Can some folks who have flown Spirit help me out? We are thinking about going to Denver from New Orleans. Spirit has a great deal. I know the deal with Spirit and have researched how to avoid most of the extra fees that people often get outraged with. The reviews are terrible and making my wife leery. Any experiences?
Have flown them to Vegas and Orlando a few times from Houston. No real issues other than a delayed flight to Orlando but nothing more than you get from time to time on other airlines. As far as the extra fees we did not feel we got anything charged to us that was not clearly disclosed on their website- we still got a great deal.
Flown them twice, had no issues. Once was on one of their new jets and we got the non-reclinable chairs, but everything looked new and boarding and deplaning is much more pleasant without all of the huge carry ons you see on other planes. The other trip was on a normal, if slightly worn out plane. My recommendation would be to pack light, enjoy the flight, and consider using some of your savings to upgrade to the big seat.
Flew with them once and it was fine. If you're looking for a middle/higher class of citizens to fly with, avoid Spirit. If all you want is the flight and nothing else, you can't beat their price. Everything else costs $$$. I think you can only carry one personal bag free.
I've heard horrible things, but I won't say "don't do it" without the first hand experience myself. but the things I've heard from friends and family members are horrible. good luck avoiding all those fees. do the math with Southwest vs Spirit calculating carry ons on top of checked bags X 2 for the round trip.
Flown once. Liked it. Very good service. Would fly again. Actually, they just started a route from Cleveland to Dallas, which I may utilize in the future. $70 for a weekend to see family? Count me in. Don't listen to the hatere. Try it yourself. It's cheap enough for one bad experience, if that happens... As far as the carry on thing goes - you can bring a carry on (just make sure its not huge...check the dimensions online) as your personal item for free. I flew from Buffalo to Fort Lauderdale with my wife for a cruise. Paid like $150 each. Paid $30 for a check in. She took a carry on (put her purse inside it) and I took a backpack. We paid no extra fees. Even got upgraded to the exit row for extra leg room because the lady at the desk saw I was taller (6'3").
Thanks for the feedback guys. The problem in this day and age is that internet reviews can be skewed. I always think Clutchfans gives the best feedback. We bought the tickets from Spirit last night. Was only $430 or so for 2 people round trip from New Orleans to Denver. That includes a 40 LB checked bag each way. Not bad. We know that we won't be carrying anything on and that we need to print the boarding passes at home. I will follow up with my experience.
Like I said, you can carry something on as your personal item, if you need to. A purse, a small carry on bag, etc. should be free. Or at least it was when I flew. Also, on our return flight, I was coming off a cruise ship, and didn't have any way to print a boarding pass. Figured we'd have to eat that charge. I asked someone that was circulating around at the airport, and she said no, you just print it at the touchscreen before you get to the checked bags area and you're fine.
Buy your ticket at the airport. Do not buy it online. Spirit has very high online purchase fees. You can save a significant amount of cash by spending a few minutes at their ticket counter. Also...plan on packing light and carrying everything on if you can. We used smaller rolling suitcases and backpacks. Did not check any bags in...and didn't receive any crap from anyone in Vegas or Portland regarding the size of our bags. But I've read where they will make you check bags in at the gate if they are a little too big...and those fees run around $100. Plan ahead and you can save quite a bit. I had to fly five from Vegas to Portland and back...and it was at least one third cheaper flying Spirit versus anyone else. But we did extensive research on how to avoid their fees. I'm a cheapass when it comes to flying. FYI...we bought a couple of these from Costco...they easily fit underneath the seat in front of you. http://www.costco.com/Ciao-Rolling-Carry-On-Under-Seat-Rolling-Bag---Black.product.100099589.html
It makes no sense at all to penalize passengers for using the lower distribution cost method of buying tickets, but we are talking about Spirit Airlines. The term "high online purchase fees" should not exist in today's world.
I bet he is one of the guys that didn't read their website.. Didn't check in their luggage online and brought on an oversized carry on. If you bring in the right size carry on you and your wife will not pay any luggage fee. I used them in NOV. for a round trip from Houston to San Diego.. I paid a total of 221.00 for two tickets.. so buyer beware warning is straight BS. unless its beware of a great deal: ) just be smart.. bring a carry on that meets their parameters and you fly cheap.. if you have luggage check it in. I will use them again!
Agreed! But due to the approach that Spirit uses..."fee the hell out of everyone"...it's just another way to make more money. And, they know that most people will want to purchase their tickets online...so they just hit them up with another fee. By that point in time, I think most people are so confused with Spirit's policies that they either say "whatever" or cancel out of purchasing the tickets. I think it's borderline shady practices...but if you educate yourself to how Spirit works, you can come out way ahead (comparatively speaking).
Like many have posted, read all the requirements and information they have online about luggage/carry-ons etc. I flew Houston to Vegas and it wasn't too bad. The plane I was on wasn't the biggest so I wasn't that comfortable in the seats but it was good enough. (I'm 5'10 205lbs) I haven't really looked at other trips but the one negative I have for them was the flight times that were available were really early in the morning like 5am or really late at night starting around like 10pm. Other than that, I think it's worth trying them at least once.
$221.00 round trip to San Deigo from Houston paid online.. how much do you think I would save if booked online?
When we were doing our research, I found a post by someone who claimed that they saved $75/ticket in online fees by purchasing at the ticket counter. I don't recall what we saved by going in, but it was somewhere around $200 for the five tickets (total) we bought. So I guess the online booking fee we would've paid would be close to $40/ticket. I'm not sure if that's a static fee price...or if the fee slides up/down based on how close to your departure date is when you purchase your tickets online. And...as you already know paulnhbtx...you got a great deal. $221 for two round trip tix is ridiculous these days (between San Diego and Houston).
I was really happy with the price.. When I flew to Disney world a few years back it was like 600.00 a ticket round trip.. RAPE
Exactly. Also, the closer you get to the gate/plane, the more expensive it is to check you bag in case it doesn't meet their standards with respect to dimensions. Check-in online, and pay for your bags on-line (if you're checking), and you'll save money. Also, I think your personal item is free if it can fit under the seat. When I flew, it cost to use the overhead bin as well, IIRC. My company booked my wife and I on Spirit going to Vegas for a reward trip. I swear, the BO on the flight due to the young Vegas party goers was just insane. It was like being back in college at a bad frat party. Checking in at the airport was a bit of a hassle due to people showing up unprepared and arguing/complaining about the fees and the fact that the staff didn't show up until after checking opened up for a really early flight. Was pretty annoying, but again, if people plan ahead, I think it'd go more smoothly. Truth be told, I nearly hugged the everyone on the next SWA flight I took though :grin:
What gets you is when you buy tickets from a 3rd party travel site. The fees aren't always as clear, and you definitely don't assume a fee for a carry-on.
