Has anyone ever flown Spirit Airlines to DW?

[DisBliss]

The flights seem SO CHEAP, am wondering if there is a catch (I did read about baggage fees - still seems cheap to me).

Anyone flown with them? Thanks!

 

[goofy4tink]

I'm sure a lot of people have flown Spirit Air to MCO. But, I think you will find that the vast majority of frequent fliers tend to avoid Spirit. This airline nickles and dimes you to death. I hate all the addtl fees they tack on. I would rather pay a bit more and know exactly what I am getting. I have yet to get a cheaper fare with Spirit. I have tried but it always comes out being the same or a bit more than Jetblue or SW, which I fly frequently.

 

[DisBliss]

Thank you for the feedback.

I am not sure what other fees they can add on besides luggage (there is a new blurb on their website that says "Fares listed are per person, are non-refundable and include all the taxes and fees")- do you know what other fees there might be besides baggage? Taxes now, by law, are included in the fare.

 

[pr surfer]

Just the nickel and dining and EXTREMELY uncomfortable seats.

The inflight crews are actually quite pleasant.

 

[goofy4tink]

Well, I just priced out comparable fares to Ft Lauderdale, from Boston, to see how their fares compared to the Airtran flights I just took last week. Around the same times...average fares chosen....came to $367. If I had signed up for their special fares, which has a cost of $60 a year, my flights would have been $312. And if I booked the same flight, after paying that $60, the cost would have been $252.....my Airtran flights came to $213, with choosing seats prior to travel and priority boarding costs.
So, I'm not seeing the huge savings here.

 

[DisBliss]

Well, tickets to Orlando going from Atlantic City are $58 each way (roughly $120 round trip incl taxes and "fees"....I would also have to pay $30/25lb bag) if I chose some less than stellar dates (which I am willing to do). The times of these flights (very early and very late) are less than stellar as well - but it seems worth it to avoid an 18 hour drive....yet still, the skeptical side of me feels like there must be a catch.

Comparatively, most of the other flights leaving from NJ to Orlando are at the very least $250 round trip (Jet Blue, Southwest, etc). So it seems from Atlantic City to Orlando is about $150 including bags, per person, while something like Jet Blue is almost $100 more per person. It seems as though I can get 4 round trip tix for less than $500, but with the other airlines it would be about $900.

 

[Sandi]

We flew Spirit from Detroit to MCO several years ago. I will never fly with Spirit again. We were delayed on both ends of the trip several times -- get on a plane, get off the plane, get back on the same plane. Told it was mechanical, then weather, then mechanical -- really. Weather didn't affect any other airline. FAs were not helpful. Bags were delayed for 2 days on the way back (fortunately). All in all, never want to repeat that.

 

[ccgirl]

Well, tickets to Orlando going from Atlantic City are $58 each way (roughly $120 round trip incl taxes and "fees"....I would also have to pay $30/25lb bag) if I chose some less than stellar dates (which I am willing to do). The times of these flights (very early and very late) are less than stellar as well - but it seems worth it to avoid an 18 hour drive....yet still, the skeptical side of me feels like there must be a catch.

Comparatively, most of the other flights leaving from NJ to Orlando are at the very least $250 round trip (Jet Blue, Southwest, etc). So it seems from Atlantic City to Orlando is about $150 including bags, per person, while something like Jet Blue is almost $100 more per person. It seems as though I can get 4 round trip tix for less than $500, but with the other airlines it would be about $900.

Did you review all of their fees? They also charge a fee for carryon. As you mentioned, for seat selection, as well as checked baggage. Note their baggage weight as it tends to be less than other carriers. Then, they really sock you on overweight fees. Also, how many flights are there that day? If one is delayed/cancelled are there others they can book you on.

I have yet to fly them. They always seem less expensive at first until I add in the fees. Also, they do not give drinks/snacks on board for free. There are fees with that too.

Good luck with your decision.

