Spirit Air?

[vttkdmom]

I am wondering if anyone has any opinions/experience with this carrier? I have to fly my teenage son home alone from Fort Lauderdale in July and they seem to be the only carrier that has a non-stop flight (significantly cheaper as well).

I think he would be fine on Jet Blue transferring at JFK, as he has done this many times with us in the past, but a nonstop would be better.

I am very wary of this having been bitten by Direct Air.

Thanks in advance for any help!

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

Lots of people here have posted about Spirit- just do a search, you'll find many threads. Make sure you read and understand their rules regarding all the extra fees they have before buying your ticket. It may be cheaper to stick with JetBlue; you definitely will get better service and nicer planes.

 

[mchllevns]

We've never had a problem with Spirit although it is rather like riding a bus...you are squeezed in pretty tight. We switched to Southwest only because of the fees that Spirit charges...bag fees, carry on fees, seat fees...the price keeps going up!

 

[PlutoPony]

My concern with Spirit would be what would happen if there were irregular ops - flight canceled at last minute, etc. As they don't interline or run flights daily between many city pairs it's quite possible your son could be stuck for a while if his flight was unable to go. I'd want to make sure he had a cell phone / charger, CC, and knew what to do if he had to scramble to get a last minute ticket on another airline.

 

[RMAMom]

You may also want to take into consideration that Spirit refers to themselves as an A la carte airline. Meaning that you can purchase the services you want. So after you purchase your ticket if you want you can purchase a seat assignment, if you want to bring a carry on you will have to purchase the right to do that also as well as purchasing a spot for checked bags.

Just make sure you study Spirits policy really well so you aren't surprised with the additional charges.

 

[OrangeCountyCommuter]

Check ALL the fees

Carry on.. Fee (and it's getting STEEP)
Checked luggage ... Fee
Seat assignment .... Fee
Forget to print your boarding pass before you get to the airport... Fee
And my favorite... "the goverment made us disclose fees" ....Fee (and there's no way around this one)


And you didn't pay a fee for Customer Service so they have none. In an industry not known for service you have found the bottom feeder!

 

[Lewisc]

The total (optional) fees paid by an average Spirit passenger is now over $100 (R/T).

 

[debster812]

I am wondering if anyone has any opinions/experience with this carrier? I have to fly my teenage son home alone from Fort Lauderdale in July and they seem to be the only carrier that has a non-stop flight (significantly cheaper as well).

I think he would be fine on Jet Blue transferring at JFK, as he has done this many times with us in the past, but a nonstop would be better.

I am very wary of this having been bitten by Direct Air.

Thanks in advance for any help!

I personally would feel more comfortable with a teen navigating JetBlue's terminal than flying Spirit. Full disclosure, I have had two less than stellar experiences with Spirit, and as such, they are probably my last choice. (Never say never).

However, JetBlue's terminal at JFK is self contained, and very easy to get from one end to the other.

Like another poster said, if there are any irregular ops with Spirit, you really are pretty much left to your own devices.