Episode 517: The Fastest Growing, Least Popular Airline In America

NPR

Published February 14, 2014 at 7:31 PM EST

It's cheap to fly on Spirit Airlines, but you have to pay extra for perks. And by perks, we mean a bottle of water or space in the overhead bin.

It's totally rational: pay for what you use, don't pay for what you don't use. And it's increasingly popular: Spirit is the fastest growing airline in America.

And yet. Lots of people really don't like Spirit Airlines. In a Consumer Reports survey published last year, Spirit finished last among U.S. airlines.

How is the fastest growing airline also the least popular? On today's show, we fly Spirit Airlines to Florida and ask the CEO.

Music: Letters To Cleo's "I Want You To Want Me." Find us: Twitter/ Facebook/ Spotify/ Tumblr. Download the Planet Money iPhone App.

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Episode 517: The Fastest Growing, Least Popular Airline In America

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