Spirit or Frontier Airlines??

[Tigger2ntinkerbell]

We've never flown on either Airline.
So far both have cheapest flights.
But what about the fees??
Print tickets at home? Is there a fee??
Pick seats worth it(normally we don't)?
1 checked bag, should do this when booking ??? Is there a max weight?
My husband has a CPAP machine and can not be in checked bag, will they charge him as a carry on??

 

[GinaLuvsWDW]

I’ve flown both and they are both pretty much the same. I mostly use Spirit because they are the only airline that flies out of the small airport near our home.
I find that if you go in knowing what sized bags you need and person items allowed on the plane you’ll be fine. Do research before you book. I think they’re fantastic when I use them to go to Florida. It’s a short flight for me and I’ve gotten fares as low as $25 each way. Plus the cost of one checked bag. I I’d prefer a different airline for a longer flight.

 

[Tigger2ntinkerbell]

Thanks
We have to fly out of Detroit(a little over an hour from where we live), not available at my local airport . Will check out what size and weight for checked bag.

 

[Starport Seven-Five]

Is neither an option?

Spirit was okay for me until the time I had an issue. Their customer service rivals Comcast for worst in the world. That was the last time I gave them my business.

For DTW -> MCO, I prefer Delta if it's anywhere close in price.

 

[_19disnA]

Used to live in Michigan and Spirit was CONSTANTLY in the news with irate passengers stranded somewhere due to mechanical problems with their aircraft. Since they are a smaller airline, they have fewer planes available to replace one that happens to have mechanical issues. Would never fly with them. Have flown on Frontier several times and never had a problem. They seem very well organized and a reputable airline.

With any airline you have too look at the TOTAL price of a ticket including added fees for such things as checked/carryon baggage, seat assignments and any other additions. It can be misleading when you look at some online ticket websites that only show the base fare without all of the addons you might happen to use. If an airline only flies a certain route a few times a week, what happens when there is an issue and there won't be another flight for 2-3 days?

Low budget airlines cut corners to have lower fares so you tend to get what you pay for.

 

[GinaLuvsWDW]

I disagree with the other comments except for the customer service part. I I said earlier, If you plan ahead you can still get really good deals. $50 pp round trip even if you have to pay $25 each way for a checked bag. But it depends what you need. I will happily sit anywhere they put me even if it’s not with my husband. After 30 years of marriage it’s ok to be away from him for 2 hours. Besides I frequently fly alone to visit my elderly father. $50 can’t be beat.
Yes the customer service is bad unless it’s a storm or something, they are fine. I’ve been delayed, de-iced and bumped but they are so worth the price and convenience for me.
When overseas I prefer another airline (Spirit does fly to a few South American countries).
Like I said before, it depends what your needs are. I flew them for this trip, I’m in Disney now. They were perfect. Sparkling clean, on time, very nice and helpful. I purchased my checked bag when I bought my tickets. Prior to that I checked the weight and size requirements and as a member of their fate club I get a little discount. I chose to pay for seats this time because of Covid but normally I wouldn’t. That was $10 pp, per trip. My total round trip airfare including one checked bag, 2 backpacks, choice of seats, travel insurance and tax and fees for 2 people was exactly $304. Not bad at all.

 

[Dakota731]

I was considering same thing, but I heard they both cancel so many flights and don’t often have a substitute for the same day. And when you have theme park tix and hotel reservations, you can’t afford to wait till the next day to get another flight.

 

[Starport Seven-Five]

I was considering same thing, but I heard they both cancel so many flights and don’t often have a substitute for the same day. And when you have theme park tix and hotel reservations, you can’t afford to wait till the next day to get another flight.

Our Spirit flight out of Orlando kept getting pushed back an hour at a time. Clear skies all across the country so it was clearly a maintenance or scheduling issue. When it reached hour 3 of delays and our inbound flight still hadn't left Milwaukee, we attempted to talk to customer service about rescheduling. It was Sunday night and the next flight with available seats was Wednesday.

 

[person]

I really like the way the low cost / ultra low cost airlines keep the industry competitive...

 

[KristaZ]

I've flown both in and out of Orlando several times - I've never had any issues with either - they're basic, but you get what you pay for (It's hard to complain when you pay $14pp for a one way flight - which I've gotten multiple times with both). Both will charge for any baggage more than a personal item that fits under the seat as well as to choose seats. My husband and I have only been given separated seats once (on Frontier and they fixed it at the gate for us when I asked if we could be re-assigned together). I'm a good packer, and have travelled carry-on only for years, so it's not too much of a stretch for me to pack for a 4-5 day trip in an item that fits in a personal size (but sometimes we pay for one carry on between the two of us). As long as you print your own ticket, use a mobile ticket, or print at a kiosk in the airport, there's no fee (but will be if you ask them to print for you at the check in desk at the airport).

