Spirit Airlines? Reviews?

[Sagginit]

Thanks everyone. I didn't realize that this had been discussed previously (probably because they've never been on my radar) but I think we be decided to err on the side of caution and fly a more reputable carrier. Thanks again!

I see you have three kids. I have flown with them NJ to FL many times and had no problems. However as adults we d on't worry about many things that you may be concerned about so I completely understand your decision (separating us, boarding order, multiple suitcases etc).

Spirit works in situations where you are ok with well, an air bus. I know a lot of snowbirds who us them b/c most of their clothes and personal items are in their house in FL and its a quick 2 hour flight. I don't know if I would use them for a flight longer than 2-3 hours as it can get cramped in there.

That being said I have never really had an CS issues with them but it depends on your airport. Flights out of smaller airports always go better than our spirit flights out of big ones (like MCO).

 

[amcnj]

Like everything else these days, just go into it with open eyes, so you are aware of all fees and thus can determine the true overall cost for you. Also you can be subject to flight delays as the planes are cleaned and refueled and sent back out, so a delay somewhere earlier in the day has a ripple effect. But maybe that is how most airlines are now, no spare planes to send out should a problem arise (mechanical or weather related)?

 

[jm0925]

Thinking of flying on Spirit Airlines. I know nothing about them, so can you tell me what I need to know? I'm sure there is a catch as to why they're so cheap!

Thanks in advance!

I've flown Spirit one time and that was from Ft. Lauderdale to the Virgin Islands. We actually had a good experience flying with them. They do nickle and dime you for things, but in the end you end up paying less flying with them than on the bigger carriers. The only issue we had was (as someone else said), the seating is tighter so if you are flying with someone who is on the bigger, tall side, pay the extra money for the bigger seats. My boyfriend is 6,7" and needless to say the guy in front of him had no chance of putting his seat back.

Overall I was pleasantly surprised. The flights were on-time and landed early each way. The attendants were courteous. I didn't see anything really different than what I've experienced on other flights.

Honestly, everyone has their good and bad experiences with different airlines. I've had a few bad experiences with the bigger airlines namely delayed flights due to mechanical issues and I've been on others where the attendants seemed rude and hated their job.

So as another said, go with open eyes and judge for yourself. Just because others had a bad experience doesn't mean you will. The same potential issues are possible with any airline you fly. Just read up on Spirits fees so you know what to expect and how to plan.

Good Luck!

 

[tuckerkeys]

I fly Spirit to FL all the time, being that the AC airport is 45 minutes door to door.

It is basically a greyhound bus in the sky. For 2 hours though, and pretty cheap flights, it is worth it.

I would not fly Spirit if my flight was 3-4 hours or more. For the quick NJ to FL flight for me it is usually the answer.

Yes, they do charge for the seats, as well as bags. Yes the weight limit on bags is 40 lbs, which is hard b/c most luggage empty weighs 8-12 lbs.

We take advantage of the free personal bag allowed, which usually is a back pack, or one of those kiddy luggage pieces with decorations on them such as princesses etc etc....My kids pack their clothes in each of their bags, I take a back pack w/ electronics & personal items for the travel day.

The 1 thing I have learned is that you DO NOT HAVE to purchase a seat. They will assign you one on your travel day but be prepared for row 29-35. If you are flying during a busy time, I would purchase a seat though b/c I have been told that they will bump you if you do not purchase a seat, even when you have done the online check in 24 hrs in advance.....What we do when we're not sure is a couple of days out I will do a "fake" booking, get to the seat screen for the flight we are taking & see just how many empty seats are available for this flight. If we're cutting it close I'll hop on my ressie & buy the seats. If there are still plenty of seats left tho, I'll leave it up to the gate attendents to assign for us.

It's a no frills airline & you get what you get. But not bad for the price!

 

[OrangeCountyCommuter]

We've done Spirit several times due to cost but will no longer fly them because simply, Spirit is horrendous. We live 30 mins from AC, NJ, but will drive 1 hour to use the Philadelphia airport to avoid Spirit.

There is no leg room. If one needed to get into crash position, they would be unable! Your head would hit the back of the headrest in front of you! My husband was extremely uncomfortable and was unable to keep his legs in front of him.
They pack the plane with so many seats, it's like a flying clown car!! How many people can we fit on this plane??


