Maybe I just give people too much credit, but I’m kind of in disbelief that this happened…?
In this post:
Spirit Airlines agents don’t know Puerto Rico is in United States
CBS News has the story of how a family traveling to Puerto Rico was denied boarding because they didn’t have passports. That’s despite the family pointing out that Puerto Rico is a territory of the United States, so you don’t need a passport to travel there.
This incident dates back to April 25, 2023, but is only now getting media attention. Specifically, two parents were traveling with their two-year-old son from Los Angeles (LAX) to Puerto Rico, in order to visit their family on the island.
At the check-in counter, the agent asked to see passports. As one of the parents explains:
“At first she told me this is an international flight. I told her no, Puerto Rico is not another country. It is a U.S. territory.”
The agent wouldn’t budge, so in order to avoid the hassle, the couple showed their passports to the agent. The agent then asked for the toddler’s passport, which they didn’t have. At this point the agent offered a refund, or to schedule the flight for a later date, once the family could obtain a passport for their child.
The couple then asked for a supervisor, who got involved and was aware of the situation, but agreed with the initial agent. The agents were reportedly completely inflexible, and wouldn’t budge.
The family then made other arrangements to travel to Puerto Rico, arriving much later than planned.
Spirit Airlines apologizes for inconvenience
In a statement, a Spirit Airlines spokesperson said the following:
“In this specific case, an agent at LAX who is new to the position misunderstood the identification requirements. We are providing the agent with additional coaching and reiterating proper procedure.”
“We sincerely apologize to our Guest and their family for the inconvenience, and we issued a refund for the tickets and provided them with future travel vouchers.”
Spirit emphasized it has a history of operating to Puerto Rico for a long time, having 25 daily flights to three destinations. That’s what makes this mistake even worse, since it’s not like the airline is new to Puerto Rico, or has limited service to there.
My take on this Spirit Airlines situation
Look, I’m not surprised that a single Spirit Airlines agent might have not known that Puerto Rico is in the United States. I mean, they should know, given how many flights Spirit has to Puerto Rico, but people make mistakes, and you’ll always find some frontline agents who are misinformed.
What’s much more shocking and puzzling to me is how a supervisor was called, and how they doubled down on what the initial agent said. It’s understandable if one person is just horribly misinformed, but it’s inexcusable that at a station as large as LAX, not a single person could get involved and solve this situation.
Unfortunately I often find this to be the case, where one agent seemingly covers for another. You get wrong information from one person, and then another person doesn’t want to correct their colleague. It’s especially bad in this situation, since the agent was allegedly new.
So while it’s great Spirit is providing additional training to the agent who didn’t know Puerto Rico is part of the United States, the much bigger question is how there was no one at the airport who could solve this issue. That’s a failure on the part of management for the airline at the airport.
I do wonder how big of a stink this family made. Not that this is in any way their fault, but if I were in this situation, I would’ve made quite a scene (and that’s not something I’d usually do). I would have gone up to every single Spirit Airlines agent, told other passengers I’m being denied boarding for going to Puerto Rico without a passport, and I would have shown them all kinds of info from the internet about how Puerto Rico is part of the United States.
Bottom line
Spirit Airlines passengers traveling to Puerto Rico were denied boarding because they didn’t have passports. That’s despite Puerto Rico (obviously) being a US territory, so no passports are required. It’s bad enough that one agent was this misinformed, but what’s much worse is that the supervisor didn’t rectify this very obvious mistake.
What do you make of this Spirit Airlines Puerto Rico situation?
That’s why cheap airlines hire uneducated cheap employees that give cheap service.
This Reminds me back in 1984 when my mother was enrolling us in public school in Oklahoma when we moved here from Puerto Rico they informed my mother we needed a green card to enroll my mother informed them we are from puerto rico they told her that is nice but we still need to see your green card
The same school system that teaches their students that PR is a US territory
The supervisor should do better.
Well at least they didn't say he spoke Mexican. This ignorance is shameful especially since Spirit travels there. That's like having a drunk giving people directions.
Two things: one, the agent in uneducated not misinformed. Management never told him (I assume) that a passport is required to go to PR. He probably thought, PR is not a US state therefore it's a foreign country. Two, the agent and his manager didn't question themselves about the possibility they could be wrong and that asking Google could have enlighten their knowledge.
Spirit Airlines, not even on my list of approved airlines.
Why is it that you do not need your passport to go to Puerto Rico but you do need one to go to Guam and American Samoa?
There are different levels of American sovereignty over possessions that are not part of the 50 states and DC. There are territories, there are commonwealths, and they reflect a greater legal distance from being part of the USA proper. Puerto Rico is closer legally to being a full-fledged state than Guam, or Samoa, or for that matter, the USVI. For enlightenment, go back and re-watch West Side Story.
