Spirit Experience

[DopeyDonald]

Hi -

We have never flown Spirit before and I am looking for some feedback - most of what I have read is pretty negative...
We need to fly out of Minneapolis, which is one of the most expensive airports in the country...We are going in Sept.
We have flown SW and Airtran in the past - last year our price was $1243 plus $120 in baggage fees.I thought this fare was awesome. We booked it in March for a Sept trip.

This year the lowest I can price Airtran is $1906 plus the $120 in baggage fees. SW is even more.

However Spirit just announced service into MSP and I priced out tickets at $1406 WITH baggage.

So....is it worth the savings?? We are not too picky with our airlines - we are pretty low maintainace - have low expectations etc....we just know airline travel SUCKS period, but again, some of the reviews are pretty nasty....

 

[keishashadow]

Depends on your threshold level I suppose, but if you search here you'll find several reviews.

I can only base my opinion on my across-the-board lousy experience as to customer service and equipment issues flying out of LBE last summer. They are known for cancelling flights due to equipment issues out of LBE since that time. I wouldn't book them again, period since I'm not willing to give up several days of my vacation to be able to fly on their possible next scheduled flight.

I'd be very careful in researching the number of flights they offer each day and what days of the week they offer service out of your airport before commiting, good luck.

 

[mb187143]

We've flown Spirit a few times, but i'm unlikely to do so again. We flew from Atlantic City, NJ to MCO a handful of times. It is most definitely a no-frills airline. We only had one real "problem", they canceled our flight to MCO due to weather, and since they were the only option we had out of Atlantic City, we had no choice but to take a flight 12 hours later. It could have cost us a whole day, but we were able to extend our vacation. If they didnt' have an available later flight, we would have been SOL until the next available flight, however many hours or days later.

We typically fly SW from PHL to MCO, both because PHL is closer to us, and also because with the bag fees Spirit charges, for everything from checked to carry on, in addition to costs scheduling that bases the charge on when you pay for a service (eg. checking a bag when you book the flight, vs after you book the flight but before you check in online, vs, at online check in, vs at the airport) adds a level of stress to our vacation that we dont need. They also charge you to book depending on how you do it, they charge you for any snacks and any beverages. There are charges if you want to select your seats ahead of time. By the time we were done adding up all of these "optional" fees, the cost was more than SW for us, and the headaches weren't worth it.

If you plan to fly spririt, i would research the ticket costs, and the "optional" fees VERY carefully, to make sure you're not going to get surprised in the end. They charge you to put a carry on in the over head, as well as all checked bags, so if you're not prepared for those fees, it could eliminate any cost savings.

 

[DopeyDonald]

We've flown Spirit a few times, but i'm unlikely to do so again. We flew from Atlantic City, NJ to MCO a handful of times. It is most definitely a no-frills airline. We only had one real "problem", they canceled our flight to MCO due to weather, and since they were the only option we had out of Atlantic City, we had no choice but to take a flight 12 hours later. It could have cost us a whole day, but we were able to extend our vacation. If they didnt' have an available later flight, we would have been SOL until the next available flight, however many hours or days later.

We typically fly SW from PHL to MCO, both because PHL is closer to us, and also because with the bag fees Spirit charges, for everything from checked to carry on, in addition to costs scheduling that bases the charge on when you pay for a service (eg. checking a bag when you book the flight, vs after you book the flight but before you check in online, vs, at online check in, vs at the airport) adds a level of stress to our vacation that we dont need. They also charge you to book depending on how you do it, they charge you for any snacks and any beverages. There are charges if you want to select your seats ahead of time. By the time we were done adding up all of these "optional" fees, the cost was more than SW for us, and the headaches weren't worth it.

If you plan to fly spririt, i would research the ticket costs, and the "optional" fees VERY carefully, to make sure you're not going to get surprised in the end. They charge you to put a carry on in the over head, as well as all checked bags, so if you're not prepared for those fees, it could eliminate any cost savings.

I know, I was expecting a savings of roughly $1100, but after all "fees" it was only a $600 savings. But still once EVERYTHING was added up we will save $619. I am VERY worried about our flight being cancelled now though. They only have 1 flight a day in MSP and if it's cancelled it would be another 24 hrs. AND we rented DVC points this year - so that would be disasterous......
Do they have an obligation to place you with a different airline at all? I know MSP has a lot of other airlines that have mulitiple flightes per day to Orlando...

