Spanair Review

Overall Rating

Spanair has good points? News to me...

Check in - took 90 minutes for them to check in 10 people
Luggage handling - they lost every single bag I checked with them, and made no offer for compensation for the items we needed.
Customer service

I travelled with this airline on 25 Jun 2008 on Flight JK06680 departing Barcelona and arriving in Malaga. I have never witnessed such incompetence in my life. After spending 90 minutes in the check-in line, we were informed that my golf clubs were over size and weight limitations. No problem, how much more will it cost to get them on the flight? 180 Euros. After I finished choking on my urge to choke the representative, I whipped out the credit card, and was told, no no no - you can't pay it here, you have to go to the other end of the terminal and pay there. So off we go. We pay the only person with what could be confused for a pleasant attitude (probably because he gets to take people's money all day long) and inquire about where to check in the golf clubs. Yup, right next to the person who checked us in at the other end of the terminal. It's little things like this that can really upset you at 05:50 in the morning, especially when the incompetence of the airline you're flying with make you so late you barely make your plane despite the fact that you arrived 2 hours before the flight.
My wife and I had to hightail it to our gate and then argue with the ticket checker to allow us to board in order to make the flight. Evidently, the baggage handlers figured we had already missed the flight, as our luggage never made it aboard. We got most of our luggage back after 4 days, even though their web-based tool indicated it had arrived 2 days after we landed and the one bag that we still haven't seen was sitting in the airport the day before they arrived! So I still have to wonder where my brand new Taylormade r7 driver and my brand spankin new Callaway irons are these days....
So now it's been 3 weeks since our flight, still no word on my golf clubs even though I have made a call to Madrid every day since I arrived back in the states. The story on these clubs has changed so many times, I've started a little diary to keep track of the different lines I've been fed:
Days 1-8:
"You bag has been located. It will arrive at your hotel this evening between 5 and 8 PM"
Days 9-10
"Your bag was already delivered. Don't you have it?"
Days 11-18
"You bag has been located. It will arrive at your hotel this evening between 5 and 8 PM" Sorry, but I'm in the USA, so that ain't gonna work for me.
Day19 (today)
"Your baggage is showing as located in our system. We are awaiting confirmation from the Malaga Airport" To this I reply that I would like the number for their desk at the Malaga Airport, to which I got the response: "We don't give that number out." Evidently, if you want to speak to anyone at Spanair, you're calling Madrid, like it or not.
So that's my review of the worst airline I've ever been unfortunate enough to fly with. For reference, I flew from Sao Paulo, Brazil to Buenos Aires, Argentina on *Varig Airlines* right before they went out of business and could not be bothered to cared less about the cattle, er - people on their flights, so I know bad service when I see it. This airline stinks.