 

[DisBliss]

Well, after careful consideration of all their negative reviews i just decided to go for it. The total came to about $640 for 4 round trip tix between Atlantic City and Orlando, which included 3 checked bags, each way. If we drove, it would cost about $500 in gas, not to mention food and lodging (bec we are not comfortable driving straight through). I'll report back about my experience - we go in a few weeks.

 

[Disneykidsdad]

Last year Spirits checked bag weight limit was only 40 pounds. Everyone at the counter in Orlando last year was pulling open all their luggage to try and rearrange it to be below the 40 pound limit. If I ever fly Spirit again, I will weigh my luggage first and bring a back pack instead of a carry-on. No charge if it fits under your seat.

 

[ccgirl]

Well, after careful consideration of all their negative reviews i just decided to go for it. The total came to about $640 for 4 round trip tix between Atlantic City and Orlando, which included 3 checked bags, each way. If we drove, it would cost about $500 in gas, not to mention food and lodging (bec we are not comfortable driving straight through). I'll report back about my experience - we go in a few weeks.

Did you choose seats too or is the only fee you paid upfront the checked baggage? Are you bringing carry ons? Just curious as I always hear about these great fares but then when I add in everything I would need it ends up being more expensive.

Please do report back. I heard awful reviews about Airtran but I tried them and really liked them.

 

[DisBliss]

Did you choose seats too or is the only fee you paid upfront the checked baggage? Are you bringing carry ons? Just curious as I always hear about these great fares but then when I add in everything I would need it ends up being more expensive.

Please do report back. I heard awful reviews about Airtran but I tried them and really liked them.

I did not choose seats (what a rip!) - I saw in another thread on here that they always seat you with your family. And truth be told, I'm not scared if they do try it - my kids will scream their heads off if that happens...it wouldn be in their best interest to do keep the kids with at least one of us, lol.

I am bringing a purse, and my husband may bring a small laptop, but it would definitely fit under the seat in front. Also bringing a stroller, but their website says they don't charge for that.

 

[ccgirl]

I did not choose seats (what a rip!) - I saw in another thread on here that they always seat you with your family. And truth be told, I'm not scared if they do try it - my kids will scream their heads off if that happens...it wouldn't be in their best interest to do keep the kids with at least one of us, lol.

I am bringing a purse, and my husband may bring a small laptop, but it would definitely fit under the seat in front. Also bringing a stroller, but their website says they don't charge for that.

Aha....Another one. So, if someone spent $18 to sit with other members of their party, you would expect them to move because you did not want to pay the fee? I think you should keep reading because there have plenty of instances of families split up because people did not want to pay the fees.

I priced out a fare from Atlantic City to Orlando May 5 - May 12. At first, it sounded okay...$98 one way. But, Add in $28 for a bag each way and $18 for the seat (yes it is important to me where I sit and to sit with my children so I pay the fee). The flight then becomes $144 each way and well above what I paid for my Jet Blue flight from Boston.

I would not count on sitting with your child, unless they are in a car seat, unless you pay the fee. How unfair to expect others to move to accommodate you.

 

[pr surfer]

I did not choose seats (what a rip!) - I saw in another thread on here that they always seat you with your family. And truth be told, I'm not scared if they do try it - my kids will scream their heads off if that happens...it wouldn be in their best interest to do keep the kids with at least one of us, lol.

I am bringing a purse, and my husband may bring a small laptop, but it would definitely fit under the seat in front. Also bringing a stroller, but their website says they don't charge for that.

How considerate.

 

[DisBliss]

Actually, I'm "behaving" as I normally do on any other airline. I have never once flown Spirit, have never once been split up when flying an other airline, and based on what I read (on here) I do not expect to be split up from a 2 year old - if I am, that is on them.

How considerate.

I might add, there is really no need to be rude or sarcastic here. Just a waste of your energy and totally unnecessary.

 

[DisBliss]

Aha....Another one. So, if someone spent $18 to sit with other members of their party, you would expect them to move because you did not want to pay the fee?

