Spirit's 'Treasure Hunt' sale is the worst airline promotion ever

Josh Roberts believes the best trips involve long hikes and muddy boots. His life goals haven't changed much since he was a kid: He still wants to be Indiana Jones when he grows up.

Follow him on Twitter (@joshwhowrites) and Instagram (@joshwhowrites), and visit his website (joshrobertsbooks.com) or Goodreads page to learn more about his forthcoming novel.

Josh joined SmarterTravel in 2001, and is an active member in both the Society of American Travel Writers (SATW) and the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI).

In addition to SmarterTravel, he has written for USA Today, The Boston Globe, Yahoo! Travel, The Huffington Post, Airfarewatchdog, TripAdvisor, Jetsetter, ABC News, Oyster, and Business Insider. His travel photography can be seen in Britain and Ireland's Best Wild Places, published by Penguin UK.

The Handy Item I Always Pack: "A lacrosse ball. It's small, lightweight, and works wonders on loosening up tight muscles."

Ultimate Bucket List Experience: "Being the first to discover an ancient lost city. Failing that, visiting as many of the already-discovered ancient ruins as possible."

Travel Motto: "Not all those who wander are lost." -J.R.R. Tolkien

Aisle, Window, or Middle Seat: "Aisle."

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In what can only be classified as the most annoying sale ever, Spirit today announced (and then quickly clarified) a two-day “Treasure Hunt” for low fares. The Florida-based airline’s sale offered fares as low as $19 each way—but it wouldn’t say on which routes or travel dates. In fact, it wouldn’t even give you the real names of the cities involved.

Here are some sample “fares” from the promotion: “Taj Mahal, USA” to “Best Spirit destination to use your nine iron” on “six dates.” Um, WHAT? Let’s assume I correctly decoded this to mean “Atlantic City” to “Myrtle Beach.” Even then, how could I possibly guess which six dates had the $19 fare? And why should I bother?

Spirit has since come to its senses and posted a “treasure map” that lists the actual city names and dates. I’m guessing this is due to customer complaints. But my goodness, what a terrible idea this one was from the start. Finding low fares is never easy, but this stunt certainly wins the award for going above and beyond the call of duty in that regard.

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