Posted on 05/03/2012 1:42:07 PM PDT by servo1969
The boss of Spirit Airlines isn't about to cave in to a dying former Marine, and he doesn't lose sleep knowing his company leads the industry when it comes to customer complaints, he told FoxNews.com.
“That’s an irrelevant statistic,” Spirit CEO Ben Baldanza said when told his airline generates gripes at two-and-a-half times the rate of the next most complained about carrier.
Spirit racked up 8.27 complaints per 100,000 passengers in January, while United finished a distant second-worst, registering 3.5 complaints per 100,000 fliers, according to U.S. Department of Transportation statistics. By comparison, Southwest notched just 0.2 complaints per 100,000 fliers.
Spirit is generating complaints at a much faster clip on Facebook, where a "Boycott Spirit Airlines" page has seen its number of "likes" soar to more than 21,000 from about 700 since the carrier denied a $197 refund to Jerry Meekins. The 76-year-old Vietnam veteran and former Marine tried to get his $197 back after learning his esophageal cancer is terminal and being told by his doctor not to fly from Florida to Atlantic City. Airline officials told him to forget it, and Baldanza reaffirmed the company's hardline in an exclusive FoxNews.com interview.
“A lot of our customers buy that insurance and what Mr. Meekins asked us to do was essentially give him the benefit of that insurance when he didn’t purchase the insurance,” Baldanza said. “Had we done that, I think it really would’ve been cheating all the people who actually bought the insurance … and I think that’s fundamentally unfair.”
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
The Board of Directors should have this guy arrested for felony stupidity.
Baldanza is likely to be looking for a new job rather soon.
Dude, you have some kinda balls to continue down a path that an Epic Loser for you, the employees and stock holders.
Career dissipation light blinking faster.....
Dude, you have some kinda balls to continue down a path that an Epic Loser for you, the employees and stock holders.
Career dissipation light blinking faster.....
I am confused
you got the flight cancelled but no refund or transfer
so what did you actually get?
Meekins, meanwhile, told FoxNews.com he has been inundated with phone calls from veterans across the country and has received numerous offers of cash, including a $197 handshake from “Fox & Friends” host Steve Doocy on Wednesday — which Meekins said he would donate to the Wounded Warrior Project for injured veterans.
“It’s been tremendous, my phone hasn’t stopped ringing,” Meekins told FoxNews.com following the appearance.
FoxNews.com readers overwhelmingly believe Baldanza got it wrong: In a “You Decide” poll with more than 100,000 responses, 8 out of 10 readers said Spirit should have refunded Meekins’ fare. But according to emails supplied by the company, some customers backed its decision.
You can sure buy a lot of bad publicity for your company for a miserly $197.00.
I'll walk before I ever set foot on one of their aircraft.
Gotta wonder where this airline’s political donations go...
Given that airlines are hurting thanks to, among other things, the public’s reluctance to be groped by TSA agents, I would think that airlines would want to create some goodwill by issuing the
refund. Spirit must be really making money if it can afford to lose customers over this issue. (I doubt it)
You said it.
Baldanza....Sounds like something George Costanzas Gym teacher might call him.
According to an above comment from the story they were even trying to just get the name on the ticket changed and apparently they would not even do that. CEO wouldn’t have had to refund them any money at all.
This little CEO twerp probably got beat up on the playground when he was a little kid.
It’s amazing that someone so effin’ clueless can be the head of a corporation.
It’s a very unusual business plan, but one I shall watch with interest. The guy’s a dope in my mind but he’s right that people will put up with a lot to save a buck or two. So far, given Spirit’s incredible growth, he’s been proven right.
A change to travel arrangements usually costs. $150 is my experience.
Most do, but it is worth noting that Southwest will change their regular tickets at no charge, or give a refund. And if you change to a flight that ends up cheaper, they’ll refund you the difference. Even with their more restrictive discount fare, they will give you full credit for a change (no refund though).
I’ve never flown with them, and definitely don’t ever plan to fly MeanSpirited Airlines.
It is a HUGE PR fiasco.
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