The worst experience we had was leaving MCO. We were called to the gate because the seats we booked online were no longer available as the plane type had changed that evening. Due to this, my 6 year old daughter and I wound up in an exit row. Obviously, there are rules about children in exit rows. After standing for 1 hour waiting for the problem to be resolved ( they were supposed to ask someone to switch with us- they never did), they told us to board and that it was taken care of- guess where they had us sit? The same exit row!!! Grrr!! Also, friends of ours were also on the same flight. They were called to the gate because with the change of plane type, their seats no longer existed! The plane was significantly smaller and half of their family gave up their seats in order for my friends to be able to fly home!

Everything about Spirit is a la carte. You will pay to reserve seats, for luggage, for printing your boarding pass at the terminal, etc. Also, the size limitations on luggage are much smaller than other airlines- instead of 50 lbs., they only allow 40lbs.

If you decide to fly Spirit, factor in all their fees and be prepared for changes at the last minute for your flights. Good luck with your decision.

Did they let your six year old sit in the Exit row?

 

[OrangeCountyCommuter]

I've flown Spirit one time and that was from Ft. Lauderdale to the Virgin Islands. We actually had a good experience flying with them. They do nickle and dime you for things, but in the end you end up paying less flying with them than on the bigger carriers. The only issue we had was (as someone else said), the seating is tighter so if you are flying with someone who is on the bigger, tall side, pay the extra money for the bigger seats. My boyfriend is 6,7" and needless to say the guy in front of him had no chance of putting his seat back.



Good Luck!

No, the person in front of him didn't have a "chance" of putting his seat back, but not because of your boyfriend's height.

In order to CRAM those seats in there the feature they took out.. the recline button no longer reclines a seat.

 

[Planogirl]

We used them when we flew to Orlando for our Halloween trip. The price was great and the service was fine for what you got. However, I am a little claustrophobic and the lack of space was a little difficult for me. It was tight!

 

[LiamandMaeve]

Did they let your six year old sit in the Exit row?

Yes.

 

[JandT'smom]

Flew them MCO to Chicago...NO TOILET PAPER. yes I was not expecting it to be great but plane was dirty, cramped, seats very uncomfortable which I could handle no toilet paper in either bathroom never again.

 

[amcnj]

The earlier post cautioning about purchasing seats is a vaild one. We know a team that flew out late last week. The plane was overbooked, not enough people volunteered to give up their seats, so Spirit started bumping some of those passengers who had not purchased their seats. Unfortunately this included some of those on the team, who then had to scramrble to another airport and try and get a flight out so they could be at the event the next day!

 

[ericm078]

Were in Chicago, and normally fly Southwest, but I came across a a deal today with buying seats and Bags for 700 bucks on Spirit for 4 people. Flight times were good, and if if wanted comparable flight times it would cost me $1700 on Southwest. I am seriously considering purchasing them. I mean for 2.5 hours can it really be that bad to save $1000 bucks?

 

[jgazda]

Were in Chicago, and normally fly Southwest, but I came across a a deal today with buying seats and Bags for 700 bucks on Spirit for 4 people. Flight times were good, and if if wanted comparable flight times it would cost me $1700 on Southwest. I am seriously considering purchasing them. I mean for 2.5 hours can it really be that bad to save $1000 bucks?

It's not that bad. We have flown them 4 times in the past year. You are not going to get the free bags, drinks and snacks but they get you from A to B in a safe and timely matter. I can buy a lot of drinks and snacks with a $1000 savings.

 

[ericm078]

It's not that bad. We have flown them 4 times in the past year. You are not going to get the free bags, drinks and snacks but they get you from A to B in a safe and timely matter. I can buy a lot of drinks and snacks with a $1000 savings.

Ya you sure can buy alot with that savings. The nice thing it too were like 15 min form ohare, and 45 from midway, so that helps as well. It looks like were going to be there at the same time to according to your ticker! we leave 3 days after you!

 

[homedad]

They are the worst airline we have ever flown and we have used around 10 different carriers. They are frequently late, cancel flights, and customer service is non-existent if something goes wrong. We will always pay more to fly anyone but them.

