Spirit Airlines Gate Agent Takes Revenge, Stealing From Carry On, Throwing Away Medicine [Roundup]

by Gary Leff

News and notes from around the interweb:

  • The most Spirit Airlines thing ever. Video shows a contract agent for Spirit Airlines finding a passenger’s carry on bag, prior to departure, and taking it away… dumping the passenger’s prescriptions. And it looks like revenge for a spat at the check-in desk.

    The worker was seen “pocketing some of the contents” of the bag, and “co-workers participate in this” laughing and commemorating it on video.

    The amazing thing is that the passenger was able to obtain airport security footage. Airlines have access to this all the time but passengers almost never do. And remember that there are cameras everywhere.

  • This wasn’t on the aircraft, hence fantastic.

  • I don’t buy that there was a fifth plane intended to be hijacked on 9/11, raided by the FBI where boxcutters were found, that has been hidden for two decades, going unmentioned in the 9/11 Commission Report.

  • Is it ok for hotel employees to frequent a property’s bar? No, I don’t think they should drink to excess, doing shots in uniform. But drinking off property? Sure.

  • Just like Brexit, a claim that the 1980 ‘October Surprise’ was hatched in an airport (NYT). Only passed along because it’s interesting to think of the things that have happened in the lounges you’re visiting.

    However I find this claim a stretch, an 85-year old Democrat says he crisscrossed the Mideast telling leaders to tell Iran if they didn’t release hostages until after the 1980 election Reagan would give them a better a deal doesn’t mean the message ever got to the Iranians, or that they acted on the advice (or that the Reagan campaign even tacitly participated, if such a message were delivered)

    Mr. Barnes recalled joining Mr. Connally in early September to sit down with Mr. Casey to report on their trip during a three-hour meeting in the American Airlines lounge at what was then called the Dallas/Fort Worth Regional Airport. An entry in Mr. Connally’s calendar found this past week showed that he traveled to Dallas on Sept. 10.

  • Seemingly trivial, this is why daily bottled water is a written elite benefit in the Hyatt program.

About Gary Leff

Gary Leff is one of the foremost experts in the field of miles, points, and frequent business travel - a topic he has covered since 2002. Co-founder of frequent flyer community InsideFlyer.com, emcee of the Freddie Awards, and named one of the "World's Top Travel Experts" by Conde' Nast Traveler (2010-Present) Gary has been a guest on most major news media, profiled in several top print publications, and published broadly on the topic of consumer loyalty. More About Gary »

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Comments

  1. To be fair here, the article about the hotel guest complaining about the hotel employee drinking refers to the fact that the front-desk clerk went to the “local campus bar” — not that they were actually drinking at the *hotel* bar. This makes all the difference in the world in terms of whether such behavior would be considered appropriate (it was fine IMHO).

  3. Gary,

    I think you missed the psrt where it said FORMER DEMOCRAT and COMITTED TO ELECT REAGAN

    From the article:

    Mr. Carter’s best chance for victory was to free the 52 Americans held captive before Election Day. That was something that Mr. Barnes said his mentor was determined to prevent.

    His mentor was John B. Connally Jr., a titan of American politics and former Texas governor who had served three presidents and just lost his own bid for the White House. A former Democrat, Mr. Connally had sought the Republican nomination in 1980 only to be swamped by former Gov. Ronald Reagan of California. Now Mr. Connally resolved to help Mr. Reagan beat Mr. Carter and in the process, Mr. Barnes said, make his own case for becoming secretary of state or defense in a new administration.

  6. Please don’t insult Jed Clampett like that he’s an honest man
    These spirit front lines would rifle through your wallet if you fainted or died

  8. @Zebraitis – I’m well aware of the history of John Connally in Texas, but the story in the piece is about Ben Barnes, a protege’ of Connally who was in fact a Democrat.

  9. Gary…isn’t this the same Spirit Airlines with the frequent flyer program and credit card that you were promoting?

    Spirit is awful. Period.

  10. Before I fly Spirit, I just won’t go. It terrifies me to think of what the Spirit culture will do to JetBlue. They are going to have their hands full. Converting an employee base that treats customer like garbage is not an easy pivot.

  11. @Tim K from Seattle – show me where I’ve ‘promoted’ their credit card, and vis-a-vis their frequent flyer program said it’s better than it used to be and that the loyalty program itself is no longer a reason to avoid the airline?

    However, (while more expensive than it used to be) the big front seat can be a value, their reliability has improved, and they now have internet.

  12. Left a Filson jacket on a United Airlines flight into LaGuardia. Of course United could not find it even when informed of the seat number where it had been left. Some cleaner got a great jacket.

  13. Gary:

    On 1/21/21 you spoke about the new Spirt program and specifically stated that their credit card offer was “a pretty good offer right out of the gate…”

  15. Gary

    And how does that change the meaning? You are providing positive remarks about their credit card…just like I said you did.

    You then denied having done so. Now, you cite the very proof of my argument.

  17. Just to add to the full picture. Anyone noticed how he was recording a video of the GA? seems like in the hurry of taking his phone (attached to stand like cover of sorts) he forgot the small bag.

    Nothing said about the interaction that caused this (and certainly nothing justifies this trashy behavior) but my guess it that there was an altercation that escalated to him even recording the GA.

Comments are closed.