Spirit Airlines is offering free air travel wherever it goes in the US on September 11th, with ~13,000 seats available. You have to register with a credit card at their website (www.spiritair.com, which I can't get to right now) or via a travel agent. Here's the story from CNN: http://www.cnn.com/2002/TRAVEL/NEWS/08/07/spirit.free.flights/index.html FORT LAUDERDALE, Florida (CNN) -- With airlines reporting a drop in bookings for flights on September 11, Spirit Airlines announced Tuesday it will not be charging airfare for any seat on the one-year anniversary of the terrorist attacks. "We are saying 'thank you' to the American public and our valued customers for flying with us throughout this past year," announced chief executive Jacob Schorr. "Had it not been for the support of our passengers and their willingness to get back in the air after the tragedy last year, then Spirit Airlines may not have survived." The free seats, he said, are intended as a way to support the recovery of business and personal travel. "I want to personally encourage the public to travel on September 11 and exercise our freedom as Americans," Schorr said. About 13,000 seats are available for that day, and bookings will be taken through September 8 or until all seats have been filled. Customers must book online at www.spiritair.com with a credit card or through a travel agent. Any passenger who has already booked a flight for September 11 will receive a future flight credit for the amount they paid for that day, the airline said. Fort Lauderdale, Florida-based Spirit, the largest privately held airline in the United States, expects to fly a full schedule of more than 90 flights to 15 destinations. American Airlines and United Airlines announced last week that a decline in reservations for the somber anniversary had led them to revise their schedule, in some cases canceling entire flights.
Quote from Spirit Air's website: The Spirit of freedom program has been an overwhelming success. There are no more seats available for travel on September 11th. We thank you for your participation and for your patience. guess i missed out. anyone get free tickets?
Wow - the CNN article was dated today at about 12:30p ET, so those tickets must've gone fast. I know I didn't get any tickets; I could hardly even get to their server at all today.
I heard about this a couple of days ago on Fox News Channel. I went to their website within minutes. The real problem is that the airline doesn't go anywhere remotely close to Texas.
you guys do understand that these are only free ONE WAY tickets...i wouldn't be too surprised if the price for Spirit Airlines tickets for the weeks following September 11th, when people are coming back from their "free" vacations, are a bit higher than their usual prices... nothing's free anymore...
The tickets are one way, but if Spirit Air tried to jack up the prices to make up for these freebies, it would be one public relations disaster.
Well, i was trying to get tickets to go to Vegas at 12:00am, Sept 11 and return at 11:00pm, Sept 11... So i'd have about 20 hours to spend at the casinos, and come back home the same day... That way the tickets would be free both ways b/c i'd be flying on Sept 11 to and from Vegas... Oh well... At least i saved myself from blowing extra cash at the slots (with the presumption of "hey, i saved money on free tickets, i can bet a little extra!")
Word, Gascon. And they might as well use that day as a business strategy. If the tickets aren't free, or at least severely discounted, who's gonna fly on the 11th instead of the 10th or 12th? Flights aren't being cancelled by other airlines out of respect -- people are scared to fly that day. I would be, too.
I wouldn't be afraid to fly that day. Quite frankly, I don't think there will ever be another hijacking in this country. On 9/11/2001, the people on those planes thought that if they complied they would eventually land somewhere and be returned home. Now that we all know the truth I pity anybody who would think of trying it. 7 or 8 guys against 100? You can't like those odds.
Problem is, Refman, that we're still failing to stop contraband from getting past checkpoints, in every test that's been run. Problem 2 is that these guys aren't afraid to die as martyrs. 7 or 8 (or one) guys might not beat 100, but they can sure make sure a plane goes down. Especially with our (still) lax security. If I had my druthers (and I do), I'd just as soon stay away from airports, landmarks and NYC on 9/11/02. No point being a hero. That's gonna be a dangerous day. Don't believe me? Wait for the warnings from the government. The airlines might as well use it as a marketing opportunity. They won't be turning a profit that day.
I don't doubt that it will be a dangerous day. I do think that on that day in particular you'll get a free cavity search with every airline ticket. I'm being a little flippant, but I do think security will be pretty tight that day. But you're right, that day is going to be crazy. I'm not afraid to fly, but will likely stay home. I do think that all courts, etc should be shut down that day. I think that those places are much more vulnerable to attack and are more likely targets.
