Last week, we reported on how Spirit Airlines would not even refund the money of a dying veteran. After a week of criticism, Ben Baldanza, CEO of Spirit Airlines, issued a press release. He didn’t apologize for the company’s policy so much as apologize for failing to explain why being rigid and inflexible allows them to offer cheap fares.
We had assumed those low fares were made possible by what Baldanza believes is the highest average ancillary revenue per passenger in the industry, not by their failure to realize some situations are not black and white.
So, after failing to sell Jerry Meekins on its low fare propaganda rationale, Baldanza is ‘personally’ refunding his money. We hope this means he’s writing him a check from his personal account. And Spirit Airlines is making a $5000 donation to the charity of his choice.
The truth is, Spirit is right. If they made a humanitarian exception for Mr. Meekins, they’d have to do it for everyone. And how horrible that would be, for a company to act like a human being, instead of just being treated legally like one.
Related articles
Spirit Airlines to refund cancer-stricken flyer’s fare(finance.yahoo.com)
Full text: Spirit CEO’s statement on vet’s fare(travel.usatoday.com)
Spirit Airlines Backs Down, CEO Offers Vet a Refund(foxnews.com)
Spirit Decides It Doesn’t Want To Be So Reviled After All, Refunds Dying Man’s Ticket(consumerist.com)
FINALLY – Spirit Airlines boss says he’ll personally refund dying Vietnam vet his fare after thousands threatened to boycott airline: Mail(airportinformer.wordpress.com)
Spirit Airlines Knows Everyone Hates It, Really Doesn’t Care(consumerist.com)
