Spirit Complaint
Submitted by: Anonymous | Post a complaint | Back to Complaints Forum
On July 1 my flight from Panama City to Orlando was canceled. I found out as I was leaving for the airport and also that I had been rebooked for a flight the next day which was great. I was also told I had to go all the way out to the airport to be given a hotel voucher which was inconvenient but understandable. I ended up having to stand in line for several hours just to get a hotel voucher. When we finally arrived at the hotel we were given 7.00 vouchers for a meal. This obviously doesn’t cover a meal at a hotel. We were then told that if we wanted transportation to the airport we had to be in the lobby at 8:30am for our 1:15pm flight which seemed like a waste of time as that would mean being at the airport 5 hours early. Sure enough we all went down at 8:30 and Spirit didn’t send buses. Finally at 10:00am the hotel called spirit and got no answer or response from your offices. Eventually buses arrived and we got to the airport in time to wait in the Spirit line for another hour to get boarding passes.
Amazingly a plane arrived to take us home. We got boarded and were taxing when the pilot turned the plane around and said there was a mechanical issue that needed to be fixed. We ended up sitting on the tarmac with the doors open for 2 hours with no information on when we would be leaving or if we would be leaving. Eventually the pilot who was very kind came out and gave us as much info as he could. We were told if we left the plane we wouldn’t be allowed to re-enter. By this time I started to have a panic attack as I suffer from PTSD from living in Afghanistan and flying can be one of my triggers. I called Spirit in tears to see if my ticket could be endorsed on another airline and he said I had to go talk to a gate agent. I went to the pilot and flight attendants and said I needed to get off the plane as I was scared and panicky. They convinced me to stay on the flight and we completed the flight.
I was thankful that we made it but felt that compensation was deserved. Your response has been atrocious. You keep offering me vouchers that don’t cover the cost of anything but basic fare which sometimes can be as low as $1.86. They don’t cover bags, seats, or anything else useful. They expire after 60 days making them worth even less. Every other airline offers vouchers that actually cover the cost of a ticket and give you at the very least months to use them. I feel very undervalued as a customer and am having lasting issues from the whole ordeal.
What would you like the company to do to fix the problem? (optional)
I would like the company to refund the cost of my return ticket, offer miles, or vouchers that cover the entire cost of the flight.
At this point I feel like seeking damages could also be appropriate as the experience triggered a panic attack and I have had to spend many hours trying to find someone to speak with at the airlines.