SPIRIT Airlines Clarification Needed

[RCMommy]

Hi Everyone,

We have never flown with Spirit Airlines before. However, their current fare has me looking very hard at booking them for May.

I know they are said to "nickel and dime" everything. But I have two questions I hope someone can answer for me.

I see "one personal item" is allowed. So, for ladies I assume a purse is free. What about my kids? Is one backpack each allowed as their own "personal free item"

Also, if you book through Book-it.com or Travelocity for example is says that Spirit will choose your seats once you get there. Surely, they would seat my kids with me right? I realize if I left boarding to last minute we would be stuck with whatever is left, but we won't do that.

TIA.

 

[anonymousegirl]

I haven't flown Spirit but I can tell you that I would never count on your kids being sat next to you if you do not pick the seats in advance. There are countless tales of just that scenario happening even with children as young as 2.

Of course, many of these situations get resolved once on board but the whole thing is stressful and sometimes delays the plane's departure. Most people are not happy about being asked to move, especially those who paid in advance for their seats.

Can you not buy directly from Spirit and purchase seats?

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

Everyone with a ticket gets a personal item. Check Spirit's website; this is clearly explained there. No, you aren't guaranteed seats next to your children.

I agree with the above poster; why not buy tickets directly from Spirit?

 

[RCMommy]

If I purchase directly through Spirit - if they select tickets there is no cost. If I choose the seats it is priced $1-50 on their website. That is a pretty big gap in prices. I cannot see what it would cost me to advance pay for seat selection without going through with all of our personal information. Even up to $10 I would consider but if it is $50 for each seat, I might as well book with another airline.

I would never risk flying without my kids near me (my daughter has ocd and anxiety) so I need to perhaps call to get an idea of how much these seats will cost.

 

[RCMommy]

Everyone with a ticket gets a personal item. Check Spirit's website; this is clearly explained there.

I did later find the personal item info. I could not get the page to load earlier.

 

[Ismo]

If I purchase directly through Spirit - if they select tickets there is no cost. If I choose the seats it is priced $1-50 on their website. That is a pretty big gap in prices. I cannot see what it would cost me to advance pay for seat selection without going through with all of our personal information. Even up to $10 I would consider but if it is $50 for each seat, I might as well book with another airline.

I would never risk flying without my kids near me (my daughter has ocd and anxiety) so I need to perhaps call to get an idea of how much these seats will cost.

The price of the seat is scaled based on where it is located. There is usually a row up front that has 2 seats and 2 seats instead of 3 and 3. The seats are bigger there. Those seats cost the most.

Then the next group is the emergency exit aisle.

You should try booking through Spirit directly. Go through all of the steps and when you get to the part for selecting your seat you'll see a map of the plane and all of the seats will be in color categories. And on the left you'll be able to see how much each of the colors cost.

You can go all the way through picking your seats and adding your luggage and getting a total cost without having to pay for anything. So if at the end you decide the prices is too much you can still change your mind.

There's no way to guarantee sitting next to your kids unless you book the seats ahead of time. Some times people can be quite nice and will move seats so you can all sit together, but unfortunately you cannot bank on this.

 

[i_love_stitch]

If you want to sit with your children you must select and pay for your seats ahead of time. (We have four kids and have flown Spirit.) I would not count on kind stranger switching seats, as they probably paid for their specific seat too. I wouldn't want to take the chance of having my kids sit with someone other than our family for a multitude of reasons.

We have never had a bad experience on Spirit. The staff was very professional in my opinion. Yes, they nickel and dime you, but do the math and see if it works out for your family. You can go to spirit.com and take the booking almost to the end before you actually pay to see your exact price. I hope this helps.

 

[Buzz's Buddy]

You'll definitely want to pay for your seats in advance since you need to sit next to your children. If you're just picking average seats, it will probably cost about $10 per seat.

You'll also want to book directly with Spirit. I can't imagine any benefit to booking on a travel website, but there are likely to be downsides.

Just make sure you take all of the luggage and seat fees into consideration when determining your final cost. Remember that Spirit has a 40 lb limit on luggage.

Having said all of that, you can save lots of $$ flying Spirit! Good luck.

 

[Greysword]

Be wary of Spirit Airlines. Since you may be coming from Canada, the flight is going to be long, and may feel even longer. here are some starting points for research:

SeatGuru: http://www.seatguru.com/airlines/Spirit_Airlines/information.php

Routehappy reviews:
https://www.routehappy.com/airlines/NK-Spirit

I found an article on ThePointsGuy blog and will quote the relevant section below http://thepointsguy.com/2013/08/top-10-worst-airline-economy-seats/

1. Spirit Airlines: With an average of only 28 inches of pitch and no recline (they call them “pre-reclined”, but they took out the mechanisms so they’d weigh less), you are likely to feel cramped whatever flight you are on, with the seats begin described as “very uncomfortable. No leg room at all,” by one recent reviewer on SeatGuru.com, plus “the service was terrible.” The airline has now become infamous for its outrageous fees and strict no refund policy. It no longer offers a toll free 1-800 number, instead it is a not-free 801 area code, costing $0.05 to $0.18 per minute from a landline. There is also a $3 charge for bottled water, a $10 fee for printing out your boarding pass. plus $35-100 for a carry-on bag.

Good luck!

 

[OrangeCountyCommuter]

"Surely they would book my kids with me"


It is Spirit. You are paying less then any other airline so they have to keep costs low. The FAA won't let them skip maintenance so they skip service.


In other words they don't care where you and your kids sit and will not be helpful when you are scattered all over the plane. And since the other passengers did pay they are unlikely to be willing to move for you