Thanks!

 

[mb187143]

I know, I was expecting a savings of roughly $1100, but after all "fees" it was only a $600 savings. But still once EVERYTHING was added up we will save $619. I am VERY worried about our flight being cancelled now though. They only have 1 flight a day in MSP and if it's cancelled it would be another 24 hrs. AND we rented DVC points this year - so that would be disasterous......
Do they have an obligation to place you with a different airline at all? I know MSP has a lot of other airlines that have mulitiple flightes per day to Orlando...

Thanks!

You'd need to look at the contract of carriage to understand what you're entitled to if they cancel/delay your flight:

http://www.spirit.com/Content/Documents/en-US/Contract_of_Carriage.pdf

You should also check out the airline passenger's bill of rights. Also take into account the time of year you're going, and the weather that can affect your travel plans. And then, when all is said and done, make your decision, take a deep breath, and try not to stress over it, you can't control the weather or anything else really that could delay or cancel your flight. Just know what you're entitled to - information is your best resource in air travel.

 

[Lewisc]

They have no obligation to accommodate you on another airline. The chance of them accommodating you on another airline IS ZERO.

Spirit appeals to the customer who want a rock bottom fare. Everything, even use of the overhead bin, is extra. Bags weighing over 40lbs are considered overweight. New planes have a pitch of only 28", lowest of any domestic US airline. Seatguru shows every seat, except the first row, in yellow. Spirit will soon be charging passengers who use an automated kiosk to print (reprint) their BP.

Absolutely no way Spirit would pay another airline to transport you.

edited to add PP was posted while I was composing this. From Spirit's CoC

Rebooking
When a customer holding a confirmed reservation on a flight will be delayed because of
a schedule irregularity (including but not limited to, a missed connection, flight
cancellation, omission of a scheduled stop, substitution of equipment, a different class
of service or schedule change), Spirit will rebook the customer on Spirit's first available
flight on which seats are available to the customer's destination without additional
charge.
Spirit will not reimburse customers for flights that they take on other carriers.
7.3. Amenities/Services for Customers
Spirit will not assume expenses incurred as a result of a flight delay, cancellation, or
schedule change. Spirit may provide limited amenities and services, which may be
required by certain customers in order to maintain their safety, health and welfare.
Amenities provided by Spirit are provided as a courtesy to the customer and are not to
be considered an obligation of Spirit. No lodging will be provided to a customer on any
Spirit flight which is delayed or canceled in the originating city on the customer’s
reservation.

It goes on to say if the delay is more then 2 hours the customer has 3 options. refund, credit for future travel or re-accommodation

 

[DopeyDonald]

They have no obligation to accommodate you on another airline. The chance of them accommodating you on another airline IS ZERO.

Spirit appeals to the customer who want a rock bottom fare. Everything, even use of the overhead bin, is extra. Bags weighing over 40lbs are considered overweight. New plants have a pitch of only 28", lowest of any domestic US airline. Seatguru shows every seat, except the first row, in yellow. Spirit will soon be charging passengers who use an automated kiosk to print (reprint) their BP.

Absolutely no way Spirit would pay another airline to transport you.

I see that after reading the contract of carriage. I think Spirit has it's place, and if my husband and I were travelling somewhere alone, I wouldn't hesitate to try them. However, as a family of 5 that has DVC rental points booked for stay, I'm not sure I can stomach the stress I will be feeling if I use them.

I have a enough points for one one way ticket with air tran so that will help with that bill - I think we're gonna stick with what we know and like.

Thanks so much for your replies...

