Air travelers say you really should avoid flying with Spirit Airlines

Americans aren’t feeling the Spirit in the sky.

In an anonymous survey taken on May 1, travel resource site, the Vacationer, asked over 1,000 Americans which of the 10 major US-based carriers that they avoid flying.

Spirit Airlines had the dubious distinction of finishing on top with 21%.

Allegiant Air finished second with 16.36% and American Airlines rounded out the top three with 14.40%. Frontier Airlines then followed closely with 14.30%.

“Lack of communication and poor customer service are two major reasons why people will not fly an airline again,” the Vacationer’s Eric Jones told USA Today.

It hasn’t been a good year for Spirit Airlines’ consumer feedback. They were voted lowest in passenger satisfaction in the 2023 American Customer Satisfaction Index, which collected data from April 2022 to March 2023.

The budget airline was awarded a score of 64 of 100, which was dead last out of 11 domestic airlines.

Surprisingly, Southwest fared well in comparison.

They came in at No. 8 with 10.28%, despite their December debacle when they canceled more than 2,500 flights, stranding thousands of passengers during the holiday season.

“Southwest Airlines has quickly recovered from its holiday meltdown last year. While the airline reported a first-quarter loss, its March bookings were up from last year,” said Jones.

He said he attributed their fast rebound to the airline allowing two free checked bags, no change fees for some tickets and its relative affordability compared to other airlines.163

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According to the site, Spirit was also the most avoided airline for every single age group. 

The list below is the airlines from most avoided to least avoided, and the percentages reflect how many times travelers chose that specific carrier or didn’t choose them.

1. Spirit Airlines – 21.06%
2. Allegiant Air – 16.36%
3. American Airlines – 14.40%
4. Frontier Airlines – 14.30%
5. Delta Air Lines – 12.63%
6. JetBlue – 12.63%
7. Alaska Airlines – 10.68%
8. Southwest Airlines – 10.28%
9. United Airlines – 7.64%
10. Hawaiian Airlines – 5.48%

Nearly half of the respondents said they don’t avoid specific carriers but were more concerned with flight cost, dates and time.