The recent final collapse of Spirit Airlines here in the U.S. reignited that conversation we often have in the hotel industry around whether hotels can and should operate more like airlines, especially when it comes to pricing and payment, and even how they treat amenities.
Headlines around Spirit's final demise point to recent high jet fuel prices as the main reason, but that was just the final nail in the coffin. The airline had struggled for years to claw back from the costs of failed mergers, tough competition, failed bailouts, equipment costs and more.
But what makes Spirit Airlines' collapse the butt of countless jokes and memes right now is its perennial role as the nickel-and-diming airline, the airline that charged for everything other than using the seatbelt, the airline that would make you pay to use the restroom if it could.
Nobody liked to fly Spirit Airlines. People flew Spirit because they had to. Nobody ever looked happy or excited waiting in the (always extremely long and slow-moving) Spirit line at any airport I've ever seen. They knew what they were in for. As an ultra-low-cost carrier with no premium cabin, that's to be expected.
While the big items — financial distress, fuel-cost pressures and equipment issues — really hastened Spirit's demise, its reputation for generally low customer service and resentment over the nickel and diming approach sure didn't help.
This week, JD Power released results of its 2026 North America Airline Satisfaction Study, and lo and behold, overall guest satisfaction with U.S. airlines rose 8 points over last year's level, with improvements across all segments.
When you unpack the results, you see some trends that mirror hotel trends: The highest satisfaction is felt by the folks flying in first, business and premium economy classes.
And the JD Power study noted that while Southwest Airlines netted top results in the economy/basic economy segment again, its closest competitor, Delta, is getting closer.
Why? Because Southwest changed its processes and charges earlier this year, and "the introduction of fees has traditionally had a major effect on satisfaction with airline performance," writes JD Power.
And when you add in the current variable of high fuel prices leading to high ticket prices, what seems like somewhat solid ground gets more shaky.
"As airfares have begun to skyrocket in 2026, airlines may soon find it difficult to offset high costs with great service," the JD Power news release states.
There it is. Airlines and hotels walk a fine line balancing price with services rendered and amenities offered. At the same time, both have always flirted with the "hey, we've got them here, they're not going anywhere, let's charge them" mindset. That's business and it works, to a point.
Until it doesn't. It didn't work for Spirit (I mean, a lot of things didn't work for Spirit).
Southwest started charging for odd things and changing rules. This week we also learned Delta is cutting drink and snack service on short flights. It's the kind of incremental reverse amenity creep that will hit every single airline before the year is over, mark my words.
Good for business, bad for customer satisfaction, until bad customer satisfaction becomes bad for business, but hey, that's tomorrow's problem for the public companies.
Again, I think this comes down to where you sit: Economy hotels in general have struggled over the last few years, but those that belong to parent companies with higher-end hotels have been able to stay afloat even amid tough conditions. Luxury hotels, like premium airline cabins, continue to flourish.
When success in one cabin can offset softness in another cabin (or hotel segment, you get the metaphor), it's all okay. But if both are on the downside of popularity, satisfaction and demand, then you're in trouble.
Wealthy travelers who can and do continue to pay for premium plane cabins and luxury hotels have kept the travel industry afloat the last two years. When that falls, everything falls.
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