Spirit vs. AirTran Vs. Delta

[*~PrincessBelle~*]

Looking at flights out of DTW for an upcoming trip in May...all the flights are a smokin deal all have the same rough flight times of each other, with Sprit having a slightly better flight by two hours each way...which would you recommend out of the 3? Im a little hesitant about Spirit (since i haven't heard much about them), and AirTran (all I hear is ppl getting flights rescheduled all the time)..just wanting some expert advice to see if Delta is for sure the way to go...all the prices are within 50$ of one another...

 

[NancyIL]

Both Delta and AirTran will probably change their schedules between now and May. I have never flown Spirit, but I think they charge for carry-ons in the overhead bin in addition to checked bags. I would probably go with the cheapest unless it has bad flight times.

 

[ABNER.STERLING]

Now, we have already selected and paid for seats. But, I was wondering about possibly switching these seat selections. They do open up the rest of the available seating at that 24 hr mark, right? Well, if we check and see other seats we'd rather have, can we try to grab those at that time instead?

 

[NancyIL]

Now, we have already selected and paid for seats. But, I was wondering about possibly switching these seat selections. They do open up the rest of the available seating at that 24 hr mark, right? Well, if we check and see other seats we'd rather have, can we try to grab those at that time instead?

Are you on AirTran? If you are paying for seats, those will be the best available. More will open up 24 hours before, and you can change seats, but I doubt you'll find better ones than what you've paid for.

 

[OrangeCountyCommuter]

I would not fly Spirit if they paid me. In an industry known for poor customer service they are the WORST of the list. Their two lastest "enhancements" are the fees for carry on and the "non reclining seats" It's not the fact that the seat doens't recline, it's the fact that since they took that feature out they are able to sqeeze in MORE seats meaning even LESS leg room.

And if anything goes wrong you will be pretty much on your own. Their employees take thier lead from management and the lead is "you only picked us because we are cheap we owe you NOTHING"

 

[seashoreCM]

Delta is a legacy airline. That means that in many cases they will schedule you on another airline if your flight is cancelled.
Airtran is a major low cost airline. They are big enough that if your flight is cancelled (other than by severe weather that affects everybody else too) they re-accommodate you only on their own flights but usually quite quickly.
Spirit is the other kind, rinkydink. This means (and they have done it) cancellations have left passengers high and dry and even refunds were hard to get.

In all cases, should your flight be cancelled (always check back often) you should hand pick alternate flights and telephone in to quietly request those flights.

The new kid on the bloxk always has a big hurdle to overcome, getting out of the rinkydink category. In generations past, in another line of business, retailing, Sears Roebuck greatly advanced the concept of mail order by promoting, and living up to, "satisfaction guaranteed or your money back".

As far as non-reclining seats and fees for carry on bags go, these strategies can greatly reduce confrontations in the plane.

 

[MIGrandma]

DH and I have flown Spirit out of Detroit to Orlando several times, have never had any real problem with them. The only time there was a problem was on a return flight, we had boarded the plane and they discovered a small oil leak. They waited to see if it could be quickly repaired, but it could not so we had to get off and get onto another plane which took about an hour. No big deal, and I was glad they were thinking about safety first.

Also, after a cruise out of Port Canaveral I had booked the late returning flight to Detroit as we were traveling with my elderly parents and I wasn't sure we'd be able to make the earlier flight. We got back to the airport in time, so DH asked at the counter if we could switch from the late flight to the early one and they had no problem with that, and didn't charge us any extra. We were thankful to not have to sit at the airport for the next several hours and we were home before our original flight was scheduled to leave.

Yes, Spirit charges extra for everything but we were able to snag $29 tickets for our trip next month. A total of $190 for our round trip flight. They charge $28 for a checked bag and $30 for a carry-on. Even if we each take a carry-on and a checked bag it is still less expensive than other airlines.