 

[debster812]

I'm another one who will avoid Spirit at all costs. When everything goes well, they are fine for what they are; a low cost, no-frills airline. As others have said it's when things go wrong is where things can go south in a big hurry. Any type of irregular ops, and you are truly on your own.

Several years ago, we were on Spirit for a long weekend trip from Boston to Myrtle Beach. DS & I were scheduled to fly on a non-stop flight from BOS-MYR, which should have put us in MYR by noon. Our flight was cancelled between the time we left the house, and the time we arrived at the airport. We did not get out until after 4PM, and our non-stop was changed to a one-stop, and did not put us in MYR until after 8pm. Missed 1 day out of 4. (we were actually put on a USAirways flight).

Coming home, our flight was delayed HOURS and HOURS due to fog up and down the East Coast. However, Spirit did not bother to tell us this until after we checked in, and went through security. There was NO ONE at the gate to answer questions, and we could never reach anyone at Spirit on the phone for updates. We spent 4 additional hours at the MYR airport as our plane did not leave it's destination until an hour AFTER we were supposed to take off from MYR.

"Stuff" happens, and I get that, it was the utter lack of information, and the complete disdain that Spirit had for it's passengers that totally turned me off. This was was 5 or 6 years ago, and I have still not flown with them.

 

[las3888]

For you Spirit fans and experts I am wondering about Spirit's pricing. I have been watching flights and the pricing changes daily and in this case today it's been hourly. There is a discount code that expires tonight (7.5OFF)--now the flights I have been watching are the highest they have been. Am I better off waiting until the code expires to see if there is some better pricing come tomorrow or is code pricing usually the way to go? We are looking to travel in less than a month so we can't wait too long. Any ideas?

 

[jenseib]

yuck yuck and yuck. After the 1st time I swore never again, but I did. And now for sure never again. Their seats are smaller than other airlines so you sit with the seat in front of you jammed into your knees. Also their luggage weight limit is 40 verses 50 with other airlines. But the time I paid for luggage and carryons (I did not pay for seat the 2nd time) I was still at the same price as it would've been with using Delta.

 

[jm0925]

No, the person in front of him didn't have a "chance" of putting his seat back, but not because of your boyfriend's height.

In order to CRAM those seats in there the feature they took out.. the recline button no longer reclines a seat.

Then that must be a recent change in their planes because when we flew with them 2 years ago, the seats did recline. I remember the poor guy in front of my boyfriend trying to recline his seat and he couldn't figure out why it wasn't moving.

 

[FunAtTheCircus]

The trick is that everything is extra.. from choosing seats, to bags, to food and drink on the plane. My husband and I flew Chicago to Orlando and it was fine... but by the time we paid to reserve a seat, take bags with us, and get a soda it was as much if not more than we would have paid with United. My personal opinion would be to drive. To the poster who asked about the coupon code, I would probably wait with spirit.. unfortunately their prices change constantly. In fact, that's really the case with all airlines.

We recently drove a 9.5 hour drive and it was fine.. I slept a lot of the way and read a book the rest.

I hate flying unless we are flying first class as I have a terrible time my legs hurting from the air pressure and I need somewhere comfortable to put my legs.

 

[DisDee]

We've been flying on Spirit from ACY to Florida for probably 12 years now. We always get great prices. Their customer service and baggage policies have declined over the years but I do believe that is the trend in airline travel. Just do your homework and learn the policies in advance don't show up clueless at the airport like I've seen so many do. We've had flights changed at the airport due to a delay which benefited us with an addtional day's vacation and also received a free roundtrip flight by giving up our seats for a slightly later flight.

The 40 lb checked baggage limit is a pain but we just returned from a 7 day cruise on Allure of the Seas and we made it work by investing in a $10.00 luggage scale. The under seat carry on is free but ladies make sure you can fit your handbag inside.

We booked with them for our upcoming Oct. trip to WDW.- $49.00 pp each way. We will take 1 pc of checked luggage for the 2 of us because Vistana has full laundry facilities in the unit. We'll also maximize our under-seat pieces at 16x14x12.

I know I sound like a cheerleader but we've been happy with their service over the years. We also use them for flights to Myrtle Beach.