Spirit Airlines & the Difference Between Service and *Customer* Service

Customers are generally wrong to criticize Spirit Airlines.

Yes, you read that correctly. Brian Cantor, the guy who seemingly makes a living ranting about poor customer service experiences, the guy who confronts businesses who do not truly put the customer first and the guy who even found fault in the Zappos customer experience is now the guy saying customers are wrong for aggressively burying the Spirit Airlines experience.

They are wrong when they call Spirit a "scam" or "rip-off." They are wrong when they say Spirit does not care about the customer.

Note that I am not necessarily applauding Spirit’s level of customer-centricity. I am not, in any way, calling it a perfect illustration of how to build an airline for the people.

Instead, my intent is to highlight the important, often overlooked distinction between service and customer service.

What is Offered

Rooted in raw emotion rather than logic, words like "scam" and "rip-off" are consistently misappropriated. Something that does not unfold in direct accordance with an individual’s wildest desires is not inherently a scam.

Whether one works in the front portion of his office or enjoys reading online "rip-off" reports, he has likely come across allegations that outsourced sales organizations, which typically fall under the "multi-level marketing" classification, are "scams."

The evidence? Managers get rich, while entry level employees barely earn a livable wage (and are paid entirely in commission). The business does not reimburse all expenses associated with the door-to-door sales process (including wear-and-tear on the car). The days are long, and representatives are expected to work hard—and hit target—regardless of the weather or apparent viability of their "territory." Management inspires a "cult-like" mentality by expecting employees to meet early for breakfast and stay after work for team-building functions.

While those complaints are all valid enough, they are reasons why the job is unfortunate. They are reasons why someone who cannot find the dignity in door-to-door sales, who cannot commit personal time to professional team building and who cannot live purely on commission should not take the job (and note that because part of the interview process involves shadowing an existing account representative, prospective employees know what their daily experience would entail).

They are not, however, reasons why the job sector is a scam. The sector makes the unglamorous nature of is world very clear. It is not a world for everyone, but that does not mean it is one deliberately misleading about its reality.

Spirit Airlines suffers from the same misguided perception. The airline is not rich with services and amenities. The seats are uncomfortable. The leg room is lacking. There are no televisions, built-in satellite radios, Wi-Fi connections or other entertainment offerings on board. There are no snacks or drinks provided. Features standard to other airlines, including the abilities to carry on bags and print your boarding pass at any time in the process, are considered premium on Spirit.

These are all reasons why the high-maintenance traveler should not fly Spirit. These are all reasons why someone unwilling to read the terms and conditions to assure he will not be hit with excessive fees ($100 to gate-check a bag!) should not fly Spirit. These are all reasons why someone who opts not to buy a $4 water bottle from Hudson News prior to boarding should not fly Spirit. These are all reasons why someone who needs Wi-Fi or cable should not fly Spirit.

They are not, however, evidence of a scam. Spirit is very clear about what it does and does not offer. It is very clear about the type of traveler it is targeting.

If one is willing to settle for a bare bones flight experience, Spirit is willing to give him access to very attractive prices. It is not trying to be JetBlue, Virgin or Southwest. It is trying to be Kia rather than Rolls Royce, K-Mart rather than Barney’s. It cannot satisfy travelers expecting luxury, and it is abundantly honest about that limitation.

How it is Offered

When creating an experience for its customers, Spirit’s goal is to make good on what it is promising and what its target customer profile demands. When it does that in a satisfactory way—with no intermediate hassle—it is delivering good customer service.

Just as Wal-Mart’s dearth of luxury selections is not proof that it is bad at customer service or as the Ritz-Carlton is not bad at customer service by not providing access to $39/night rooms, Spirit Airlines is not failing by virtue of its decision not to offer every amenity provided by other airlines. It is not failing because its ticket price, which is more attractive than that offered by competitors, grants one access to a smaller suite of features than that typically encountered.

