Spirit Airlines? Reviews?

[ChiCat]

I will never fly them know matter how cheap they are from all of the horror stories I've heard from my friends. The most recent my friends mother was supposed to fly to OK to see him and never made it because all of their flights were oversold that day how does that happen? Then they lost her luggage and then tried to make her pay to have her luggage returned. Oh and she still hasn't had her money returned to her for the flight that never happened, that was at least a month ago if not longer.

ETA I believe she was flying to Dallas but they are in OK. But either way.... YIKES!

 

[leelee9878]

Little off topic but has anyone flown them standby to get on an earlier flight? I did years ago but can't remember if they charged or not, and the people on the phone are less than helpful when it comes to this.

 

[maulers40]

Wow these boards do have everything! I have been researching Spirit out of Latrobe and even with the low cost the possibility of a cancelled flight and loosing time at work (which I cannt afford) is a little scary. Think of sticking with Southwest out of Pittsburgh for the peace of mind.

 

[Lewisc]

Little off topic but has anyone flown them standby to get on an earlier flight? I did years ago but can't remember if they charged or not, and the people on the phone are less than helpful when it comes to this.

$25 fee as per their website. It's listed in the multiple pages of fees for optional services.

 

[leelee9878]

$25 fee as per their website. It's listed in the multiple pages of fees for optional services.

Thanks I ended up flying standby for my last trip and it was $25 pp but I got the first flight vs the last of the day and spent more time in Disney so it was worth it

 

[Disneyplanners]

We just got back from WDW flying Spirit. It was our first time flying with spirit and also the first time flying out of Latrobe instead of Pittsburgh. I had done a lot of research ahead of time and was a little nervous because of the poor reviews, but we ended having a good experience with them. We purchased unusually inexpensive flights: $39 each way with the $9 fare club ($60) and added one checked bag at $20 each way. Our total for a group of four was $411! The airport in Latrobe did not charge for parking, which made our savings even greater. We each took a normal sized backpack, which was no charge. I was a little worried about our seats not being together if I didn't pre-select and purchase them, but our kids are a little older so we took a chance on this. I checked in exactly 24 hours ahead of time, and our four seats were together, both to and from Orlando. The seats were a little smaller than southwest, and not as "cushy" but was really not that bad. Drinks and snacks were extra, but didn't seem crazy expensive (we were used to seeing Disney prices though). I think they had cookies, chips or muffins for $2.50 and a pop was around $3. Our flights left on time both to and from Orlando. In the future, if southwest and spirit prices are close, we will choose southwest, but if spirit can't be beat, I would absolutely fly them again. Another downside with spirit is that latrobe only has one flight out to Orlando per day, so we had to make the time work for us (evening flight) when we are more comfortable with leaving in the morning.

 

[bianca]

Thanks for the update! Glad you had a good experience. You summed up exactly how I feel about Spirit and try to impart on others ........ As long as you go into it prepared and not expecting "first class treatment", then Spirit is a great value. The price you paid for those flights is amazing! Good budgeting.

 

[Honeybee83]

I have not flown Spirit personally but have not heard good things. Look for some online reviews before booking just to be safe! Have a great time.

 

[ZiPaD3doDAH]

I have flown Spirit twice. I don't think I will again unless I am very desperate for a cheap flight.

First time was awful. Plane was delayed both ways by 2-3 hours.

Second time, I believe the flight back was delayed by an hour.

I only recommend this airline if it's a quick trip and no more than 3 hours long. The seats are very uncomfortable and everything looks dirty.

If you don't mind being uncomfortable during a flight and you are not on a busy schedule (in case flight is delayed) - then go for it

 

[njmom47]

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?

Did you end up getting your tickets from Spirit or SW?

I also wanted to add my 2 cents about changing flights. They changed ours (again, to Ft Myers, not Orlando) from the morning to the evening. I don't see well enough at night to drive so that wouldn't work. I had purchased through a 3rd party, but was able to call Spirit directly and they changed our flight, a morning flight, to land in Ft Lauderdale. I rented a car...so I drove for 2 hours instead of 1. Customer service on the phone was really good.