news about cheap fares and airlines from travel search engine Trabber

With little less than three weeks left before the busy Thanksgiving weekend, Spirit Airlines has just released some harsh news that will leave many of its customers rethinking their packing choices.

Starting today, the budget airline will charge up to $100 for each piece of carry-on luggage brought on board a flight.

According to Spirit, the ”Bring Less, Pay Less” campaign is expected to help not only the airline, but its customers by cutting down on waiting times and saving millions of gallons of fuel.

Spirit Airlines refuses to refund tickets for a man who learned that he has terminal cancer and can’t fly on a plane after he purchased the trip.

Jerry Meekins, 76, of St. Petersburg, Florida asked the airline for his money back after doctors told him that he only had months to live from esophageal cancer he is battling.

But Spirit officials say that they won’t return the funds because the company has a non-refundable policy and it wouldn’t be right to adjust the rules for one person.

source: dailymail.co.uk

Spirit Airlines has announced the cancellation of even more flights through Thursday due to the strike by pilots, which started on Saturday. To help passengers with the cancellations, the carrier says that they will be given flight credits for the full cost of their tickets, as well as an extra $100 credit to use on future flights. However, customers can also choose to get a full refund.

On Saturday morning, hundreds of pilots began industrial action after talks over pay failed with Spirit Airlines. The two sides tried to reach an agreement through the night, but were unable to come to a resolution.

source: mns.co.uk

The U.S. Treasury Department has fined Florida’s Spirit Airlines $100,000 for paying Cuba for permission to use the country’s airspace.

Spirit Airlines said violations of the embargo law against Cuba were “‘unintentional’,” and agreed to pay the fine. In 2007, the Treasury Department ordered a total of $803,229 in fines for violating the U.S. embargo of Cuba.

source: UPI

The Miramar, Fla.-based airline will begin offering one daily flight on April 14 and a second daily flight on May 1.

“‘This is terrific news for San Antonians,'” San Antonio Aviation Director Mark Webb says. “‘Spirit is not only connecting two vibrant cities with non-stop service, but they’re also bringing to the market an ultra-low cost business model that I think San Antonians are going to find very appealing’.”

Airport officials are hopeful that these two flights will form the basis of a larger partnership between the airport and the airline in the future.

source: San Antonio Business Journal

Ultra low cost carrier Spirit Airlines is launching new daily non-stop service from Orlando to Aguadilla, Puerto Rico. Located on the northwestern tip of Puerto Rico, overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, Aguadilla is known for its beaches, crystal clear waters, and excellent surfing. This new service compliments Spirit‘s existing connecting service from Orlando and non-stop service from Fort Lauderdale to Aguadilla.

source: PR-USA.net

To offer fares as low as $1 on some flights, Spirit must fiercely control costs, which can lead to understaffing. Tight cost control helped Spirit turn a profit from operations of $22 million in the first half of 2007, following three straight years of losses. However, Spirit’s strategy appears to wager that consumers dazzled by ultra-low fares will overlook reports by passengers unhappy with its service.

source: CRM Buyer

Spirit Airlines is No. 6 in the nation for the number of passenger complaints about service in August, as total complaints nearly doubled, transportation officials said.

The 88 complaints lodged against the Miramar-based low-cost airline were primarily related to refunds, baggage issues and flight problems. Spirit made up 6.5 percent of the total complaints, the Air Travel Consumer Report showed.

The rate of on-time flights at the nation’s 20 largest airlines was 71.7 percent in August, down from 75.8 in August 2006, the report showed.

source: South Florida Business Journal

US low-cost carrier Spirit Airlines is in talks with Aires that could lead to a purchase of the Colombian airline. Colombia’s recent award to Aires of daily flights from Bogota to Fort Lauderdale prompted the talks. Fort Lauderdale is also Spirit’s gateway to Latin America.

The two carriers are discussing having Spirit providing ground handling services for Aires at Fort Lauderdale, codesharing on the Colombian route, and Spirit buying part or all of Aires. Spirit is also reportedly interested in buying Aeroasis, a Colombian start-up that is authorised but has not yet launched services.

source: Flight Global

The Miramar-based airline is cutting fares from 10 percent to 40 percent on domestic and international flights, and on last-minute fares as well, the company said in a news release.

The airline also is offering 1 cent fares, plus fees and taxes, to and from select cities in March, April and May. Customers have until Wednesday to book the penny flights.

source: wxyz.com