 

[nifferearly]

We fly out of DTW and always fly Airtran whenever possible. Recently had 2 flights on Spirit. While they got us there on time, there was NO leg room (they must've added about 5 extra rows to the plane) and it was very dirty. I'm not a fan of Delta's customer service - or lack of! We fly Airtran about 5 times per year (more often from Flint) and have always had great service! I wouldn't worry about them changing their flight times. They have never dropped the non-stop flights between DTW and MCO and their schedule changes are usually minor. The one time they did change my flight by about 2hrs, they happily moved me onto a more convenient flight.

 

[OrangeCountyCommuter]

Read and learn

http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/220271

They emailed the CEO of Spirit and complained of poor customer service from the company along with the request for compensation. Baldanza told one of his staff in an email to handle the complaint and said,
"we owe him nothing as far as I'm concerned. Let him tell the world how bad we are. He's never flown us before anyway and will be back when we save him a penny."


Read more: http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/220271#ixzz19bV1GWEU

Now the couple in question really had no basis for a refund, but the CEO's "response" is very telling!

 

[Nadjalu]

OP...don't fly Spirit!!!

Ugh, we are having a nightmare right now. Same as you we fly out of DTW and have always flew Delta/northwest and never had an issue.
But I waited to long to book the flights (we leave in 31 days, just did the flights Christmas eve) so the price increased, not to mention the times we needed, Delta didn't provide.

(had a chance at $154 roundtrip non stop but it didn't fit the times we needed, however the $254 flight did. But I couldn't rationalize that extra $$....big mistake)

So we booked Spirit. As it turns out the seats are the smallest of any USA airline, with the least amount of leg room (DH is 6'3...)
And we paid $200 a ticket.
NOW we find out that indeed there is a charge of $28 per carry on!!!!!
$35 for checked (this is each way mind you)
And that is if you pay online before getting to the airport. If you wait it is higher....like $35 for the carryon and $45 for the checked.

Lesson learned. We will end up paying more for this cramped flight than we would've the most expensive Delta.

My point.........fly Delta.....don't hesitate on them.

 

[nifferearly]

Nadjalu - I'm not sure how many bags you'll have but you may want to consider joining their $9 club. I think it's about $45 (and you might get a free month trial which would work for your flight) and then the bag frees are drastically reduced. Our flight to Orlando in the fall on Spirit was incredibly cramped. I am 5'4" and my knees touched the seat in front of me. They have a couple of rows of "Big Seats" - you should consider upgrading your husband. I did it when I checked in for our return flight since my DH was so uncomfortable on the flight down. Good luck!

 

[Brian Noble]

Now the couple in question really had no basis for a refund, but the CEO's "response" is very telling!

And, he's also 100% correct.

I would not fly spirit unless I was getting a *major* deal compared to AirTran or Delta. I tend to fly Delta most of the time (I have status with them via business travel) but will fly AirTran to MCO for leisure travel if the price is right.

AT and DL may both change your flight times between now and May. My experience on DL is that most of those changes are very very minor---as in 30 minutes either way. DTW is a hub city for Delta, and that tends to help keep their schedule relatively stable. Both are good about rebooking you on another available flight that day (at no cost) if the change is significant.

The other thing to consider: DL flies out of McNamara. AT flies out of North. North is smaller and possibly a bit easier to navigate, but McNamara has a better collection of shops/services. If you have an early AM departure, McNamara also has a Westin physically attached; they usually offer a pretty competitive rate on their park-n-fly packages for weekend travel, and it's nice to go from your bed to your plane without ever having to go outside.

 

[Nadjalu]

Nadjalu - I'm not sure how many bags you'll have but you may want to consider joining their $9 club. I think it's about $45 (and you might get a free month trial which would work for your flight) and then the bag frees are drastically reduced. Our flight to Orlando in the fall on Spirit was incredibly cramped. I am 5'4" and my knees touched the seat in front of me. They have a couple of rows of "Big Seats" - you should consider upgrading your husband. I did it when I checked in for our return flight since my DH was so uncomfortable on the flight down. Good luck!

THanks for the tip about the club, but we will pass. It is just not worth the cramped conditions to pay off in the end. Yes we would save a few dollars this time, but not enough to be worth being tempted into using them again. LOL