Spirit Airlines announced this week that the man piloting the company for the past 10 years, CEO Ben Baldanza, had been replaced with former AirTran chief Robert Fornaro. Baldanza was more than just the captain of the airline everyone loves to hate; he’s the reason we love to hate Spirit. And many of the policies instituted during his decade-long tenure revolutionized the travel industry in the U.S. In addition to irking fliers, the man’s got a resume that reads like a greatest hits of the airline industry, with executive stints at Frontier, Northwest, Continental, American and US Airways in addition to his tenure at Spirit. Here are but a few of his career’s memorable moments.
Photo: Jerry Landers/Flickr
Taking one for the team during the US Airways bankruptcy. While Baldanza is known today for his time at the top of Spirit, it was his role as the Senior Vice President of Marketing and Planning at US Airways that may have been his most challenging. When the company filed for bankruptcy protection for a second time prior to merging with American, Baldanza played defense, attempting to spin, spin, spin his struggling company’s story. Ironically, Baldanza blamed low-cost airlines like Southwest and JetBlue in this 2004 Washington Post interview for US Airways’ struggles.
Ushering in the age of the Bare Fare. Baldanza’s biggest move at the head of Spirit was championing the Bare Fare, a no-frills whatsoever approach to ticketing that stripped air travel of any and every nicety beyond boarding, flying from point A to point B, and landing. Want to bring a carry-on? That’ll cost extra. Checking a bag? Extra. Ordering a ginger ale? Extra. Baldanza had watched the model debut in Europe first to widespread derision, but eventually, to shoulder-shrugging acceptance and passenger adoption. Baldanza’s gamble not only changed Spirit, but the entire airline industry. American, Delta, and United spent the past two years quietly introducing bottom-of-the-barrel fares of their own. In Baldanza, the low-cost carrier movement found its Hercules.
Screenshot: Spirit Airlines
Spirit mocks American Airlines’ loose seat scandal with 7.57% sale. When American Airlines was forced to ground dozens of its 757s due to seats becoming partially unfastened from the cabin floor in 2012, Spirit jumped right on the story, mocking the carrier with a sale. Baldanza oversaw a 7.57% fare sale advertising that his company was letting “low fares loose, not seats.” Burn!
Ironically, AA’s decision to price match Spirit’s aggressive low-cost fares on routes that Baldanza was attempting to undercut American in 2015 is rumored to be one of the reasons for the CEO’s ouster from the company.
The non-refundable ticket heard ’round the world. Baldanza issued a rare apology in May of 2014 following weeks of criticism over the company’s decision not to issue a refund to a man with terminal cancer who was warned by his doctor not to fly. Though technically a non-refundable fare, the $176 ticket purchased by 76-year-old Vietnam veteran and former Marine Jerry Meekins lit the airline’s reputation ablaze when a Spirit representative refused to give the dying man his money back. Spirit’s perceived lack of empathy sparked calls for a national boycott before Baldanza stepped in with an apology, a refund, and a $5,000 donation to the Wounded Warriors Project. Spirit giving money, any sum really, back was big news.
Photo: Spirit
The bizarre, raunchy, and eye-rolling promotions. Covering Spirit’s marketing efforts under Baldanza’s helm made reporters’ jobs a bit more interesting, even if conversations with our editors sometimes made us blush. In what other industry — OK, besides the obvious one — would a Weiner sale (Too hard to resist!), M.I.L.F. sale, or a 69th plane celebration be considered socially acceptable? Actually, we’re still not totally sure these ads were acceptable.
Scoot Airlines/Facebook
Baldanza’s branding bro-fight with Scoot Airlines’ CEO Campbell Wilson. One of 2015’s low points in the airline industry was a (mostly one-sided) fight between two CEOs in the airline industry after Spirit brazenly ripped off Scoot’s yellow and black look for a company-wide rebranding. While Scoot had a point, Wilson’s tantrum was so insufferable that we all quickly forgave Spirit just so we could move on from such a silly time-suck.