Anyone flown with Spirit out of Latrobe?

[lspst8]

Just wondering if anyone has experience with Spirit Airlines out of the Latrobe airport. We are planning a trip to WDW in Nov or Dec, and the flights are quite affordable, even with the bag and seat fees. My DH and I are taking our daughters who will be almost three and 10 months old at the time, so it would be a lot easier to be at a small airport with them. We usually fly Southwest out of Pittsburgh, but we are east of the city so it is pain to drive there.

 

[lexandme]

We looked into it for July but the flight times were not what we needed. We're in the South Hills so getting to Pgh International isn't too bad for us. Only about ten minutes on the Parkway West.

 

[wdwval]

We have not flown Spirit out of Latrobe yet but we will be Nov. 29 and returning Dec. 15. I purchased tickets 4/6/13 as they were having the best deal. Researched between Latrobe and Pittsburgh and Latrobe was the better deal and no hassles of driving from Latrobe to Pittsburgh. Plus free parking. I have flown Southwest with free bags and Spirit is still cheaper even paying for bags. I live in Derry so it will be a breeze getting there! Can't wait!

 

[mrg013]

I don't have experience with Latrobe, but I have recently flown on Spirit, and I do recommend them. We've flown Spirit out of Atlantic City, which is a similar situation, where it's a small airport and Spirit is the only airline there. I think will small children, that's an ideal situation.

Despite all of the negative comments I had heard about Spirit, I was pleasantly surprised. As long as you go into it ahead of time fully aware of the fees and having handled seats & bags beforehand, you're fine. It seemed like the only people having issues with Spirit were those who hadn't bothered to check into those things ahead of time. The plane we had was nice and seemed pretty new, the crew was fine, and the price was phenomenal. Especially if Latrobe is even more convenient for you than PIT, I'd definitely go with it.

 

[heidihoho50]

I just booked for November 12th out of Latrobe! Never flown to Disney before, we usually drive. My next door neighbor is there right now. There flight out of Latrobe was delayed about 4 hours last week. Plane was late coming back from Orlando. They didn't get there until 2 am!! I hope it doesn't happen to us as we have a BBB reservation at 9am the next morning!!

 

[goodferry]

We have!!! Several times now as a matter of fact. We live in Ligonier, so it's a no brainer for us. It is so much easier than going into Pittsburgh! Just the ease of going through security makes it worth the hassle of dealing with Spirit and their bizarre policies.

Just make sure you do your research, are aware of their fees, know how big your personal item can be and you will be fine. Also be aware that they will count your purse as a personal item, so if you have a backpack and a purse, they will make you pay for the backpack either as a checked bag or carry on. We saw that happen to a woman when we were checking into our flight. Her bag was the right size but she wasn't able to jam her purse into it, so they made her pay for one of them. I have never seen a flight attendant say anything to a passenger about a bag, but I have seen them flag people down at the counter.

Another thing to keep in mind, everyone knows that you have to pay for baggage, but the checked bags have to weigh 40 pounds or less, not the industry wide standard of 50 pounds. That's harder than it sounds if you start out with a substantial suitcase.

We truly have had great experiences. There is a nice restaurant in the airport with a great bar. There is also a little store area downstairs at the gate where you can buy drinks and snacks for on the plane. Parking can get tight, my husband usually drops us off at the door and then finds a spot so we don't have to lug kids and bags through the parking lot.

 

[heidihoho50]

So how closely do they Check the size of your personal item? I am having a hard time finding bags that meet size requirements. How do they check the size??

 

[Ed J]

Spirit looks at your personal item(s) much more closely than any other airline that I have flown, thye are always looking for additional revenue. But I still fly then once or twice a year to Orlando, the convenience they offer offsets their nontraditional service.

Also, most of the Spirit nay-sayers on this board are just regurgitating things they have read elsewhere and have never actually flown on a Spirit plane. The best one is the gal who shrieks about how uncomfortable the seats are, because of the back pitch yet has never sat in one .

 

[heidihoho50]

Omg is that what it has to fit in??

 

[Lewisc]

So how closely do they Check the size of your personal item? I am having a hard time finding bags that meet size requirements. How do they check the size??

Because it's not for a suitcase. It's for a purse, small backpack, briefcase, computer bag..

Spirit got tired of passengers "cheating" them out of their baggage fees by using "bin bags" Now you pay for a bin bag.

Despite all of the negative comments I had heard about Spirit, I was pleasantly surprised. As long as you go into it ahead of time fully aware of the fees and having handled seats & bags beforehand, you're fine. It seemed like the only people having issues with Spirit were those who hadn't bothered to check into those things ahead of time..

or People who didn't like Spirit's inability to reschedule a flight cancelled due to weather or other issues. or People who wound up with one of Spirit's newer planes with seats which don't recline and virtually no leg room. or A passenger who didn't full read the "fine print" and didn't realize Spirit charges an overweight fee for bags over 40lbs, industry standard is 50.

 

[heidihoho50]

Ok, so as long as I can squash it in that bin, it's ok??? Lol

 

[Ed J]

Yup, or pay the $30 to check a bag.

