HISTORY
The company initially started as Clippert Trucking Company in 1964.The company changed its name to Ground Air Transfer, Inc., in 1974. The airline service was founded in 1983 in Macomb County, Michigan, by Ned Homfeld as Charter One, a Detroit-based charter tour operator providing travel packages to entertainment destinations such as Atlantic City, Las Vegas, and the Bahamas.In 1990, Charter One began scheduled service from Boston and Providence, Rhode Island, to Atlantic City. On May 29, 1992, Charter One brought jet aircraft into the fleet and changed its name to Spirit Airlines. Scheduled flights between Detroit and Atlantic City began on June 1, 1992.Scheduled flights between Boston and Providence began on June 15, 1992.
TRANSITION TO ULTRA LOW COST CARRIER
Spirit began a transition to an ultra low-cost carrier, following a fare model that decoupled amenities that are often included in the base ticket price of traditional carriers. Passengers who wanted to customize their itinerary or flight experience paid an add-on fee for each additional feature, which enabled the carrier to earn ancillary revenue in excess of 40% of total revenue. These included having an agent print a boarding pass at check-in versus doing it online or at a kiosk, for any large carry-on or checked bags, progressive fees for overweight bags, selected seat assignments, travel insurance, and more. In April 2010, Spirit Airlines became the first U.S. airline to charge passengers for carry-on bags.They were later followed by Allegiant Air and Frontier Airlines.
SERVICE EXPANSION
In January 2017, Spirit announced a major expansion into Pittsburgh, which became the 61st city in the carrier’s network. Spirit’s first Pittsburgh flights launched May 25, when it began daily service to both Dallas/Fort Worth and Myrtle Beach, S.C. The carrier added seven more routes – to Fort Lauderdale, Houston Bush Intercontinental, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Tampa, Ft. Myers and Orlando – by July 13. Spirit began flying from Hartford with two routes to Florida and one to Myrtle Beach. Spirit’s first flights from Hartford began April 27 when it launched daily flights to Orlando and four-times-a-week service to Myrtle Beach. Daily service to Fort Lauderdale started June 15. The Florida routes were intended to operate year-round; the South Carolina service to be seasonal.
On November 10, 2016, Spirit announced new service to begin in Akron, Ohio via the Akron–Canton Airport creating six new routes, their flights launched November 10, when it began daily service to Fort Lauderdale, Orlando, Tampa, and Fort Myers. Along with seasonal routes to Tampa, Las Vegas, and Myrtle Beach starting on April 27, 2017.
DESTINATIONS
Spirit currently flies to 76 destinations throughout Central America, the Caribbean, South America, and the United States. As of April 2018, It maintains crew bases at Atlantic City, Chicago–O’Hare, Dallas/Fort Worth, Detroit, Fort Lauderdale, Las Vegas, and Orlando.
CONTROVERSIES AND LAWSUIT
Spirit Airlines has been the target of a number of controversial class action lawsuits and punitive actions by the US Department of Transportation. Most of the claims against the company are for allegations of deceptive advertising practices, customer service, and the airline’s policies for charging additional fees at the time of purchase. In 2013 and again in 2015 the Department of Transportation received more passenger complaints about Spirit than any other airline; the rate of complaints was “dramatically higher” than the overall rate for the industry.
In 2011, the US DOT fined Spirit $43,900 for alleged deceptive advertising practices. The complaint claims that the airline had been running an advertising campaign which promoted specific discounted fares on billboards, posters, and Twitter, but did not disclose full details regarding extra fees added onto the advertised rates.
In January 2012, the US DOT fined Spirit $100,000 for mishandling of complaints related to its treatment of customers with disabilities.
Travel Diaries 