I thought it was actually because there are no direct flights to American Samoa or Guam. If you have to go through another country, obviously you need a passport.
Every time I think, the US could not sink lower concerning the education of their People, they surprise me with a new low. I remember a sheriff from Santa Fe, New Mexico, who told me having been asked for his passport in New York. The reason was: I don't care what part of Mexico you are from, you need your passport....
Every citizen should know the parts of his country, not only Airline staff.
I definitely would've made a scene. There was no way.
So they checked every passenger for a passport? And everyone else had passports? Odd story.
The infant didn’t have a passport yet, which I think remained the sticking point.
This speaks volumes to the cluelessness of a huge swath of the population of this country.
It reminds me of a story from old Hollywood involving Lena Horne. A studio boss asked Ms Horne to let them market her as Peurto Rican so she would appeal to a larger demographic and they could play her films in the South. Seems someone was banking on the fact that most wouldn't know that Peurto Rican isn't a...
This speaks volumes to the cluelessness of a huge swath of the population of this country.
It reminds me of a story from old Hollywood involving Lena Horne. A studio boss asked Ms Horne to let them market her as Peurto Rican so she would appeal to a larger demographic and they could play her films in the South. Seems someone was banking on the fact that most wouldn't know that Peurto Rican isn't a race, thus is one was from PR, no way they could be Black. I see much hasn't changed.
The cluelessness of Americans ceases to amaze me these days.
Perhaps the agent and the supervisor didn't know Puerto Rico is a US territory because geography isn't taught in public schools now.
This is what you get when you hire people who probably haven’t graduated high school. Sadly, it’s a reflection of our 3rd world educational system.
Considering they share the same color scheme, Hertz and Spirit should partner up! It looks like their employees think alike
I think we can all guess the race of the uninformed female check in agent and supervisor (probably female) at fault here. But in today's climate, that would be a no no to say out loud. Angry black women in positions of "authority" at the airport are generally the ones at fault for ridiculous moments like this. The reason being that they are free from being reprimanded due to "racism" and "sexism". Go watch the...
I think we can all guess the race of the uninformed female check in agent and supervisor (probably female) at fault here. But in today's climate, that would be a no no to say out loud. Angry black women in positions of "authority" at the airport are generally the ones at fault for ridiculous moments like this. The reason being that they are free from being reprimanded due to "racism" and "sexism". Go watch the Hertz video of an agent denying a PR resident a car rental in the other post to see what I mean.
Well I think it's genius that you have no problem living in your truth and proudly letting everyone know just how ignorant you are ( among other things)
What a truly horrible thing to say.
I'm in with those who say that NOT all Americans are dumb. Unfortunatly that's a global problem.
I am and live in Belgium, which is considered one of the most developed countries, certainly our Flemisch part.
I remember a story of a family who were booking flights to Granada (GRX) in Spain. Guess what, the travel agent ended up booking them to Grenada (GND) an island country in the West Indies in the...
I'm in with those who say that NOT all Americans are dumb. Unfortunatly that's a global problem.
I am and live in Belgium, which is considered one of the most developed countries, certainly our Flemisch part.
I remember a story of a family who were booking flights to Granada (GRX) in Spain. Guess what, the travel agent ended up booking them to Grenada (GND) an island country in the West Indies in the Caribbean Sea. They only booked flights because they were visiting family i Spain.
Well, at least they were booked kind of more tropicaly.
I'm working in the aviation business and still find it amazing when I find anyone related with booking/selling tickets and don't know the NATO alphabet.
Trying to travel on my Puerto Rico driver's license is very interesting. C tier airports, the TSA agents ask for a passport. Their supervisors typically know it's a valid Real ID. I always travel w my passport to avoid trouble. It's annoying but my real internal reaction is I feel bad for them being so ignorant.
And I wish everyone serving Big Macs was an award-winning poet or civil engineer. But then they wouldn't come to work there and I'd starve.
There's a very nice book called "How to Hide an Empire: A History of the Greater United States" with a few excellent chapters on Puerto Rico that puts some of this cluelessness into context.
Uhh, the propaganda people doesn't want you to read and reveal the truths.
They send 'woke' and 'MAGA' to distract you from the facts. Racism and equality is just a very good and loud distraction.
The book ban is just the beginning of the censorship. And sadly people actually accept it.
The constitution that made us thrive becomes a political tool that can't catch up with the present.
Burn books but keep...
Uhh, the propaganda people doesn't want you to read and reveal the truths.
They send 'woke' and 'MAGA' to distract you from the facts. Racism and equality is just a very good and loud distraction.
