Spirit wants to save you from cheap airline hell

For Spirit Airlines, adding Wi-Fi is part of a bigger strategy to fight off big airlines looking to compete with their low-cost brethren. Spirit is the latest to embrace in-flight Wi-Fi access, for both its revenue-generating and passenger-placating attributes. Starting later this year, the carrier will offer satellite-based broadband internet with Thales Group. The average price per flight is expected to be under $7, and passengers must use their own electronic devices to access the service, which will offer an internet portal but no free streaming entertainment. Get a Netflix or Hulu account if you want to watch something. Spirit has spent the past year studying how to “improve the guests’ on-board experience and stay true to our model,” President Ted Christie said. “And that’s been the riddle to solve.” He called Thales “the most forward thinking” in terms of how to structure the Wi-Fi offering, given the airline’s strict focus on costs. The changes are part of a broader customer-service revamp at Spirit, which has seen ferocious domestic competition as its Big Three US rivals have begun targeting the lowest-priced ticket buyers. <br/>