Spirit

[lovedisney123]

I just noticed that this airline is an option now for us. We have no experience with them. What do you guys think of this airline?
Thanks!

 

[jec6613]

They're one of the worst of the no-frills airlines. You have to pay extra for your carry-on bag, and generally nickel and dime you every chance they get. They start with a low base fare, but by the time you're done most people end up paying more. Ryanair is actually a better airline, IMHO. I would only fly them if there were no other choice.

 

[lovedisney123]

They're one of the worst of the no-frills airlines. You have to pay extra for your carry-on bag, and generally nickel and dime you every chance they get. They start with a low base fare, but by the time you're done most people end up paying more. Ryanair is actually a better airline, IMHO. I would only fly them if there were no other choice.

Thanks! We have flown Frontier and they are like that, but we have found tiny backpacks that we use for weekend get aways. So it sounds like a similar type of thing. Not good for a long trip.

 

[tnolan]

My friend got a text from Spirit half hour before we were supposed to check out of Disney that said, your flight is cancelled. That was it. No help at all about rebooking or anything. I was fortunate enough to be able to get her a seat on Delta. Do not use Spirit or you could very well be sorry.

 

[lovedisney123]

My friend got a text from Spirit half hour before we were supposed to check out of Disney that said, your flight is cancelled. That was it. No help at all about rebooking or anything. I was fortunate enough to be able to get her a seat on Delta. Do not use Spirit or you could very well be sorry.

Oh my! Thanks! I think we will stick with what we know.

 

[Jimsig]

I have posted this before but it bears repeating.

A friend of ours was due to fly back to BOS from MCO on Spirit. Due to a storm his flight was cancelled but he didn't know until he got to the airport. When he finally got to the counter they told him the earliest they could get him back to Boston was in 7 days. He and the guy in line behind him (who was also going to BOS) rented a car and drove back.

 

[lovedisney123]

I have posted this before but it bears repeating.

A friend of ours was due to fly back to BOS from MCO on Spirit. Due to a storm his flight was cancelled but he didn't know until he got to the airport. When he finally got to the counter they told him the earliest they could get him back to Boston was in 7 days. He and the guy in line behind him (who was also going to BOS) rented a car and drove back.

OMG! Thanks for sharing! We will fly another airline.

 

[writerguyfl]

Spirit is the epitome of a "It's okay but not horrible when things go right, but you better have incredible travel insurance if they cancel your flight or you'll spend hundreds of dollars to get to your destination" airline.

 

[jec6613]

Spirit is the epitome of a "It's okay but not horrible when things go right, but you better have incredible travel insurance if they cancel your flight or you'll spend hundreds of dollars to get to your destination" airline.

On that note: do check your credit cards if you have any premium cards, which frequently have this has a perk. One of mine at least would pay for full travel interruption - I'd just call up the concierge number on the card, book it, put it on the credit card, and I'd get statement reimbursement within 30 days. Ditto for lost luggage and a bunch of other things.

 

[Lewisc]

Travel insurance, including coverage included with some premium credit cards, is limited. The policy lists what's covered and limits. A lot of people assume coverage which doesn't exist or is limited.
An example...Your first departure flight is cancelled. Coverage is generally provided as trip delay not travel interruption. Benefits are typically paid if the delay is more then the minimum, could be 6 hours. The benefit is typically limited to a few hundred dollars. Basically covering expenses like meals and hotels. Covering airfare on a more reliable carrier isn't typically a trip delay benefit. Go home and wait for your airline to reschedule you.

 

[keishashadow]

Spirit is the epitome of a "It's okay but not horrible when things go right, but you better have incredible travel insurance if they cancel your flight or you'll spend hundreds of dollars to get to your destination" airline.

Lol

Spirit is often very tempting in my market with $27 fares to MCO. I’m flying them to LAX in August to DL for a spur of the moment girls trip to celebrate my GD birthday. Fare wound up being well under $200 pp including luggage fees. that is less than i’ve Ever seen it on SWA for one way.

Would I pick Spirit if I absolutely had to be somewhere ‘that’ day or even the next, ala a cruise? Nope, their customer service is dismal at best. At least I have the option of two airports they serve being located approx 1-1/2 hours away from each other, would like to think a bit more opportunities to reschedule.

I do pick them solidly over Allegiant and won’t touch Frontier. Have at least five RT flights with Allegiant since they came to town. Planes look new but every single one had a delay of at least an hour on one leg of the trip, including their very first flight out of PIT where we sat on tarmac with an equipment issue...which always has been the problem. More times than not they blame a malfunction bathroom.