The book ban is just the beginning of the censorship. And sadly people actually accept it.
The constitution that made us thrive becomes a political tool that can't catch up with the present.
Burn books but keep the guns. I'm not sure that's what Founding Fathers have in mind. Especially had they known that guns would fire few hundred rounds per minute, not two or three in their times.
Name ONE book that you can't buy now that you could before.
You may have to be cognizant of the edition you are purchasing.
To everyone writing about "dumb Americans" - why are you assuming the agent and supervisor are Americans?
yeah, sorry Vinay. I see what you're saying and I've taken it fully on board. And yet, inexplicably, I continue to think it more likely that the Spirit employee and his/her supervisor is a citizen of the United States of America than any other country. I'll tell you one thing: neither is Puerto Rican.
As opposed to what? Immigrants on work visas employed as gate agents? Very unlikely
Spirit's PR statement makes this situation more concerning, not less. Where's the additional training or accountability for the supervisor who (1) doubled-down on the boneheaded mistake and (2) presumably doesn't have the excuse of being new?
Thats not a spirit problem that's an American problem. Most Americans arw ignorant and dumb but wNt to complain about world issues.
This lady was traveling to Hawaii once from Dallas Texas and had the nerve to ask me what currency they use there. I just shook my head and said Japanese. The fact you as American traveling to Hawaii and don't know Hawaii is one of the 50 states is unbelievable smh
As Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim wrote : nobody knows in America, Puerto Rico’s in America!
Agree however there are 340 million in the US and a huge number of immigrants. A vast number of Americans are highly intelligent and multi lingual in addition to the uneducated ones. It’s the same in
many countries.
A friend’s son in LA already speaks 3 languages almost fluently and would have no problem locating countries...
As Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim wrote : nobody knows in America, Puerto Rico’s in America!
Agree however there are 340 million in the US and a huge number of immigrants. A vast number of Americans are highly intelligent and multi lingual in addition to the uneducated ones. It’s the same in
many countries.
A friend’s son in LA already speaks 3 languages almost fluently and would have no problem locating countries in a map, and he’s just 13. Yet I know adults in other countries who have no interest in even basic geography. They assumed you need a passport to travel from England to Wales.
They were flying from Los Angeles where the majority of the population were born overseas. The staff concerned may have been born in Mexico, Samoa or Burkina Faso for all you know.
That said , all airlines should use TIMATIC and simply check if there’s a doubt.
Icarus, with all due respect, but you say that "A vast number of Americans are highly intelligent and multi lingual in addition to the uneducated ones." and then claims that the majority of the population of LA were born overseas, an obviously false claim.
I assume you are one of the not very well educated, right?
You must be one of those dumb Americans judging by that statement.
I guess comprehension isn’t your strong point.
In this gate agent’s defense, it’s still a new development. PR has only been part of the US for about 125 years.
It literally says “Now Entering the United States of America” at SJU.
People want dirt cheap flights and then are flabbergasted when the airline personnel are sub McDonalds quality.
they could have done online check in ? which would not reuire the passport number to be entered?
Why does Ben think retraining is "good"? Obviously fire the supervisor. Incompetent, and training isn't going to fix stupid. As Ben mentioned they don't even know how to use the Internet.
Firing seems a bit harsh.
And illegally denying boarding goes unpunished? Restricting other's ability to travel? Ruling they cannot fly wrongly?
The thing is that most american people should have more school education. Geography, maybe?
Yes, and bring back Civics while their at it.
In addition to this story, another one making the news this week of Hertz at MSY airport refusing to rent a car to a Puerto Rican for not having a passport despite being an American citizen renting a car in the US (oh and then they call the cops on him. It's all on film). What do they teach people in US schools??? Or at the very least Americans working in the tourism industry? Jeez I'm not even American and I know Puerto Rico is part of the US.
Well, Hertz *is* the company that has had their customers arrested on the regular, so this isn't particularly surprising.
Something doesn’t add up. Others must have checked-in for that flight with the same agent.
Spirit does not fly nonstop from LAX to San Juan or anywhere in Puerto Rico. Any itinerary is a connecting itinerary. So it's not like there's a nonstop LAX-SJU flight that has tons of passengers every day and that they should have noticed.
Trump supporter, most likely.
In LOS ANGELES? Did you ever look up the voting trends in that city and state?
Orange County south of LA is very republican.
Oh trust me, there are plenty of Trump supporters here in LA and in Southern California. (If you look at those referenced voting trends the numbers aren’t 100% blue. :p) That being said, ignorance is a problem in both voting demographics.
If LA had a choice between voting for Trump or watching the world implode, they'd gladly take the latter.
Both options are the same..