For years, Spirit Airlines soared with a low-cost, no-frills business model. This week, it came in for a bumpy landing. WSJ's Alison Sider explains how the big airlines learned to compete with Spirit––and helped put the carrier in bankruptcy. Further Listening: -The Love Triangle Over Spirit Airlines -Frontier, Spirit and the Future of Low-Cost Airlines Further Reading: -How Spirit Airlines Went From Industry Maverick to Chapter 11 Bankruptcy -Discount Airline Spirit Files for Bankruptcy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Our colleague Allison Sider has covered airlines for six years. And in that time, she's heard a lot of impassioned takes about people's favorite and least favorite airlines. But there's one carrier that seems to inspire especially strong feelings.
I think probably Spirit Airlines is the one that people generally have the strongest opinions about.
Spirit, the low-cost, no-frills airline. Okay, so what do spirit lovers love about spirit?
People who love spirit and maybe love is a strong word, but people who tolerate spirit, you know, it's just the fares are cheap and that is really meaningful. I mean, that allows people to travel, take trips that they ordinarily wouldn't be able to, you know, spoken to people who are in a long distance relationship.
And, you know, if you're visiting someone once a month, it makes a huge difference to pay a hundred dollars or less for a round trip ticket. And you're willing to put up with a lot to make that happen.
People hate on Spirit Airlines way too much. I fly them all the time and it's a fine experience. I fly them so much I got their credit card.
And what do the haters say? It just isn't the most luxurious or the most comfortable airline.
I just needed to come on here to share with you all how much I hate Spirit Airlines. And it's like, I know. I know I did this to myself. I'm a cheap b****. I chose to fly Spirit. I know that, like, this is the kind of flight where I only get to bring, like, a small purse. But I'm still angry.
Love it or hate it, though, there's one thing you can't deny about Spirit. It changed air travel in America.
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