Spirit Airlines...Passenger Usage Fee? WTF?

Having recently booked a flight on Spirit Airlines (New York to Fort Lauderdale), I received an e-mail asking me to complete the following Customer Satisfaction survey.

Spririt Survey question:
How likely is it that you would recommend Spirit Airlines to a friend or colleague?

(0 = I am not likely to recommend Spirit Airlines; 10 = I am very likely to recommend Spirit Airlines).

My answer…a big fat ZERO!   Why?

• VERY VERY deceptive pricing policy!   The price on Spirit.com was listed at $318 per person!
• Passenger Usage Fee?   What the heck is this and how come you don’t learn about this fee until AFTER you book the reservation!
• $10 for getting the boarding pass at the airport?
• $15 for seat selection?
• Absolutely no leg room!   I guess that’s why the seats don’t recline.
• You want water on the flight?   That’ll be $3.00 please!
• Try to (easily) find a telephone # on your site.   Oh…go to the help screen and enter the word “telephone” on the search line.   What’s so hard about that!

Above via the Huffington Post.

I just scheduled a hypothetical flight form NYC to Fort Lauderdale on KAYAK.com.   Departing April 21st, returning April 28th.   Spirit was $258.   On Spirit.com it was listed at a TOTAL of $227?   Perhaps KAYAK included the infamous “passenger usage fee” and Spirit.com didn’t?   So you add seat assignment ($15 each way) and baggage fees ($30 each way) and you’re now at $348 roundtrip!   What’s next…restroom usage fee?

The TOTAL at JetBlue was $299!!!   No baggage fee!   No seat assignment fee!   More legroom…and a private TV screen.   FREE sodas/water and FREE snacks!

I will never fly Spirit again!   Never!   Ever!