Spirit Airlines personal item?

[aubriee]

Would something like this be allowed on Spirit Airlines as a free personal item? At 16"x12"x9.5", it seems to fit within their measurements of 16"x14"x12", but I ordered it and it seems bigger than the personal items I usually carry. I measured it and the meaurments are correct. Just want to make sure I don't have to pay a fee for it. I usually carry a Vera Bradley small duffel or weekender, but according to Spirit's measurements, those would be too big. However, even though it's technically smaller, it looks like the Revo Bolt tote would hold just as much, if not more than the VB bags.

http://www.ebags.com/product/revo/bolt-16-tote/223439?lastterm=revo bolt 16 tote

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

That does sound large for under the seat storage, but it falls within Spirit's guidelines. Just don't over stuff it.

 

[WDWPolyFan]

We flew Spirit (from Atlantic City) in July 2011 with only personal items. My husband, myself, and my son each carried on a backpack that fit under the seat in front of us. There were several people on the plane that had Vera carry ons. The great thing about Vera bags is that they are soft sided and can form to fit under the seat in front of you. Like the last person posted, don't over stuff it. I made sure I rolled all of our clothes to get them to fit. Actually, we might fly Spirit again and do it all over again this year!

 

[JerseyGirl53]

That looks like what I take as a personal item when I fly Spirit. Just remember, that you can't take a purse and a personal item, so I had a small purse that fit inside my personal item bag. That being said, when I flew Spirit in Jan., there were many announcements prior to boarding about the size of your personal item and that you would be charged if it was larger. Then at boarding I saw people with larger bags plus a purse and not one person was stopped. My BIL travels a lot on Spirit and he said it depends on the airport and the person checking. He has seen people stopped and they have to pay some outrageous fee. Other times, no one is stopped.

 

[aubriee]

We flew Spirit (from Atlantic City) in July 2011 with only personal items. My husband, myself, and my son each carried on a backpack that fit under the seat in front of us. There were several people on the plane that had Vera carry ons. The great thing about Vera bags is that they are soft sided and can form to fit under the seat in front of you. Like the last person posted, don't over stuff it. I made sure I rolled all of our clothes to get them to fit. Actually, we might fly Spirit again and do it all over again this year!

According to their site, my Vera Bradley small duffel and weekender both are too big for personal items, which is why I bought the Revo tote. It was the biggest bag I could find that still fit their parameters. I was afraid that even though the VB bags are soft, if they decided to measure them, they'd be over their limits. I prefer my pretty VB bags though. Am I understanding your post right? Did you guys pack for the whole week using just personal items? When I saw how big the inside of that Revo tote was, that was the first thing that crossed my mind. If I packed for just half the trip, then did laundry, I think I might be able to get all my stuff in just that one tote and still keep it within their parameters for a personal item. It would need to hold laundry sheets, sunscreen wipes, 3 pairs of cargo shorts, 3 or 4 tshirts/tanks, a skirt, a swimsuit, underclothes, a small wristlet, a folder with paperwork, maybe a pair of flip flops, and travel size toiletry items. I'm usually a light packer and love packing folders and cubes. I have a small 15" packing folder that might fit into the 16" tote or I could roll and squish stuff into packing cubes. My family is always amazed at all the stuff I can pack into my packing cubes and folders. I may try it and if not, just pay for a carry on. I like having my stuff with me and know I can easily get by with a carry on for seven nights/eight days. I hate that Spirit charges more for a carry on than a checked bag, but since Spirit doesn't participate in DME and I like having my stuff with me anyway, I'd rather do a carry on than a checked bag.

That looks like what I take as a personal item when I fly Spirit. Just remember, that you can't take a purse and a personal item, so I had a small purse that fit inside my personal item bag. That being said, when I flew Spirit in Jan., there were many announcements prior to boarding about the size of your personal item and that you would be charged if it was larger. Then at boarding I saw people with larger bags plus a purse and not one person was stopped. My BIL travels a lot on Spirit and he said it depends on the airport and the person checking. He has seen people stopped and they have to pay some outrageous fee. Other times, no one is stopped.

I don't normally carry a purse, except maybe a wristlet that would easily fit inside the tote. I hate bag lines, so usually wear cargo shorts down there. Spirit just started flying out of DFW to MCO March 22nd, so are new to this area, so I don't really know anything about their policies and how strict they may be. I'd rather just know that my bag is within their guidelines and not have to worry about it. If after being packed, the tote is still within their measurements for a personal item, but for some reason won't fit under the seat, would they still charge if it had to go in the overhead? Believe me, I'll be measuring after it's packed.

 

[WDWPolyFan]

Aubriee,
Yup! We only flew with personal items! Spirit had a great deal last year $59 per person each way and I couldn't pass it up! It was a challenge, but we did it. We each carried on a backpack. Our trip was 5 days in July so our clothes were light and we didn't need jackets, etc. My son is only 7 so his clothes are small and easy to roll. I stuffed socks and underware in gallon size zip lock bags and squeezed the air out before completely sealing. My son only needed half of his bag so that left more room for the zip lock bag of 2oz liquids and some other things that didn't fit in my bag. I rolled my husband's clothes and he wore his bulky shorts and sneekers on the flight. The rest of his clothes were mesh shorts and tee shirts so they don't take up a lot of room. I rolled my clothes as well and wore my sneakers on the plane. We only packed flip flops for the pool. Only taking backpacks limited what we could bring home too. That was a good thing beacuse we didn't buy a lot of junk. We collect pins so that's what we focused on and they fit easily in a backpack. We are going in August and are going to do backpacks again! Good luck!!!

 

[JerseyGirl53]

If your bag is within the stated measurements, they should not charge you. They have these boxes that are that size and if it fits in there, you are okay. Remember, you are also allowed to carry on things like jackets, umbrellas, magazines, food to eat on the plane, etc, free of charge. If you do check any bags, keep in mind that Spirit's weight limit is 40lbs. Most other airlines are 50 lbs. I mention this because my friend thought it was still 50 lbs and had to pay an excess weight charge. Have a great trip!!