 

[person]

I've flown both in and out of Orlando several times - I've never had any issues with either - they're basic, but you get what you pay for (It's hard to complain when you pay $14pp for a one way flight - which I've gotten multiple times with both). Both will charge for any baggage more than a personal item that fits under the seat as well as to choose seats. My husband and I have only been given separated seats once (on Frontier and they fixed it at the gate for us when I asked if we could be re-assigned together). I'm a good packer, and have travelled carry-on only for years, so it's not too much of a stretch for me to pack for a 4-5 day trip in an item that fits in a personal size (but sometimes we pay for one carry on between the two of us). As long as you print your own ticket, use a mobile ticket, or print at a kiosk in the airport, there's no fee (but will be if you ask them to print for you at the check in desk at the airport).

I'm all in favor of airlines reasonably cutting costs...

 

[Lewisc]

Spirit considers a bag weighing 40 lbs as overweight, industry standard is 50. JMO Spirit is taking advantage of pax who don't read everything. An older bag can weigh 15-20 lbs empty. JMO but this is a way to
Charge even more then pax are planning to pay to check a bag

 

[heresabe]

If you know what you will be getting, Frontier and Spirit can offer great deals. Research is the key.
I have only flown Spirit one time (to Chicago) but I have used Frontier several times (to Orlando, as a matter of fact). Between the two, I definitely prefer Frontier. I found their seats to be a bit more comfortable vs Spirit's seats, and the staff pleasant.
Remember that everything beyond an unassigned seat costs extra...seat assignment is extra, overhead luggage is extra...even a cup of coffee onboard the flight is an extra charge. And they strictly adhere to the rules.

 

[person]

If you know what you will be getting, Frontier and Spirit can offer great deals. Research is the key.
I have only flown Spirit one time (to Chicago) but I have used Frontier several times (to Orlando, as a matter of fact). Between the two, I definitely prefer Frontier. I found their seats to be a bit more comfortable vs Spirit's seats, and the staff pleasant.
Remember that everything beyond an unassigned seat costs extra...seat assignment is extra, overhead luggage is extra...even a cup of coffee onboard the flight is an extra charge. And they strictly adhere to the rules.

Oh you need to do your research, yes; one way is to subscribe to various low cost airline mailing lists, and then if1 in 100 or 200 emails actually causes savings to be made on a particular flight, then it's win-win all round...

 

[MinnieMSue]

Definitely make sure you know all the rules. A friend was supposed to fly spirit with his family and it wouldn’t let him check in online. They checked in at the airport 55 min before their flight and they were told they were too late and were not allowed to fly. Southwest tried to help them out when they heard what happened but it was too expensive for the whole family at that point. They ended up driving to Florida from the airport and canceling their return flight which was with southwest.

 

[ford91exploder]

We've never flown on either Airline.
So far both have cheapest flights.
But what about the fees??
Print tickets at home? Is there a fee??
Pick seats worth it(normally we don't)?
1 checked bag, should do this when booking ??? Is there a max weight?
My husband has a CPAP machine and can not be in checked bag, will they charge him as a carry on??

just dont fly either of these airlines for anything important like a vacation. These airlines are the ones to fly when backpacking across the us and you have no money and time does not matter

 

[bfrosty]

Our family has used Frontier 3-4 times roundtrip to Orlando, FL...Cheap, but lots of headaches, delays, hard as rock seats, no legroom at all, most seats don't recline. My back hurts after the 2hr flight from STL. At Orlando, Frontier has no employees to get your luggage. They have SWA people grab the bags after they've finished unloading all SWA flights. It takes 45min-1hr+ to get our luggage from the carosel at MCO and back home in STL. I finally gave up and fly SWA exclusively to MCO. Lot's of great plane rides and experiences to MCO with them.

 

[person]

Our family has used Frontier 3-4 times roundtrip to Orlando, FL...Cheap, but lots of headaches, delays, hard as rock seats, no legroom at all, most seats don't recline. My back hurts after the 2hr flight from STL. At Orlando, Frontier has no employees to get your luggage. They have SWA people grab the bags after they've finished unloading all SWA flights. It takes 45min-1hr+ to get our luggage from the carosel at MCO and back home in STL. I finally gave up and fly SWA exclusively to MCO. Lot's of great plane rides and experiences to MCO with them.

I guess it's a matter sometimes of what is the priority, and whether saving on fares is that priority....

Sorry about your bad experiences...

 

[MillauFr]

I'm all in favor of airlines reasonably cutting costs...

But the problem is that both do unreasonable things to cut costs. Flying old airplanes that depressurize during take off leading to the highest rate of aborted take offs? That is not reasonable in my book.

 

[Maistre Gracey]

But the problem is that both do unreasonable things to cut costs. Flying old airplanes that depressurize during take off leading to the highest rate of aborted take offs? That is not reasonable in my book.

I’ll call you on this. I’m a Captain for for one of the mentioned airlines.
We may have our faults, but you truly do not know what you are talking about. We have an EXTREMELY young fleet.
Plus, an airplane does not pressurize on the ground. The pressurization (outflow valve starts closing) slowly starts with the throttles moving forward.
I respect opinions on other issues, but giving bad info is a no-no.