The End of Spirit

-

 The End of Spirit 

  


Spirit Airlines is expected to have a deal completed in the first half of 2024 with JetBlue Airways, in an attempt to compete with larger U.S. carriers with low fares. (Sampson, 2022)  Spirit has been one of the leaders of low budget flights for some time now, but after what seems to be poorly applied ethics in reference to their business decisions, this will no longer be the case. Examples range from distasteful promotions, to taking away previous liberties from their customers, all for the attention and free press.

 

I chose this article because I see it is a direct reflection on bad ethics. Bad business practices over the course of Spirit’s history seem to be their curtain call. They changed leadership in 2016 in an attempt to overcome their troubled history, and that did vastly improve their ranking as far as on-time from dead last, all the way to fourth within two years. (Sampson, 2022)  That trajectory did not last, however. They’re not the only airline to have trouble in the last few years with the pandemic, supply shortages etc., but again, a reputation marred with poorly applied ethics doesn’t help, and is hard to overcome in the long run.

 

Am I a Spirit customer? I am not. I can see the appeal as to why someone would use them, being a cheaper alternative than the premier carriers. The problem I see is that they’re one of very few options in that realm of carriers, and it appears they took advantage of the situation as long as they could. Yes, many chose Spirit for their budget friendly prices, and with that comes limitations, but it should not come at the happiness and overall experience of the customer.

 

References

Sampson, H. (2022, October 19). RIP, Spirit — America’s most hated airline. Washington

https://www.washingtonpost.com/travel/2022/08/05/spirit-airlines-jetblue-merger/

 

Grim, R. (2011, May 25). Spirit Airlines: “Check Out The Oil On Our Beaches!” (PHOTO). HuffPost. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/spirit-airlines-check-out_n_622266

 

“Weiner Sale” from Spirit Air goes viral. (2011, June 7). CNNMoney. https://money.cnn.com/2011/06/07/news/companies/weiner_spirit_air_ad/index.htm

 

ABC News. (2012, April 19). Spirit Airlines Cartagena Sale: “More Bang for Your Buck!” https://abcnews.go.com/blogs/lifestyle/2012/04/spirit-airlines-cartagena-sale-more-bang-for-your-buck?_sc_token=v2%3A0HeSkTQTVomIL5ch8s1ePABmBxpK5uZIvhRJuEWw_jVEJ6dPT9rVDA_Wv5kPVP-71t5kmMGf5OrYCMSr21xQhsVYaMMSeYrLUIIY4EmfC3CoeG7f_I0vuOKS60y8OABGDOvIsMsdyVVcynCUQOsUi9MqcEV23MDhmt0uhNBj67m9UXpP6D6nIpt5b_UZWpl7vCfJ5K0ZV1r12NJBTpjeGQ%3D%3D

  

Spirit Airlines to order up to 100 A320 neo Family aircraft –. (2019, October 25). Business Traveller. https://www.businesstraveller.com/business-travel/2019/10/25/spirit-airlines-to-order-up-to-100-a320-neo-family-aircraft/

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Human Factors Challenge

-
Image
  Team-Based Human Factors Challenges        As we read from the FAA’s website about Human Factors in Aviation Maintenance, the FAA states, “Our research combines scientific understanding of human performance with applied studies conducted with industry partners. The results are solid science, psychology, and engineering delivered in plans, procedures, and software that can be immediately implemented to improve safety.” (Human Factors in Aviation Maintenance, n.d.) The last line about the software that can be implemented to improve safety brings up the Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS) tragedies that caused two catastrophic crashes, killing 346 people, and grounding Boeing’s 737 MAX 8 in the process.        In short, the MCAS was designed and released by Boeing for the new MAX 8. Due to the larger engines on the MAX 8, the engines were installed forward and higher than the previous positions. The engine housings create more lift, especially at high pitch
Read more

Aviation Flu

-
Image
  Aviation Flu   Most of us understand how aircraft fly. Thrust, drag, lift, and weight. The engines must create enough force to move the aircraft against the opposing drag force, and enough lift must be generated to overcome the mass of the vehicle and achieve liftoff. (Neistein, M. 2022). There is however, one variable that can’t be controlled: air density. In hotter temperatures, air is less dense, making it more difficult for aircraft to takeoff.   The issue at hand is the overall climate and the temperatures becoming hotter. There have been a few instances in recent years where airliners had to alter the weight of the aircraft by decreasing the amount of passengers on certain flights. Alternate methods have been outright canceling flights in Las Vegas last year, and Phoenix in 2017 because the temperatures have been too hot. Let’s also be aware of the impact it has on the runways when temperatures basically cause
Read more