Spirit fined for calling 1,000 bumped customers ‘volunteers’

Spirit Airlines misclassified as “volunteers” more than 1,000 people who were denied boarding against their will on oversold flights, the US DoT said Friday in announcing a fine against the carrier. The department said consumer complaints filed with its Office of Aviation Consumer Protection showed the budget carrier required that passengers bumped from flights sign waivers or documents suggesting they had, in fact, volunteered. The airline then filed inaccurate reports with the department regarding those misclassified passengers between early 2017 through mid-2018. The department issued Spirit $350,000 in potential penalties and ordered the carrier to avoid future violations, according to a consent order made public by the government on Friday. The order didn’t require Spirit to admit or deny the violations described by DOT. Spirit said it had made appropriate changes to its processes and compensation offers since period addressed in government’s enforcement action. “Our guests’ experience means everything to us, and we continue to invest in every aspect of their journey,” the company said.<br/>