fly Spirit based upon your shared information, so thanks for sharing! If I was to fly Spirit and find your information to be exactly as stated then I have no one to blame but myself… and why tempt a bad experience, not me!
Comment by Beth — August 23, 2007 @ 10:15 am
YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR. To pay a bargain-basmement fare and expect better than bargain basement service, defies logic. If you pay for Spirit Airlines, you should not expect Singapore Airlines. If you stay at Motel 6, you shouldn’t expect Four Seasons.
Until you walk a mile in the shoes of any hospitality worker, at any level, you can’t possibly imagine how much rolls of their backs, daily. THAT SAID, Spirit CEO, Ben Baldanza, should be terminated by the Spirit Board of Directors. Spirit can’t afford financial fallout. Termination would allow Spirit to “save face” from a public relations perspective and give Mr. Baldanza the break he needs. If Mr. Baldanza is a great manager (giving him the benefit of the doubt), I’m guessing he generally feels like he’s got a gun to his head or he simply had a bad day. However, as CEO, a bad day doesn’t count and errors like this are simply inexcusable.
Comment by Casey — August 23, 2007 @ 10:59 am
This attitude by Southwest to reunite a passenger with their belongings is so consistent with what I’ve experience with that airline. Our experience with them is that they load on time, take off on time, treat you well, allow you all kinds of changes to your flights without gouging you a penny, and respond to your letters and phone inquiries politely. They freely give advice on how to use the website to save $$, how to book a special and turn in tickets you already had for those flights that were more expensive, and it’s a pleasure that they also entertain you on the flight if you’re lucky enough to get a comedian or a singer. Go Southwest!!!!! I would avoid any company that has the arrogance of Spirit’s CEO. The $$$ matters, but the attitude speaks volumes about the integrity of th company.
Comment by Barbara — August 23, 2007 @ 11:10 am
Airlines do not seem to figure out that if they want to turn a profit they need to provide good customer service not just cheap prices. Spirit seems lately to have exceled at upsetting customers and not paying their bills. They are not the only ones however. I have had a few experiences on different airlines over the years and I now avoid them unless it is absolutely necessary.
Comment by Ian Thompson — August 23, 2007 @ 11:32 am
the SW flight attendants have several times gone above and beyond. One actually went through the overhead bins and handed jackets, purses and small backpacks back to passengers so that myself and 2 other passengers who were last to board did not have to check our luggage (mine contained breakable items). I, too, have received prompt letters and phone calls from Southwest representatives. I would rather pay an extra $25-30 to fly Southwest than save and be treated poorly on another airline.
Comment by Kimberly — August 23, 2007 @ 1:15 pm
Count me in to get rid of the bums.
With an answer like that, you can be sure that’ll never touch THAT thing called airline company.
Comment by Alberto Lobato — August 23, 2007 @ 2:23 pm
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Pingback by The Ben Baldanza Bonanza — August 23, 2007 @ 5:44 pm
Hi Rick,
I agree with you, most people will accept sub-standard service to save a few bucks. I no longer accept being treated like a second class citizen. It’s just not worth the headache!
Just another side story to add to your collection of Southwest customer service stories:
About a year ago my mother’s brother passed away. Needless to say, she was extremely upset and stepped out for a breath of fresh air. Unfortunately, she was not watching where she was stepping and fell face down on the sidewalk. Her face and nose were bleeding and badly bruised. A gentlemen wearing a Southwest jacket (she assumed he was an employee) stopped and assisted her. He called for a taxi and even accompanied her back to her hotel to be sure she got there safely. My mom tried to get his name and number so that she could reimburse him for the taxi fare and his kindess but he refused. Every since that act of kindess, I have tried to fly on Southwest whenever I can.
Comment by Susan — August 23, 2007 @ 11:15 pm
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Pingback by MSN Article - Spirit CEO's slip-up - Jetgirls.net — August 24, 2007 @ 7:03 pm
I was thrilled to see your comments about Spirit Airlines. I had a TERRIBLE experience with them this past spring when my husband and i tried to fly to Florida for an unexpected funeral. We arrived :45 before our flight with no luggage, and they would not let me even check in even though we had already purchased tickets. And on top of that they were rude at the counter, and when I called corporate, they offered me nothing except empty words about how i could write, but nothing would happen. That yes, I was correct in understanding that I had just given them several hundred dollars and I had absolutely no recourse - no make good, no credit for a future trip, nothing. Their treatment of me under those circumstances was more than reprehensible in my book. I tell everyone that i can about my experience. I’d walk rather than ever (attempt to) fly with them again.
Comment by marisu wehrenberg — August 24, 2007 @ 8:03 pm
Rick,
I need a new e mail address for Al Vitale, can’t seem to reach him.
Thanks,
Ren Crete
Comment by Ren Crete — August 24, 2007 @ 9:04 pm
[…] was a lot of big news in the travel world this week. Northwest offered a fare sale, the CEO of Spirit Airlines put his e-foot in his mouth, and my personal battle with US Airways raged into its third week. This […]
Pingback by Rick Seaney » On-Time Departures (24-August): NY, Okinawa, and the Space-Time Continuum — August 24, 2007 @ 11:03 pm
I have to say of late, I have been getting crappy customer service in EVERY retail place I have been to. Airlines are no different. I have had the WORST experiences in customer service with Southwest Airlines. I will NEVER fly them! I dont’ care if the plane ticket is $2; They will NEVER get my business again. I live across the street from Love Field Airport and I will go American from Love Field or I will drive to DFW, just to avoid Southwest. I have decided to not spend my hard earned money any place that gives me terrible customer service. As far as airlines go, I have found that American Airlines is pretty high on my list for good customer service. I am going to pay the extra money in order to have a good customer service experience. That old saying, “You get what you pay for.” is true. So if it means paying extra for an airline ticket and I get good service, then that is what I will do.
Comment by Kimberly — August 25, 2007 @ 9:07 am
While I have never flown with Spirit, I’m generally of the “try anything once” attitude. After this, I won’t even give Spirit a first chance! I will also try cheaper services at least once, just to check out the customer service, etc. Not always, but usually, you really do get what you pay for, as seems the case with Spirit; you pay less, you get less. What B.S.
Comment by Deb — August 25, 2007 @ 7:18 pm
My family had a flight on Spirit on Sep.2 Ft. Lauderdale-Detroit. Upon arriving at airport told it was cancelled, with no explanation given. We were rebooked at 4pm United throught Chicago, problem was United would not accept Spirits reservation. Ended up staying overnight with hotel and meals paid by Spirit. Only because my wife would not let supervisor out of her sight and followed him around. Service none at all. Will not fly them ever again. Will use Southwest or Jet Blue
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Comment by Betty — November 22, 2007 @ 8:19 am
Three months ago, I called to inquire about cancelling a non-refundable flight. The agent told me that if I were unable to make the flight, i would be granted a voucher. Now, 3 months later, I went onto their web site to book 4 flights from la to ny for a total cost of over $2,000 but there was no $200 voucher for me. After talking to “the hightest supervisor at the company”, he informed me that Spirit would not grant a voucher for $200 to me “no matter what!” and told me to READ the terms and conditions sent to me when booking the reservation. Appears that I didn’t “officially” CANCEL my flight when i called. He also said that the company’s policy is not to give out the Corporate Headquarters phone number!! So, they will lose this business plus all future business from me for $200. And I will let everyone I know about this!
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