 

[njmom47]

We recently flew Spirit (out of AC, love it!) and dh, ds and me each had a personal-size bag. I recommend a soft-sided bag as you can squish it to fit (just be careful if you have delicate items obviously); we used backpacks. I measured our carry-on so I knew it would fit and paid for it online at least 24 hours before the flight (cheapest). All was well.

 

[Lewisc]

The best one is the gal who shrieks about how uncomfortable the seats are, because of the back pitch yet has never sat in one

You don't need to have flown Spirit.
http://www.seatguru.com/airlines/Spirit_Airlines/Spirit_Airlines_Airbus_A319_B.php

Spirit's A319 aircraft feature seats with no recline and 28 inches of seat pitch - the least amount of space of all US domestic carriers.

I suggest people considering flying Spirit assign no credibility to posters who don't have an issue with Spirit's seating. The poster might be short, have only flown older planes or be a masochist.

To answer your question, I've never flown Spirit but my seat got changed on another airline. I wound up with a seat which didn't recline and with reduced pitch, 29-30. It was horrible. I wound up spending most of the flight in the aisle.

I've never been water boarded but I'm pretty sure I wouldn't like it. I've never flown with Spirit but I'm 100% sure I wouldn't like their new seat configuration. It's marginally worse then a seat I got stuck with on another airline.

edited to add: Spirit might be bearable if you are able to book the "big front seat" at a reasonable price, after you add all the other fees. You still run the risk of flight changes due to weather. It could days to rebook and you might not wind up with your big front seat.

 

[disneyfun2007]

I flew Spirit in July. The flight was delayed about 45 minutes to 1 hour going from Latrobe to Orlando and returning home it was 3 hours delayed. I did not have an issue with it. My 18 yr old daughter vowed never again for her.

The departure flight from Latrobe to Orlando we were in row 29 A-B-C, no issues with the seats not reclining and comfortable for us. We are not tall people. I had carry on bag which fit under seat and daughters had book bags but not to full and both fit under seat. The no recline seat was not a big deal both daughters went to sleep just fine and I read.

I did not purchase any snacks but was offered.

The return flight Orlando to Latrobe other than delay was uneventful. We were in row 18 A-B-C and again no issues.

I would fly them again and plan to sometime in 2014.

 

[akl2004]

We (dw,ds12,ds6)are flying out last week of oct. I also got a much better price, even with reserved seats and checked bags than sw out of PIttsburgh. We are in JOhnstown so 40 minutes drive compared to 90 minutes is an easy decision. Also, my sister and her family flew out last year in addition to at least 5 friends in the last year or so. The only inconvenience is the flight time. Everybody we have talked torecommended Spirit from Latrobe. As for the seats, its a two and a half hour flight. I have spent that much time in movie theater seats that don't recline. As for delays, I have been checking flight status for about the last two weeks and have seen delays leaving Latrobe twice, the longest being one hour, I think. For the cost savings, i'll take the chance.

 

[heidihoho50]

When I do the online check-in before we leave I have to print a boarding pass. How do I or do I need to print one for return flight when spirit isn't a "participating airline?"

 

[OrangeCountyCommuter]

Because it's not for a suitcase. It's for a purse, small backpack, briefcase, computer bag..

Spirit got tired of passengers "cheating" them out of their baggage fees by using "bin bags" Now you pay for a bin bag.


or People who didn't like Spirit's inability to reschedule a flight cancelled due to weather or other issues. or People who wound up with one of Spirit's newer planes with seats which don't recline and virtually no leg room. or A passenger who didn't full read the "fine print" and didn't realize Spirit charges an overweight fee for bags over 40lbs, industry standard is 50.

Or people who have read a lot of message boards and understand that people think Spirit is great until the unexpected happens. And then you discover the President of the airline meant it when he said they don't do service Over Christmas I read several horror stories of "we are stuck and Spirit won't get us on another plane for a week".

I have read enough reviews to know I am NOT getting on this airline

 

[Ed J]

When I do the online check-in before we leave I have to print a boarding pass. How do I or do I need to print one for return flight when spirit isn't a "participating airline?"

Someone at your hotel should be able to print a boarding pass out for you. In the event they can't, you can get it printed at the airport, no big deal. Be warned that Spirit charges you for this service, its not much but they are the only airlines I'm familiar with (meaning I have actual experience with dozens of trips not what I read somewhere) that charges for this. I've always had a way to print a BP but I think its only a couple of bucks... ETA it's 10 bucks.

Enjoy your trip

 

[heidihoho50]

Someone at your hotel should be able to print a boarding pass out for you. In the event they can't, you can get it printed at the airport, no big deal. Be warned that Spirit charges you for this service, its not much but they are the only airlines I'm familiar with (meaning I have actual experience with dozens of trips not what I read somewhere) that charges for this. I've always had a way to print a BP but I think its only a couple of bucks... ETA it's 10 bucks.

Enjoy your trip

Thank you! I read some where that the airport has a machine where you can go And print it yourself . Do you think I can still do my 24 hour check in online and them wait Nd print it at airport? Sorry for so many questions new to all this!