 

[aubriee]

I haven't flown Spirit yet, but do have two r/t flights booked with them (May 5th and 12th and Sept 1st and 8th). In midMarch they are starting service from DFW to MCO. Even with the bad reviews I booked them, because flights were $148.00 r/t compared to well over $400.00 with the other airlines that fly between Dallas and Orlando. Even with all the fees added in, they were about half what the other airlines were. I even joined their $9.00 Spirit Club to save some on baggage fees and possibly future airfare. About two weeks ago, I got an email that they had moved my May 5th flight back and instead of arriving in Orlando in the morning, I won't be arriving until 6:20pm. What made it worse is that they also moved my returning flight up, so now I am losing over 8 hours of my vacation. I checked and they currently only have one flight/day to and from Orlando. I called to let them know the new times didn't work for me and since they made the change asked for my money back. (I'm used to Air Tran's great customer service which will either move you to another flight or refund your money if they make even a five minute change.) Spirit was not accomodating at all and said there was nothing they could do. I could either take that flight or cancel, but if I cancel, I lost my money. I'm hoping they don't change the times for my Sept flight. After these two trips I won't be booking with them again and really wished I hadn't booked my Sept trip until I'd given them a try for my May trip. My beloved Air Tran pulled out of Dallas Nov 23, 2011, so it looks like I'll be paying more and flying either American out of DFW or Southwest out of Dallas Lovefield from now on.

 

[OrangeCountyCommuter]

I know, I was expecting a savings of roughly $1100, but after all "fees" it was only a $600 savings. But still once EVERYTHING was added up we will save $619. I am VERY worried about our flight being cancelled now though. They only have 1 flight a day in MSP and if it's cancelled it would be another 24 hrs. AND we rented DVC points this year - so that would be disasterous......
Do they have an obligation to place you with a different airline at all? I know MSP has a lot of other airlines that have mulitiple flightes per day to Orlando...

Thanks!

Not only do they have NO obligation to place you on a different airline they have NO interline agreements and can't do it.

And remember it's possibly not the "next flight' It's the next AVAILABLE flight... So if you are flying on Monday and it's cancelled and Tuesday's flight is full.... you might not get out until Wed. They won't bump folks off Tuesday for you and rebooking is based on "fare paid" (AKA as those who paid more get the limited seats on Tuesday and it works it's way down the 'price chain')

Actually generally once folks have an "issue" with Spirit they run. Up until then it's "fine for what you pay" but then they realize the "true cost"

(Remember thier President once sent an email saying basically "we don't do Customer Service" Kind of sums it up!)

 

[ccgirl]

I haven't flown Spirit yet, but do have two r/t flights booked with them (May 5th and 12th and Sept 1st and 8th). In midMarch they are starting service from DFW to MCO. Even with the bad reviews I booked them, because flights were $148.00 r/t compared to well over $400.00 with the other airlines that fly between Dallas and Orlando. Even with all the fees added in, they were about half what the other airlines were. I even joined their $9.00 Spirit Club to save some on baggage fees and possibly future airfare. About two weeks ago, I got an email that they had moved my May 5th flight back and instead of arriving in Orlando in the morning, I won't be arriving until 6:20pm. What made it worse is that they also moved my returning flight up, so now I am losing over 8 hours of my vacation. I checked and they currently only have one flight/day to and from Orlando. I called to let them know the new times didn't work for me and since they made the change asked for my money back. (I'm used to Air Tran's great customer service which will either move you to another flight or refund your money if they make even a five minute change.) Spirit was not accomodating at all and said there was nothing they could do. I could either take that flight or cancel, but if I cancel, I lost my money. I'm hoping they don't change the times for my Sept flight. After these two trips I won't be booking with them again and really wished I hadn't booked my Sept trip until I'd given them a try for my May trip. My beloved Air Tran pulled out of Dallas Nov 23, 2011, so it looks like I'll be paying more and flying either American out of DFW or Southwest out of Dallas Lovefield from now on.

Not only do they have NO obligation to place you on a different airline they have NO interline agreements and can't do it.

And remember it's possibly not the "next flight' It's the next AVAILABLE flight... So if you are flying on Monday and it's cancelled and Tuesday's flight is full.... you might not get out until Wed. They won't bump folks off Tuesday for you and rebooking is based on "fare paid" (AKA as those who paid more get the limited seats on Tuesday and it works it's way down the 'price chain')

Actually generally once folks have an "issue" with Spirit they run. Up until then it's "fine for what you pay" but then they realize the "true cost"

(Remember thier President once sent an email saying basically "we don't do Customer Service" Kind of sums it up!)

I think these two posts summarize it pretty well. Don't forget to add in fees for seating, carry ons, drinks/snacks etc. After doing all that, I have never been able to get Spirit as the lowest.

