NJ Spirit vs. USAir

[chrisd596]

Booking summer vacation 04 trying to decide between Spirit vs US Air. The cost and flight times are relatively the same w/ spirit $50 cheaper for my family of 5, however with Spirit you must wait until 3 months to pick seats where as USAir will allow you to choose seating at time of booking.

I'm in Marlton therefore Phl is closer but have been told by a few that Spirit is really easy to use in AC.

Any opionons would be appreciated.

thanks
chris

 

[XStAnt]

Hi neighbor,

If Spirit is cheaper and all other things being equal I'd go with Spirit. Why pay more than you have to. But I'll give you two things to consider about Spirit--one good, one bad. The good: ACY is easier to get in and out of and cheaper to park. The bad: Spirit only has a few flights a day to MCO (if that many). If a plane has mechanical problems you'll be stuck, possibly until the next day.

I wouldn't worry about the seat selection on Spirit since no one else can book seats yet. Just call 3 months away and get your seats.

Have you checked out Air Tran out of PHL. They usually have good fares to MCO.

Also, it's a long time from next summer. Are you getting a really good rate (<$150??). If not, you may want to wait until they have a fare sale or lower the rates. Just keep an eye on the fares. You can even sign up for Travelocity's fare watcher alert where they email you when your fare changes by $25. I believe Expedia also has something like this.

 

[chrisd596]

Thanks for the help.
Any other responces would be appreciated.
chris

 

[DebbieB]

I once sat in the Atlantic City airport for hours waiting for a Spirit flight to depart. The plane needed a part and it was flown in on a flight from Tampa, so we had to wait for that flight to arrive, plus the part to be installed. In a small airport like ACY, I don't think they keep many spare parts around or have an extra aircraft available like they would at a USAir hub. Is it $50 total or $50 per person? For $50 total, I would go with USAir. For $50 per person or $250 total, I might take a chance with Spirit.

 

[mad4themouse]

Another word about USAir...they have a horrible reputation for misplacing luggage between PHL and MCO. Last month, all three of my checked pieces made it to Orlando 4 hours after we did! Not only were our bags missing but so were those of about 20 other passengers.

When DH put in our claim at with the baggage claim attendant in Orlando, he said that this happens quite often with USair from Philly. On our cruise, we talked with another DISer who had spent a week in WDW prior to the cruise and USAir had lost half of her luggage as well!

If I lived closer to AC like you do, I'd be flying Spirit from there. As it stands, from PHL to MCO (non-stop), my only choices are AirTran and USAir. {{sigh}}

 

[mep319]

I've flown USAir out of PHL to MCo at least 3x year for the past 7 years....I've never once had them loose my luggage. Of course I'm sure I just jinxed myself for my upcoming trip! But seriously..never a problem. I think that is a possibiltity of that with any major airport. I have to agree if it is $50/pp I'd go with Spirit...$50.00 total..I'd stick w/ USair.