 

[Someluck]

My friend got a text from Spirit half hour before we were supposed to check out of Disney that said, your flight is cancelled. That was it. No help at all about rebooking or anything. I was fortunate enough to be able to get her a seat on Delta. Do not use Spirit or you could very well be sorry.

We used Spirit for a trip to Disneyland flying in/out of LA. On the return day, a Tuesday, they cancelled our flight while we were in our Uber to the airport. When we arrived they told us they could rebook us for Friday. Electing not to spend $$$ for 3 nights of lodging/taxi/food in LA, we paid for same day tickets home on Alaska Air. It was an xpensive way to have "saved" some money.. lesson learned!

 

[MillauFr]

Travel insurance, including coverage included with some premium credit cards, is limited.

The travel insurance that you get for free with the Chase Sapphire Reserve credit card is often superior to what you get from buying travel insurance. Even the policies that cost hundreds of dollars.

 

[Lewisc]

The travel insurance that you get for free with the Chase Sapphire Reserve credit card is often superior to what you get from buying travel insurance. Even the policies that cost hundreds of dollars.

CSR may be sufficient for your needs. It may be good enough to avoid the need to purchase insurance.
Often superior to coverage costing hundreds? Only if you're overpaying and not shopping.

CSR only covers 2500 in medical. JMO but not adequate if your traveling to a part of the world where your medical insurance isn't valid. Shop and you can purchase a plan which covers preexisting conditions, not covered by CSR.

edited to add: I'm not sure I'd call coverage "free" if it's included with a credit card which has an annual fee. CSR net fee,after your travel credit, is still $150

A person who wants to compare travel policies should look at pre-existing condition terms. Compare maximum benefits paid for different covered events. Look at what triggers a covered event. CSR will start to pay covered benefits if your trip delay exceeds 6 hours. Some policies a lower requirement.

My "favorite"..Posters on cruise boards who fly in the day of the cruise. Who have a tight connection. Who think their travel insurance will cover their poor planning. Travel polices which cover a missed connection, not all, require a minimum delay before paying benefits. 6 hours is a common standard. Those posters don't realize they can miss their cruise and not be eligible for travel insurance benefits.

 

[kaytieeldr]

I’m flying them to LAX in August to DL for a spur of the moment girls trip

You do realize that's not spur of the moment? Deciding right now to go this afternoon would be.

 

[keishashadow]

You do realize that's not spur of the moment? Deciding right now to go this afternoon would be.

When you are trying to use DVC points, it’s qualifies IMO. My trips are typically on paper at least a year in advance. YMMV

 

[lovedisney123]

I am so glad I asked about this! I will not be using them. We have had OK experiences with Frontier and they are usually pretty cheap. So I will stick with them and Southwest.

 

[Lewisc]

I am so glad I asked about this! I will not be using them. We have had OK experiences with Frontier and they are usually pretty cheap. So I will stick with them and Southwest.

Frontier is now rated below Spirit.

 

[lovedisney123]

Frontier is now rated below Spirit.

Oh really? I guess we have been very lucky because we did a lot of short trips over the past year with them and have been very pleased for the price. We bought tiny backpacks that fit under the seat so we don't pay for luggage, and we have traveled to Denver and New England and Orlando with our tiny backpacks and have had a blast. So if they are below Spirit, I don't understand because every flight has been on time and not a single problem.

 

[StarSeven7]

So we usually fly Spirit every year from DTW to MCO. We've never had an issue and their customer service has been fine. This past January we flew Frontier for the first time on our way home from MCO and I would say the two airlines are very similar. The main difference for me was Spirit has a 40 lb. weight limit on their checked bags (Frontier and most other airlines are 50 lbs.) and Frontier only had 1 flight per day from MCO-DTW where SPirit had several, so I was a bit nervous about having issues if there were any flight cancellations. But everything went fine on both flights. Most people who complain about Spirit have never used them, or heard horror stories second, third hand, etc. I don't care if I'm being nickel and dimed - even with checking 2 bags we usually pay about $500 less for our family of 4 to fly to Florida vs. a legacy carrier so I'm happy to bring on my own water bottle to save $500. You can have issues with ANY airline if flights are cancelled and you need to get rebooked on another flight but they're all full. Your odds of issues with rebooking with increase if the airline has limited flights between the 2 cities that you need to fly. We've had issues with United when our flight was cancelled, we didn't end up getting another flight for 24 hours and we had to stay an extra night. It's just the way it is with traveling, you need to take the good with the bad sometimes! If you're used to Frontier, I wouldn't worry about Spirit at all!