OT: Any Canadian DISers use Spirit Airlines?

[Gigi22]

Just reserving airfare for a flight within Florida. Spirit Airlines consistently shows the lowest prices for flights out of FLL. But, I am leery of using them, as they seem to be a very budget line very loosely affiliated with United. Any feedback on them? Are they good and cheap, or just cheap? Inquiring minds want to know. TIA.

 

[hardis5]

We've flown them out of Detroit and Cleveland on the way down and Tampa and Orlando on the way back home. Ones gets what one pays for on Spirit and we like that. We have had no worse delays with them than anyone else. Just watch the bag weight limit (lower than all others) and buy your own snacks to bring on-board. We flew Cleveland to Orlando direct with good flight times for think was $74 total round trip last Spring. Think of the Greyhound of the air and expect no frills, freebies, and to pay extra if even printing your boarding pass at the airport, but for a budget conscious, savvy travelers they are a great way to save the $ for the destination. Don't expect a lot and be glad of the great prices if found and booked.

 

[mjhtvchick]

See this story...I saw it mentioned on Seth Myers' show the other night...http://www.wilx.com/content/news/Spirit-n-420455163.html

 

[petunia]

Thx for asking..I have been wondering about Spirit and Allegiant as well, since flying out of YYZ is so expensive!

 

[ccudmore]

Flew Spirit in February and flying them again in May. Amazing base fares but the extras (especially baggage) really adds up quickly. Efficient service on modern aircraft. No affiliation with United that I've seen. Keep in mind you'll get nothing other than a very cramped seat included in the fare. They're the lowest rated airline for customer service rating in the US.

 

[lorenni]

I would not fly Spirit if you are planning to fly with anything more than a small purse.

The low price is almost fraudulent advertising, in my mind. You pay for carry on items, you pay for checked items, you pay to check in at the airport, you pay to print your boarding pass at the airport even if you checked in online. It would not shock me to find a quarter slot installed on the bathroom door.

Get online and add up the fees and you will likely find that the all-in price is the same, or even more, than the competition.

 

[Cottager]

I would not fly Spirit if you are planning to fly with anything more than a small purse.

If you're going for a week, the trick to saving on baggage is to wear 7 shirts, pants/shorts, underwear and socks all at the same time. No need for baggage!

 

[Eeyore19]

Totally agree on the baggage. I have flown a few times out of Niagara Falls, NY via Allegiant to Sanford, Florida, and once via Spirit to Myrtle Beach. The maximum allowable weight is only 40lbs per bag. These flights tend not to work well with families, however, for my retired snowbird parents that fly back and forth often, they are a dream.

 

[petunia]

It may work out for us if between the 5 of us, we pack into 1 or 2 suitcases. Are there really fees to check in even if you print out your pass at home prior?

 

[ccudmore]

It may work out for us if between the 5 of us, we pack into 1 or 2 suitcases. Are there really fees to check in even if you print out your pass at home prior?

If you check in at home and print your boarding passes at home there's no fee. You can even check in at the airport and print your boarding pass there for free as long as you use one of their kiosks.

 

[pigletto]

My sister moved to Tampa and she loves Spirit out of Niagara Falls. She's always coming home for long weekends etc and it's perfect for her. She and I discussed that the stakes are too high for me for the family vacation, as I want options in case of cancellations/delays. But for her it works well.
If her weekend gets cancelled she isn't out thousands and can just come another weekend. She doesn't even pay for baggage but just rolls three days of clothes into her "personal item" which is a tote that fits under the seat in front of her. She also has the luxury of leaving extra clothes and toiletries at my parents so she doesn't have to schlep it back and forth. She's paying under $150 return to come home most times, and under $300 for holiday weekends. Even add on the fees and you can't come close with the bigger airlines.

 

[buyerbrad]

It can get expensive when flying with any quantity of luggage. When it was just my wife and I we would use them quite often as we only ever needed one large suitcase and no carry on luggage. Now that we fly with 2 kids and need more stuff, we often fly Delta and pay for 1 large suitcase and each bring a carry on for free. Since we get to board early we never have a problem finding a place for our luggage and the free inflight entertainment is very helpful too.

 

[grantclaire]

Just saw on the news that Spirit is having a dispute with their pilots causing some cancellations.

 

[marcyleecorgan]

I can't even imagine flying a budget airline... they have such little power in customer service, nor do they even pretend to provide it.

Of course part of my soul crumples up and dies when I do pay for airfare, as it's soooo costly, but I am not stepping foot in a literal flying cattle car. Thanks- I want my seat that has room for personal space, I don't want to smell the armpit hair of the person in front of me, I want a friendly attendant and I definitely want snacks and complimentary beverages.

 

[morrik5]

Just saw on the news that Spirit is having a dispute with their pilots causing some cancellations.

Not only a dispute but passengers fighting in the airport.

 

[Gigi22]

OP here. Thanks to all for your input. I wound up purchasing my airline ticket on a "regular" airline. Not interested in an airline fiasco in a foreign country just to save a few bucks.

 

[marcyleecorgan]

OP here. Thanks to all for your input. I wound up purchasing my airline ticket on a "regular" airline. Not interested in an airline fiasco in a foreign country just to save a few bucks.

No kidding! Happy travelling!

 

[AngelDisney]

OP here. Thanks to all for your input. I wound up purchasing my airline ticket on a "regular" airline. Not interested in an airline fiasco in a foreign country just to save a few bucks.

I would have done the same thing. Peace of mind is more important.

 

[jtdl]

I flew Spirit last year DTW to MCO and have booked again for next year. Actually this year flights out of YYZ are not that terribly awful, but that entails a 3 hour drive whereas DTW is only 1 hour. Other than the cramped seats, we had no issues last year with Spirit going in knowing that it is cheapest to pay for checked luggage when making your reservation and the size of the allowable "personal" item (which is my Samsonite under seat luggage and it can hold a couple days' clothes). There are only two airlines that fly nonstop DTW to MCO - Spirit and Delta. I paid $270 total per person return nonstop flights with one checked bag each and advanced seat selection. Delta was close to $450 each plus $25 per checked bag. My friend flies Spirit every year DTW to MCO and has never had an issue other than a 30 minute delay on one flight this year. We did fly Southwest once and liked them but they no longer fly nonstop from DTW and I will only fly nonstop as my very last resort.