I HIGHLY HIGHLY HIGHLY doubt that every single person on that plane has paid extra to sit with their party. And no, i don't expect even all 4 of us to sit together - but yes, I expect the airline will do what it can to keep a 2 year old with her parent and I will 110% not pay extra for that. Not sorry about that either.

 

[ccgirl]

Actually, I'm "behaving" as I normally do on any other airline. I have never once flown Spirit, have never once been split up when flying an other airline, and based on what I read (on here) I do not expect to be split up from a 2 year old - if I am, that is on them.



I might add, there is really no need to be rude or sarcastic here. Just a waste of your energy and totally unnecessary.

I don't think anyone was being rude or sarcastic. We were letting you know that if you want to sit with other members of your travelling party to pay the fee. It is stated when you book the ticket as well. If you keep searching, you will others did get split up from their children. When you check in, if there are only middle seats on the plane, that is where you will be placed. You can then ask others if they will move for you. It seems you knew about the fee in advance. But, you felt it was a "rip off" to pay it. Sorry, but I do not feel it is a rip off to sit next to members of my travelling party. Spirit is not other airlines. They charge a la carte pricing. You pay for what is important to you. If it is not important to sit next to someone in your party then that is on YOU not them. Unfortunately, this is now why I don't move. There are just too many people not paying the fee because they don't want to. I get so frustrated when people feel they are entitled.

That's all I will say on this thread.

 

[DisBliss]

I wasn't referring to you, CC. "How considerate" was definitely a sarcastic remark, sorry.

Man, it's kind of sad that I've only been on here for a couple of days and somebody is already being rude (and again, not talking about you, CC). I thought this would be a friendly place to get advice, yeesh!

ETA: I was actually NOT aware that the reason why people paid for their seats was so they would not be split up. I thought it was to be able to sit on a certain part of the plane. When I went to pay for my tickets and I got to the seat selection process, I didn't select anything because I felt I didn't care what part of the plane I sat in....I never genuinely thought an airline would split a family up.

 

[goofy4tink]

Actually, I'm "behaving" as I normally do on any other airline. I have never once flown Spirit, have never once been split up when flying an other airline, and based on what I read (on here) I do not expect to be split up from a 2 year old - if I am, that is on them.



I might add, there is really no need to be rude or sarcastic here. Just a waste of your energy and totally unnecessary.

No one is being rude or sarcastic here. We hear, all the time, from people that are looking for the least expensive way to get their family to WDW, who decide that they aren't going to pay for seat assignments. Then, when asked what they will do if they have to split up the family, they give an answer very similar to yours. I have to say that if I pay for my seat, ahead of time, there is no way I am giving it up for someone who chose to go the cheap route. That's just not fair to assume someone is giving up their paid for seat in order to accomodate you and your family.
There is a reason for cheaper flights....time of flights, amenities offered, etc. You go with a cheap flight, you have to be aware of the possibilities. Could you get split up? Yep. Will they seperate you and your 2 y/o? Most likely not. But the rest of the group? Could happen. And you will have no leg to stand on when you find yourself, seated with your 2 y/o, many rows away from your dh and other kids.
Just wanted to be sure you fully understand what 'could' happen. And letting everyone on that plane know that your child gets 'airsick' or 'screams for his mother' or 'throws stuff' isn't going to be welcomed. Others have tried it...doesn't fly, either here or on the plane.

I'm sorry if you feel that we are being harsh here. We aren't trying to be. We try not to be all warm and fuzzy here on the Transportation board. Why? Simply because travel and transportation is very serious...we don't want there to be any misunderstandings here. So, we try to give the best info we can. And sometimes that comes across as being rude or mean. And that's not our intention.
So, hopefully you will understand where we are coming from. We all fly a lot..so we pretty much know all the various situations.

