Travel

[ScrapHappy]

I'm thinking about booking a flight on Spirit Airlines.  It's less than half the cost of United.  I checked out Southwest and they were double the cost of United (which I usually fly).  Delta was very expensive too.  It's just a little over 2 hour flight and I'll be flying with my daughter, she's 13.  No problem there.  I'm just a little nervous about it, it's such a cheap flight.  The savings is so tempting.  So....has anyone flown Spirit before?  If so, how was your experience?  What is your opinion?  Thanks everyone.

[GCR18]

I haven't used Spirit.  Funny thing though, I was in Canada last week and saw Spirit.  I was stuck in the airport and was watching planes take off.  I must have seen three or four.  It caught my eye because the plane was yellow.  Yes, I would try them.  

[FranandZoe]

Spirit's airfares are cheaper but they nickle and dime you to death on everything else.  Including carry-on bags. Water.  You name it.  Even to pick your seat.  We didn't have any problems with them otherwise but would never use them again.  In the end we ended up paying more with them than we would have with Southwest which we usually use going to Florida.  But last year they didn't have any flights that suited what we needed.

[AspenGrove]

I've never flown Spirit and never will because two friends flew Spirit at different times last year. Both told stories that were nightmares. Not kidding.  Once I heard their tales, I did some Googling. My research revealed that Spirit has an awful reputation—for a whole host of reasons.  So, you might wish to do your own research before you book a flight with them. 

[Diva on The Q]

@ScrapHappy:  If you really want to fly on Spirit Airlines, my advice is to READ ALL OF THE FINE PRINT! I flew on Spirit Airlines once but won't again. IMO, it's like flying a la carte. There are too many hidden costs added on. Sure, you'll get a really cheap rate. But, you could end up paying much more. Go to the website and read everything. Pay special attention to carry on/baggage policy. 

[kaydee50]

We travel a lot and have never and would never fly Spirit.  Aside from paying extra for things that are standard on other airlines, the seats are very tight if you check out seatguru.com.

Bottom line, you get what you pay for.  

[ScrapHappy]

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@kaydee50 wrote:

We travel a lot and have never and would never fly Spirit.  Aside from paying extra for things that are standard on other airlines, the seats are very tight if you check out seatguru.com.

Bottom line, you get what you pay for.  

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I know, my husband says the same thing all the time.  I just saw the cost and was shocked.  Saving the money would be great especially after some unexpected expenses recently. Not sure what to do.

[GAQShopr53]

My son flew Spirit Airlines last year from Tampa and said he would never fly with them again. Yes the prices are cheap but he never knew if he had the flight or not because the reservations kept changing.

Finally, about 12 hours before the flight he was able to get confirmation. I don't mind flying cheaper airlines but this is one I think I'll skip. However, @ScrapHappy If you are just flying 2 hours and don't have a lot of luggage then perhaps it is a good deal and the benefits will out weight the issues. My son's flight was longer.

[FrostyBabe1]

There's isn't enough money that anyone could pay me to fly on either Spirit or Allegiant!

Yes, your base airfare may be cheaper, but they're going to charge you extra for everything. Want to pick your seat in advance? Fork it over. Want to check a bag? More money, and be aware that the weight allowance, at least on Allegiant, is only 40 pounds. Want a drink of water? Gotta pay for it. And on it goes. 

Also, these LCC's don't have interline agreements with any other airline, so if your flight is canceled, you're not going to get put on another carrier. You're going to wait until they have a seat available on their aircraft. That could be today, but it could also be next week. 

[Lipstickdiva]

I know someone who needed to fly to Savannah.  There were 4 of them going so he was trying to find something economical.  He called the friend he was going to see because all flights down were so expensive. His friend told him he flies Spirit but probably half the time, his flight is canceled.  He did get his flight and it was on time coming and going.

Someone else I know is going at the end of this to Savannah, also on Spirit because it was super cheap but it was super cheap for her to come home on Delta.

That being said, anytime I've priced a flight on Spirit just for the heck of it, in the long run they aren't any cheaper or it's not cheaper enough to worry about what could happen with them.  The flight seems cheap but then by the time you add on everything, the price is nuts.  

Be aware that Spirit's bag weight limit is 40 pounds as compared to 50 with anyone else we've ever used.