Hate Spirit Airlines? It wants to hug you (and control frills)

Spirit Airlines isn’t feeling the passenger love. So the no-frills carrier says it wants to woo rather than antagonize customers. With a new logo, new slogan and a new tone, Spirit is out to better explain its low-price model and fees.

“We know some people say they hate Spirit,” Chief Executive Officer Ben Baldanza said in a Wednesday statement. “We’re going to hug the haters.”

The airline operates at airports in Los Angeles, San Diego and Las Vegas, among other destinations.

Spirit rolled out a new logo this week with the slogan “Less Money. More Go” and says “unbundled awesomeness” is why travelers save an average 40% on its fares.

In videos and website FAQs, the new Bare Fare campaign explains why the airline will never offer free checked bags and free drinks: “Frill control lets customers choose the options they value so they are never forced to pay for something they don’t want.”

Packing the plane with seats that don’t recline and no Wi-Fi or entertainment options are part of the cozier flying experience, it says.

Spirit, among the first to charge fees for carry-on bags, has the highest number of complaints, the rudest flight attendants -- and the highest profit margin. (There’s even a Facebook page titled “Spirit CEO Ben Baldanza Must Resign” that lambastes the airline and has received more than 1,100 likes.)

Whether it’s spin or substance, one thing hasn’t changed: the same old fees.