As someone who not only hates carrying on bags but resents many of those who do—since they hold up the boarding process by scrambling to get their oversized bags into the small compartments—I appreciate an airline that knocks the built-in "carry-on fee" off my bill. As someone who, despite being bigger than the average traveler, hates the passive-aggressive game of seat reclining, I appreciate an airline that knocks the built-in "comfortable seat fee" off my bill. As someone who buys his own water anyway to avoid the interruption of getting his 4-oz water cup from the flight attendant, I appreciate an airline that knocks the built-in "drink fee" off my bill.

I fit into the Spirit Airlines profile I am the kind of traveler Spirit wants to serve, and Spirit’s promised amenities are the kind for which I want to pay. If it delivers those amenities, and does so with warmth, flexibility and attention to my specific, minor quirks within that broader customer profile, it is succeeding at customer service.

If it is trying to appease customers who do not care about complimentary carry-ons by billing that cost separately, it is not creating a customer service nightmare when it attempts to charge a customer for one. That is not disregard for the customer; it is regard for its core customer base.

When Service and Customer Service Do Not Align

Spirit does not, however, always make good on its promises. When it fails in such a manner, it, then, is guilty of poor customer service.

In exchange for a lower bill, Spirit customers are agreeing to accept fewer amenities and standard features. They are not, however, agreeing to endure unfriendly service, unexpected issues or fees or an otherwise unpleasant experience.

They are less to receive less services, but they are not agreeing to accept inherently weaker customer service. Spirit agents should be just as committed to fulfilling their brand’s promise as agents, attendants and representatives from any airline.

Last week’s trip to Chicago, which marked my first direct encounter with Spirit, provided a front row seat to poor customer service.

Aware that pre-emptively checking in and paying for my checked bag enabled me to use "fast bag drop," I asked the agent near the counter where I should go to deposit my bag. After initially greeting me with a state of bewilderment, he then pointed me to what looked like the regular check-in line. If that regular line is the "fast bag drop," why confuse customers by acting as if it is something different?

Later, as I walked through the gate to board the plane, I encountered a cold, lifeless ticket clerk. Whereas most in the role smile and wish passengers the best in their travels, this one was content to simply look down and rip tickets. It was not a game-changing failure, but it did speak negatively about Spirit’s customer service culture.

The flight attendants were even worse. Rude would be the most flattering, apologetic way to describe the way they taunted customers who took an extra second to sit down, struggled to calm their quite kids or kept their phones on for a split second after being told to power down. These agents did not want to be on the flight, and if the people getting paid to be there cannot feign excitement, how could I, the person paying their salary, organically get excited?

Thankfully, the return trip to New York was completely different. The ticket clerk was spunky and upbeat. The attendants were overflowing with charm. Their collective positive demeanor made that flight, which was delayed by nearly two hours (and landed long after it was supposed to, even given the delay), far more enjoyable. Based on that experience, I would totally fly Spirit Airlines again.

There are elements of the Spirit Airlines service that need work. Given the customer’s willingness to forego in-flight entertainment and complimentary beverage options, one would not be wrong to think he might prefer sleeping from takeoff to landing while listening to music on his phone or MP3 player. Spirit, therefore, should have been one of the first airlines to embrace the new FAA policy permitting electronics throughout the flight. Unless my flights were anomalies, it still aggressively (and illogically at this point) requires customers to power down.

Similarly, given the fact that Spirit customers bet that they will check in early at the risk of paying a fee to print their boarding passes (or higher fees for their checked bags), that Spirit does not allow such Internet-savvy customers to use a mobile boarding pass is egregious. That, unlike the various bag and beverage fees which feel like fair trade-offs, seems like a more overt attempt to capitalize on customers’ mistakes and unpreparedness.

But at the end of the day, that Spirit is a barebones airline is not a crime or a signal of poor customer service. How it operates within that barebones framework is the only fair measure for assessing its customer service.