Ben Baldanza Passes Away: Heartbreaking Loss For Aviation

I have fond memories of interacting with Ben, both when he was at Spirit and after his retirement. As much as he was an AvGeek, he truly enjoyed his time on the Board of Six Flags! He knew what he (and his airlines) stood for, and what they didn't. There was humility and clarity in his being. He will be missed.

First and foremost his loss is horrible to his family. But I don't think he did any favors to the airline industry. It was a business model of really low fares but a litany of fees, often unknown to a suspectable flyer. He only later was forced to clean up some of Spirit's act.

People should expect to pay a reasonable price for a product and service and expect the business to make a reasonable profit. And yes "reasonable" is very subjective. I don't know where this mentality comes from that an airline should/could charge rock bottom fares, retain some semblance of customer service and still stay in business. Math is math.

bro the guy just died and this is what you have to say? And you don't think the industry is already figuring that out?

Um, can you like f#ck off or something?

If you don't like a different model type, don't fly it. But what kind of piece of crap sh|ts all over a guy who just died a terrible death, due to disagreement on a legitimate business decision? Have a seat princess.

You are typical hysterical. Yes it's a tragedy he died as when anyone dies. But the idea he was a force for positive on the industry he worked in I don't see as positive. Sometimes even good people don't have the best of ideas. Grow up.

Ben Baldanza was my friend and a great leader.!! He will be missed.

I mostly agree with George Romey in his comment below, except to add that Spirit did their part in being as upfront as possible about the low-fare high-fee model. Yes, it's still a sh**ty business model that we should not encourage throughout the industry because its roots (and its fate) is consumer exploitation. Everybody should pay a reasonable price and get a reasonable service. That idea was table stakes in the early to mid 20th century. The idea lost its way in the ruthless capitalism of the late 20th century to the present day.

bro the guy just died and this is what you have to say?

This is the comment section of an aviation blog. It is not a guestbook for the funeral.

Ben was an inspiration to many, both professionally and in his personal life. The world may not appreciate just how influential a person we have lost. His family in particular must be heartbroken as just recently his wife posted on LinkedIn that Ben's goal was to make it to next summer to watch his son graduate high school.

There is a sadly shrinking number of good and decent human beings in the world, especially in the corporate world. Everyone I know who has personally interacted with Baldanza has said he truly was one of those good and decent human beings, and a very smart guy to boot.

Who gives a flying fugazi if he introduced ULCC at a large scale in the US market? It was a market inefficiency that existed. If you want to blame anyone, blame the other carriers that flipped out and raced to the bottom instead of letting Spirit drive demand from the bottom and introduce new people to air travel who then worked up to flying other products? Its sort of like those of us who started flying coach and then graduated into premium cabins, including Ben himself who I remember from his mileage running trip report days.

It's the same with a guy like Doug Parker. A lot of people, rightly or wrongly, think he screwed up US and AA, but the stories about his personal behavior and willingness to learn about people and culture are astounding.

Be good and decent

why be such a piece of crap dude. the man just died

I met Ben first as my client, and he became my friend and a hero. Knowing him was one of the great privileges of my life. I was an occasional guest speaker for his Airline Economics class at George Mason, and he thought I was doing him a favor, when the opposite was true. Any time spent with Ben was a unique learning experience from a kind, insightful, and treasured friend.

I audited one of his classes at GMU. Talk about a nice person who is an amazing communicator.

"People should expect to pay a reasonable price for a product and service and expect the business to make a reasonable profit."

What a brainwashed socialist would say.

Did you also fight to keep manufacturing in USA so you can pay 3x more for an iPhone if it wasn't made in China?
When was the last time you bought stuff from a reasonably priced Sears instead of Amazon?

Blockbuster was reasonably priced too right? A few dollars for a movie.

What about US healthcare?
That doesn't seem to have reasonable price does it.

Brainwashed hypocrites.

Condolences to his family, he had a lot to keep on giving. One of the most consequential leaders in aviation history.

Ben was my next door neighbor for over ten years. What others have said is accurate - he was a true mensch, brilliant and kind. My heart is broken for his family. He will be missed.

And I'm sorry for your loss of a friend.

Thank you.

I met him once at a meeting of USAirways customers with executives back when I was Chairman's Preferred on the airline. He was the inspiration for the infamous cockroach pins. While back the we did not always agree with him, he was deeply respected. He will be missed.

Hello. Thank you for the kind and generous article on Ben. I’ve been trying to find the email for the author to write to him privately and properly. If you’re looking at these comments, you can reach me at [email protected].
Marcia Baldanza

I am a former employee of Ben. I remember hearing he was flying in to meet us at the Spirit Airlines call center in Clinton Township. I spent all night putting together a cell phone app that tracks flights. This was around 2005-2006, and other airlines were doing it, so I put together a prototype. He was instantly impressed and gave me the opportunity to meet the CIO. He allowed me to pitch a few times! This experience was a resume builder for me and helped me land an amazing career in the IT field. I will forever be in Ben's debt. Such a great man!

I know this post is late. But, I'm just now hearing he's gone.