 

[DopeyDonald]

Thanks so much for the replies - We will not be choosing Spirit. I have yet to fine ONE good review! That's probably not good So....

I will be booking with AirTran! We've had great experiences with them.

 

[Ed J]

Here's a good review.

I've been pleased with the Spirit flights I've taken over the last 10 years and will continue to use them when they are convenient to my needs. My actual experiences (apposed to many comments that you read here are from people who have never even flown with them and are just regurgitating what they read elsewhere) have been positive.

I have missed flights (my fault) and was put on the next flight for <$30 and the entire process took less than 5 minutes. I have never been on a flight where the employees were rude. I'm not concerned about a free coke, so I don't care if they charge me for it. I know how to read and determine if the fees make the cost greater than a competing airline.

In my case there often is no competition as Spirit flys out of a small local airport so the 50 miles round trip and savings of 50 bucks in parking make them a winner even if the flights are equal in cost.

I find many things are exaggerated on these internet forums, especially by people who have never experienced the service in question.

 

[DopeyDonald]

Here's a good review.

I've been pleased with the Spirit flights I've taken over the last 10 years and will continue to use them when they are convenient to my needs. My actual experiences (apposed to many comments that you read here are from people who have never even flown with them and are just regurgitating what they read elsewhere) have been positive.

I have missed flights (my fault) and was put on the next flight for <$30 and the entire process took less than 5 minutes. I have never been on a flight where the employees were rude. I'm not concerned about a free coke, so I don't care if they charge me for it. I know how to read and determine if the fees make the cost greater than a competing airline.

In my case there often is no competition as Spirit flys out of a small local airport so the 50 miles round trip and savings of 50 bucks in parking make them a winner even if the flights are equal in cost.

I find many things are exaggerated on these internet forums, especially by people who have never experienced the service in question.

Thanks for posting this too. I absolutely agree that some reviews need to be taken with a grain of salt. The sheer number of HORRIBLE reviews, however have made me think twice this time.
My #1 reason however is my own: we are renting DVC points this year and Spirit only has 1 flight a day to Orlando from MSP. So if we miss that then we are screwed for at least 1 full day and I'm not willing to give up 1 full Disney day for that! And I know stuff like that happens because it happened to my husband just last month. United cancelled his flight with no advance notice and he was not able to get another one until about 36 hrs later.....
I understand that this could happen with other airlines too, but....
That being said, my DH and I are thinking about a quick trip to Vegas and would love to give Spirit a try then - they have a $28 fare advertised for that.

 

[debster812]

Here's a good review.

I've been pleased with the Spirit flights I've taken over the last 10 years and will continue to use them when they are convenient to my needs. My actual experiences (apposed to many comments that you read here are from people who have never even flown with them and are just regurgitating what they read elsewhere) have been positive.

I have missed flights (my fault) and was put on the next flight for <$30 and the entire process took less than 5 minutes. I have never been on a flight where the employees were rude. I'm not concerned about a free coke, so I don't care if they charge me for it. I know how to read and determine if the fees make the cost greater than a competing airline.

In my case there often is no competition as Spirit flys out of a small local airport so the 50 miles round trip and savings of 50 bucks in parking make them a winner even if the flights are equal in cost.

I find many things are exaggerated on these internet forums, especially by people who have never experienced the service in question.

I agree with you in that when nothing goes wrong, Spirit is just fine. They are no-frills, make no bones about it, and do charge for virtually everything. It's when things go wrong like bad weather, mechanical issues, or in my case, the flight crew failing to show up......that's when things can head south in a hurry.

My one and only experience with Spirit was for a long weekend trip and due to the aforementioned MIA flight crew on our outbound leg, and bad fog all up and down the East Coast on our return flight, we were delayed about 10 hours total. I understand that 'stuff' happens, but it was Spirit's utter disdain and contempt when we tried to get updates and information. Everyone we dealt with at the counter, at the gate, and on the phone did not offer any info and/or advice. I don't think they could have cared any less.

We were delayed once while flying Delta, and they could not get us out until 3 days after our original flight. However, they booked us into 1st Class and reimbursed us for the rental car we needed to get to the new airport we had to fly into. Yes, it was a huge drag, but they did the best they could under a winter blizzard, and actually had a little empathy for the consumer. That's the difference in my book.

