Spirit - a few questions....

[Hmom]

So, I am seriously considering Spirit for our upcoming trip. I am hoping someone here might be able to help with a question or two.

1. How far in advance does Spirit post $9 fares? From our local airport, they go out to June 12, but nothing for 6 months after that.

2. Friends just had a horrible 5 hour wait at MCO due to Spirit. Are delays like this common? It wasn't a weather issue.

3. How often does Spirit change their flights? We flew AirTran last time & had our flights changed several times. We ended up going down on Southwest & returning on AirTran due to the changes.

Thanks!

 

[mieuxmew]

The $9 fares are random and don't seem to be too often, but usually IF I see them, they tend to be about 1 month out from Atlantic City. I managed to score a flight for my parents last fall (they were planning to drive 21 hours so a BIG savings for them!). No such luck for me! It was from Atlantic City, NJ to Tampa, not MCO. It was a Wed departure and a Friday return. We were planning a staycation 2 years ago but a month out landed $19 fares on Spirit...so to Disney we went!

I have had only 1 flight delay from Spirit (leaving MCO a two hour delay) in the 3 round trips I have taken. They did change my flight time twice. The 7 am flight got changed to 6am. We live 2 hours from the airport, so we chose to stay the night before at a local hotel. Another afternoon departure was moved up an hour.

Hope it helps! Spirit is fine when all goes well. Spirit customer service is bare bones. Watch the "optional fees." Some can be avoided and others can't.

 

[Hmom]

Thanks for the help!

 

[mommy2jack]

We just flew Spirit. Returned home from our trip yesterday. We loved the direct flights and cheaper fare. I joined the $9 club because when I bookd our tickets about a month out that was cheaper than not joining the club. Not sure how often or when those fares get posted though. Our flight out went fine actually made it into MCO earlier than expected. Our flight home was delayed due to weather. The plane we were waiting for was coming from Dallas and had to make a landing in Oklahoma due to storms. Spirit only has a few planes I think and they can come in from all over. The plan was coming from Dallas to MCO and then taking us to Latrobe, PA and then from there they were heading to another airport. So those people in Latrobe were stuck waiting for our plan to arrive. But overall it we enjoyed the flight and will fly with spirit again.

 

[guitarob]

I've flown Spirit, and they're a pretty decent airline, but watch out, their bag fees are the highest I've seen, and they charge for carry-on bags too

It seems that if you're not a member of the $9 fare club, you get raked over the coals. I tried pricing them for our upcoming trip, ended up on Southwest to and AirTran from.

 

[punn]

We just flew Spirit. Returned home from our trip yesterday. We loved the direct flights and cheaper fare. I joined the $9 club because when I bookd our tickets about a month out that was cheaper than not joining the club. Not sure how often or when those fares get posted though. Our flight out went fine actually made it into MCO earlier than expected. Our flight home was delayed due to weather. The plane we were waiting for was coming from Dallas and had to make a landing in Oklahoma due to storms. Spirit only has a few planes I think and they can come in from all over. The plan was coming from Dallas to MCO and then taking us to Latrobe, PA and then from there they were heading to another airport. So those people in Latrobe were stuck waiting for our plan to arrive. But overall it we enjoyed the flight and will fly with spirit again.

We will be flying on Spirit out of Latrobe in Sept glad to hear that your flights were good. I have been waiting to hear from someone about how they are out of Latrobe, thanks for posting.

 

[mommy2jack]

We will be flying on Spirit out of Latrobe in Sept glad to hear that your flights were good. I have been waiting to hear from someone about how they are out of Latrobe, thanks for posting.

Latrobe is actually a great little airport! Parking was FREE and the security line was so short and painless. Compared to the bigger Pittsburgh and Orlando airports it was really a nice change. There is a little bar area next to the waiting area, which we didn't know about ahead of time. They sell hotdogs, a few sandwiches, candy, chips, soda, juice and alcohol.
Have a great trip!

 

[OrangeCountyCommuter]

Spirit is fine until anything goes wrong

Then you discover why, in an industry not known for great service, you just found the bottom feeder

And make sure you add in ALL fees the luggage carryon fee just went up and it is steep IMHO. My fav is the "unintended consequence fee". That is the fee they charge YOU because they have to tell you the fees. LOL

 

[joncorr3]

We will be flying on Spirit out of Latrobe in Sept glad to hear that your flights were good. I have been waiting to hear from someone about how they are out of Latrobe, thanks for posting.

I was on that Friday Night 5/18 flight out of Latobe. And I was not happy about how they handled it at all. I had such high hopes for this flight. I fly to MCO 2-3 times a year and hate driving to PIT, and SCE is getting expensive. I doubt I will fly with Spirit again unless things change. My next trip in November the Spirit rates out of LBE have went up 50%. Yes it was cheaper than anything out of PIT even with hat bag charges. But sitting at a small airport for 7 hours was uncalled for.
Spirit had a goldmine there and they blew it, probably 85% of the people on that full flight will not fly Spirit again because of the way it was handled.

 

[Hmom]

I really appreciate everyone's input!

Once I added in the $9 fare club cost + the baggage fees, I might as well just stick with SW. Although, the thought of Latrobe being so much closer & free parking is pretty awesome, but it can't make up for the overall cost.

Thanks again!

 

[njmom47]

We've flown Spirit out of AC before and it was fine (but it was before all the fees). You may want to price other airlines...I ended up on United last month when I flew to Fla.

 

[YankeePrincess]

We fly out of Atlantic City with Spirit every trip. We really like them. I enjoy the big front seats. They don't really change their flights often. They did this year but it was months before the trip and only an hour different. In Atlantic City the flight times have actually been the same for years.

We have never had any delay in MCO to date.

 

[lcasa]

We did a 1 hr LAX-Vegas trip on Spirit - my 6'3" DH says he'll never do it again -- at least without paying extra for the big seats. He barely could fit -- his knees were pushed into the seat in front of him.

Make sure you pre-pay for your bags -- I noticed the signs for checked/carry on prices going up as we went from the internet payment screen to the checkin desk up front and then to the gateside counter - and they DO measure those carryons and then charge a small fortune so make sure you fit. We went checked because the size limit was higher ( fit in 1 suitcase for the 2 of us ) and the cost was lower. Cost was just a bit of time waiting for the bag.