 

[DisBliss]

No one is being rude or sarcastic here. We hear, all the time, from people that are looking for the least expensive way to get their family to WDW, who decide that they aren't going to pay for seat assignments. Then, when asked what they will do if they have to split up the family, they give an answer very similar to yours. I have to say that if I pay for my seat, ahead of time, there is no way I am giving it up for someone who chose to go the cheap route. That's just not fair to assume someone is giving up their paid for seat in order to accomodate you and your family.
There is a reason for cheaper flights....time of flights, amenities offered, etc. You go with a cheap flight, you have to be aware of the possibilities. Could you get split up? Yep. Will they seperate you and your 2 y/o? Most likely not. But the rest of the group? Could happen. And you will have no leg to stand on when you find yourself, seated with your 2 y/o, many rows away from your dh and other kids.
Just wanted to be sure you fully understand what 'could' happen. And letting everyone on that plane know that your child gets 'airsick' or 'screams for his mother' or 'throws stuff' isn't going to be welcomed. Others have tried it...doesn't fly, either here or on the plane.

I'm sorry if you feel that we are being harsh here. We aren't trying to be. We try not to be all warm and fuzzy here on the Transportation board. Why? Simply because travel and transportation is very serious...we don't want there to be any misunderstandings here. So, we try to give the best info we can. And sometimes that comes across as being rude or mean. And that's not our intention.
So, hopefully you will understand where we are coming from. We all fly a lot..so we pretty much know all the various situations.

I had no issue with anyone's reply in telling me how it is. I quoted exactly what I found to be sarcastic in a previous post already.

I just want to clarify: you think, when someone replies with 2 blunt words of "How considerate" when they are clearly aiming to say you are not considerate, that that is not saracastic? That is by definition sarcastic!

I'm just blown away here because I did not think, when i booked, that they split families up. I didn't pay for my seat selection because I interpreted it as something entirely different (and when I mentioned what would happen if they did split us up, I was thinking of it happening as a joke -as in no way would an airline split a family up, so let me JOKE about what would happen in the unlikely even that they would)....please be patient with those of us who are new, and are not actually trying to harm everyone else while we book our vacations.

FYI, here is the post I was referring to that I went by after I read several people vaguely refer to families being split up:

"Okay, 1st of Spirit does not seperate you from your children. I have 4 children, we fly Spirit every year and not one single time have my husband or I ever not sat w/ all 4 children! I'm assuming the above poster has never flown Spirit. The actually have gone out of the way (I've seen it personally) to get you to sit with your family member. We have never bought seats. Our tickets for our next flight cost us $54.90 round trip!! Can't beat that! As for luggage we check in 3 large suitcases for the 6 of us. We do have a w/d where we are going so that helps! I should add that you do NOT have to immediately pay for luggage at time of reservation. You can go back anytime and add luggage later or even pay on seperate occasions. We check in 2 strollers and 2 carseats and no charge for those! We don't take on carry on's. We are $9 fare club members. I posted a review on Spirit the other day that I can C&P for you:

I have flown spirit a couple times a year for the past 10 years! I have a family of 6 and if we want to go to Disney that is what we have to do or drive! So I have a lot of experience with them. Are they great,no BUT IMO they get us there safely. We have never had any major issues! A delay maybe here and there but not more then 30ish min. etc. I have flown to Vegas, Mexico, NY, various cities in FL & Myrtle Beach w/ them over the years. The planes are not the cleanest and that probably is my biggest peave but I can deal! I agree w/ above poster if you know what you are getting and prepared for the extra fee's it's not so horrible!

Our tickets for our next trip in 3 weeks cost us $55 TOTAL w/ taxes and fee's each!! ($54.90 to be exact ) That is the RT price! How can we beat that!? We never pay for seats, we always sit together and they will go out of there way to accomadate you if you want an aisle seat etc. If concerned just get to the check in a little early. We stay in a 2 or 3 bedroom resort so we always have a washer/dryer so we don't overpack. Our trip last June we took 3 large suitcases for the 6 of us and it worked well for us.

I haven't heard about paying for your boarding pass so can't answer to that. I understand that some people won't fly them and that is okay. We do because of the cost and they are not as horrible as some make them out to be! "