 

[Lewisc]

I find many things are exaggerated on these internet forums, especially by people who have never experienced the service in question.

I've never experienced root canal but I'm pretty sure I won't like it. I've never experienced Spirit but I'm pretty sure I won't like it. I know their seat pitch is the lowest of any domestic US airline. I know virtually every other scheduled airline will offer a refund if there is a significant schedule change. Airtran allows it if the change is only a few minutes. AFAIK every airline, except Spirit allows a refund (on otherwise non-refundable tickets) if the change is over 4 hours. I know Spirit demands I read the fine print, otherwise a passenger won't be prepared to pay an overweight fee for 41lb bag or a fee for a bin bag.

The issue with Spirit isn't having to pay for a soda.

they had moved my May 5th flight back and instead of arriving in Orlando in the morning, I won't be arriving until 6:20pm. What made it worse is that they also moved my returning flight up, so now I am losing over 8 hours of my vacation. I checked and they currently only have one flight/day to and from Orlando. I called to let them know the new times didn't work for me and since they made the change asked for my money back. (I'm used to Air Tran's great customer service which will either move you to another flight or refund your money if they make even a five minute change.) Spirit was not accomodating at all and said there was nothing they could do. I could either take that flight or cancel, but if I cancel, I lost my money.

 

[DebbieB]

I know, I was expecting a savings of roughly $1100, but after all "fees" it was only a $600 savings. But still once EVERYTHING was added up we will save $619. I am VERY worried about our flight being cancelled now though. They only have 1 flight a day in MSP and if it's cancelled it would be another 24 hrs. AND we rented DVC points this year - so that would be disasterous......
Do they have an obligation to place you with a different airline at all? I know MSP has a lot of other airlines that have mulitiple flightes per day to Orlando...

Thanks!

Plus you will be connecting in Chicago, so you have to worry about your first flight being late and missing your connection. A connection would not be fun with 3 kids.

As someone else said, they do not interline (put you on another airline).

 

[Ed J]

I've never experienced <snip>

And that is the point.

Look at the title of the thread, its very disingenuous to add comments if you don't have experience when that was what was asked for. When someone asks for opinion on topic, fire away with your feelings, but when asked for actual experience I think it's fair that people get just that, actual experiences.

 

[Lewisc]

And that is the point.

Look at the title of the thread, its very disingenuous to add comments if you don't have experience when that was what was asked for. When someone asks for opinion on topic, fire away with your feelings, but when asked for actual experience I think it's fair that people get just that, actual experiences.

I DON'T AGREE There isn't any reason why I a person who's never flown with Spirit can't offer facts.

Many people post on DIS because they don't want to read the "fine print" Maybe they don't even know where to look.

From seatguru:

Spirit presently has 5 aircraft of this type in service, with 35 on order.

Spirit's A320 aircraft feature seats with no recline and 28" of seat pitch - the least amount of space of all US domestic carriers

.

It's a fact that the maximum weight for a checked bag, without paying extra, is 40lbs. Industry standard is 50 and not everyone reads the "fine print".

It's a fact that Spirit is the only US carrier which charges for "bin bags".

aubriee told us Spirit wouldn't offer a refund over a schedule change of over 6 1/2 hours. I don't know of any scheduled airline which wouldn't refund a non-refundable fare if the schedule change was over 4 hours.

Absolutely no reason why a person who's never flown Spirit can't make comments .

I think the OP is asking about Spirit. You think the intention is to limit the comments from people with experience? I've been stuck with a "red seat" on an Alitalia flight. Still more then the 28" of pitch given to Spirit passengers and it was horrible.

 

[Ed J]

So have you ever been on a Spirit flight?

 

[Lewisc]

I've never experienced root canal but I'm pretty sure I won't like it. I've never experienced Spirit but I'm pretty sure I won't like it.

So have you ever been on a Spirit flight?

Sorry you weren't able to comprehend my previous post. I thought it was pretty clear.

The experience of a Spirit passenger on an older aircraft won't be relevant to the OP if they wind up on one of the new planes.

I understand you don't think I should be posting in this thread but your not a moderator and I already, respectfully, told you I don't see any reason to comply with your request. I suggest you put me in your ignore list.