Spirit Airlines turns to Disney to improve customer service

Spirit Airlines, a low-cost carrier from Florida, has reported some of the biggest profit margins of any airline in the country because of its practice of charging passengers fees for a long list of basic services.

But the airline, which announced this month that it will launch service at John Glenn Columbus International Airport in February, also has had the highest rate of passenger complaints about problems such as canceled flights, delayed departures and poor service.

The airline acknowledges that it needs to address its damaged reputation, and it has turned to a subsidiary of Walt Disney Co. for help. In a message to employees, Spirit Airlines President and CEO Bob Fornaro said the airline has partnered with the Disney Institute to “create a common purpose and a fresh set of service standards.”

The Disney Institute is a Florida-based company that offers business courses to improve leadership, employee culture and customer service. On the institute’s website, the company cites its work with Haagen-Dazs International, the National Football League, Volvo and the Orlando Magic NBA team.

Fornaro said the airline’s flight crews have gone through training with the Disney Institute, and the carrier plans training of its airport staff as well.

In his note to employees, Fornaro said guest-satisfaction scores at the airline already have “reached an all-time record high.”

But the most recent data from the U.S. Department of Transportation shows that Spirit in September continued to receive the highest rate of customer complaints — 6.41 for every 100,000 passengers — more than twice the rate of any other carrier.

Neither Spirit nor the Disney Institute responded to requests for comment.