Spirit Airlines

[TwistGrl101]

Who has used Spirit Airlines, and what are your reviews on them? I saved $1500 booking through Spirit, but just finished reading HORRIBLE reviews and am getting really nervous.

 

[Disneyfanatic108]

We have flown Spirit out of DTW and have not had any issues with them at all. Flights were on time and everything went smooth. They are a no frills airline.

 

[mieuxmew]

$1500 saved is impressive! Did you join the $9 fare club? Best reason to join is for the discount on checked and carry-on bags. What airport are you flying from?

I have flown Spirit many times from Atlantic City, NJ to Orlando. I would prefer Jet Blue or Southwest, but many times, Spirit's prices can't be beat. Spirit has a lot of extra fees which you need to be aware of. You are allowed a small personal item to fit under the seat in front of you. Carryon in the overhead bid you pay a fee (a LOT if not paid in advance). Checked bags are limited to 40 pounds (all other airlines are 50#) and 62 linear inches. Seat assignments cost 10-40$ per seat per person, otherwise computer will assign you a seat at check-in. Seriously consider seat assignments if traveling with children. Pay for your luggage ahead of time BEFORE the 24 check in for best luggage fees. If you wait until you do checkin at the 24 hour mark, you will pay more. Wait to pay at the airport and the fees are OUTRAGEOUS! Check in and print boarding pass at home to avoid extra fees. Weigh your suitcase and keep to less than 40 pounds. Bring your own food for the plane, and purchase a beverage after you get thru security check before boarding the plane. Seats are pretty small and tight. It is tolerable for a short flight. Spirit has curbside check-in at MCO. My luggage has always arrived undamaged and with my flight. Spirit does not participate with RAC, but if staying at Disney resort you can use Magic Express. Mickey will take your bags to your resort, but you will need to put them on the Magic Express back to the airport.

I have only ever had one flight delay on Spirit (leaving MCO). ACY is a very small user friendly airport. Parking inexpensive and very close to terminal (across the street), very minimal security lines, and no long waits lined up on the tarmac. Very easy to travel with small children. Strollers and car seats are either gate checked or baggage checked free of charge.

FYI - Customer service is NOT located in the USA. I have only needed to contact CS once and it was tolerable and my problem was resolved.
Every time I fly Spirit I pray all goes smoothly, as Spirit is best known for their cheap fares, not their customer service. I have always flown in good weather months and paid for trip insurance. I would perhaps consider flying another airline if I was flying during higher risk weather months where flights would be in jeopardy of cancellation.

Just my 2 cents. Hope it helps. Enjoy your trip!

 

[seashoreCM]

The only bad thing I read about Spirit was a few years ago.

There was a Spirit only systemwide outage (now I forget the reason but it was not weather) and for a few days customers were left high and dry without planes to ride on.

Granted, any and all airlines are subject to outages but the small independent airlines are more likely to have outages that affect only them and that take longer to catch up.

 

[debster812]

We've only flown Spirit once, and it will likely be the 1st and only time we do. Weather delayed both legs of our trip. I get that 'weather happens', it's part of travelling. What put me off Spirit was their cavalier attitude towards us, their customers, and the complete lack of ANYONE at either airport who could help us, answer questions, or otherwise keep us informed.

When we were actually on the planes, everything was fine. Cabin crew was nice, and professional, pilots kept us informed as to the progress of our trip.

 

[wezee]

We have used Spirit, from Detroit to MCO, many times....but have just recently canceled our $9 membership due to:

1. Many of the promos we rec'd excluded Orlando
2. Extra narrow and cramped seats that do not recline.
3. Excessive baggage charges....and then they have recently
changed their check luggage weight limit to only 40lbs.
(Heck...my luggage weighs almost 10lbs. empty)

We are flying on Airtran this Sept. and got an even better price than what Spirit was offering.

 

[Brian Noble]

They are a no frills airline.

This, exactly.

Spirit will get you from Point A to Point B, they generally do so competently, and usually for a pretty good price. But, if you want anything beyond that, it either (a) comes at an additional cost or (b) simply isn't offered. Spirit also takes the attitude that you are flying with them only because they are cheap, but as long as they are cheap, you will fly with them, no matter what. In other words, they don't need to be nice to you, they just need to be cheap.

I generally won't fly Spirit, because I'd rather pay a few dollars more for (very slightly) better service. But, if I really needed to stick to a tight budget, I might consider them more carefully, and I did fly them years ago when I needed to watch expenses. I would not worry about them if I were you---they will get you there, and if the price is right, the price is right!

 

[Horace Horsecollar]

2. Extra narrow and cramped seats that do not recline.

The seats on Spirit are not extra narrow, but they are extra cramped.

In fact, the 6-across economy seats on Spirit's Airbus A319, A320, and A321 aircraft are each about a half inch wider than the seats on airlines that use Boeing 737 or 757 aircraft configured with 6-across economy class. That's because the single-aisle Airbus cabin is wider than the single-aisle Boeing cabin.

But, oh my, how they are cramped!

On Spirit, the seat pitch (distance between rows) is just 28 inches. In contrast, the seat pitch on Southwest is 32-33 inches. Southwest doesn't have generous legroom and knee room, but Spirit has 4-5 inches less than Southwest!

In this case, it's good that the seats don't recline. At least that means the passenger in front of you can't recline.

I have difficulty understanding how anyone over 5' 6" tall can fit in Spirit's economy seats (which Spirit calls "Deluxe Leather Class").

 

[bianca]

We always use Spirit, but not just because they're cheap. From DTW we always take flight 801 down to MCO, and 892 back home. Those two flights are direct and work out perfectly for check in/out times of DVC. We always pay the $50 extra for the big seats up front and the early bag fees. It is still cheaper than the rest of the airlines and without a layover. We did have one bag get damaged years ago, but that is the only problem to-date. For a $1500 savings, I say give them a chance.

 

[OrangeCountyCommuter]

Spirit will be fine if nothing goes wrong. If anything goes wrong you will be on your own. I won't go if they are my only option

 

[buzzmom3]

I have used them many times without problems.

 

[njmom47]

I have flown Spirit many times from Atlantic City, NJ. I would prefer Jet Blue or Southwest, but many times, Spirit's prices can't be beat. My luggage has always arrived undamaged and with my flight.
ACY is a very small user friendly airport. Parking inexpensive and very close to terminal (across the street), very minimal security lines, and no long waits lined up on the tarmac. Very easy to travel with small children. Strollers and car seats are either gate checked or baggage checked free of charge

Spirit is a no-frills airline (as a pp stated) and these are my thoughts as well.