Spirit Airlines

I actually flew on it last second about a week ago. It was a pretty decent experience although you are nickel and dimed for everything including buying water on the plane.

I paid approx 60 USD for a one way whereas SW and Delta was charging 225 USD for the same trip. I bought a check in bag (25 USD) in advance online. If you buy your checked in bag at the gate it is more. When I got to the check in counter the lady said I didn't even need to pay for that check in bag. (It was a fully packed duffle bag).

I saw people with large backpacks using it as their free personal item. Not sure if the airlines were not being sticklers for this flight or for every flight, but that was my recent experience.

The plane was a bit cramped but not too bad for a short flight.

Check this video on the free carry on item bag size (although I saw people with bags nearly 1.5x this size being carried on):

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/pv6fbH8w36A" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Overall I would probably fly with them again if I was booking something last minute.

 

Never had any problem. Flown them twice. Have been upgraded to wider leg room seats, for free, on two of the four legs solely because they've seen that I'm taller than average (6'3").


Flew from Latrobe, Pa. to Vegas. Direct flights. $105 a person. Would do it again any time.


I always bring just a regular backpack. Stuff that with clothes. My wife does the same, but puts her purse and clothes in it. We usually check one bag. $60.

 

As long as you're aware of the fees ahead of time, you can minimize the costs. Check in and pay for bags online BEFORE you leave for the airport and you'll save a lot. I took the wife and kids to Disney and it was only about $700 roundtrip for all 4 of us. After all the fees we saved a good $400.

 

It's a good flight, expect at least a 20-30 minute delay, sometimes greater. I'd fly them again due to the low cost.

 

I think both of my return flights got delayed. Only for like an hour total. Coincidentally, they were at the larger airports. The smaller airports have not had delays.

 

Just used them from Houston to Vegas two weeks ago, and expected it to be terrible, but was not bad at all. I think the free personal bag can be 16" x 14" x 12" or so. If the website doesn't have it, it has been asked enough where google will definitely help. Going forward, I would probably only use them for quick 2-3 day trips, where I can stuff everything into my free personal bag. Checking in luggage starts to eat against the cost savings, which is the whole point of using them. Just my opinion anyway, good luck!

 

in the last 4 years i have taken over a 100 flights from a ton of different airlines and they almost always seem to be a little late.

 

Not a bad experience, just cram your stuff into a small backpack and you'll be fine.

 

Spirit is the Sprint of aviation

 

Disagree. Sprint is a loathsome company who provides terrible service.

I purchased a bundled flight on Orbitz and didnt realize it was Spirit until later. After reading the horror stories online, i was very concerned with Spirit.

However, after thoroughly reading their website and how they operate, they are very straightforward and honest about their nickel and diming. If you treat it like any other airline, you will end up overpaying. If you do everything before hand and know its going to be a cramped flight with no freebies what so ever, it can be very economical.

 

I've had better service from Spirit than any other ariline I've flown. Maybe tied with Southwest.


I don't see an example of bad service in your comment?

 

That totally went over my head. Missed sprint. Read it as Spirit.


I disagree. Sprint is god awful. Spirit is nice, as long as you read the charges, like others have said. If you know what you'll get charged for, and avoid those things, it's a great experience.

Also, if you book multiple tickets, don't choose your seats. Pretty much every time, you'll get sat together.

 

Technically, yes.


Meant to quote the other post. I'm an idiot.:grin:

 

Flew them 3-4 years ago Houston to Chicago round trip.

Complete trash. Both flights were delayed by a couple of hours and some of their airport employees were open (almost demonstrative) about their apathy. My guess is their non-crew employee turnover is constant. Any enthusiasm about getting hired by Spirit is probably killed after a couple of hours on their first day.

 

Theyre the same company as Frontier now, I believe and I just went to Philly on Frontier. Wasnt bad at all paid 120 for a round trip. Cant beat that, nor am I going to complain about whatever they nickel and dime me for at that price. Be that as it may, I wasnt going to let them sucker me either.

The free carry on item is 18x14x10. Seems small but I have a suitcase that fits those dimensions and was able to fit 3 shorts and a few shirts in them along with all the hygiene products and stuff. A tip is to check in within 24hrs of the flight online and print it out so you can avoid the bs 'counter fee'. They also have kiosks you can print from to avoid that fee, but the one I tried to use in Philly for my return trip didnt work. If you already have your boarding pass, you can walk straight to your gate, even if your bag is oversized. They dont check at the gate. My friend avoided that fee for a carry on that way.

Overall the seats were 3 deep on each side and I gotta say it was that cramped. The seats werent plush but not hard either. The tray in front of you is useless and they charge for everything on the flight food wise. Knee space was also not a big deal, Im 5'9 and had enough legroom to not feel numb. I would definitely use them again for the prices they dish out.

Hope that helps.