nasa1974 Posted September 30, 2014 #1 Share Posted September 30, 2014 Does anyone have any experience with Spirit Airlines? They are going to start flying from Cleveland, Ohio to Fort Laudedale starting in February 2015 and they are almost $300 cheaper than any other airline I have checked on. We have a cruise in March and plan to fly in the day before. I just don't want any surprises. I know that everything is extra and will start to add all that up to do a real comparision but I figured a good starting point was the airfare portion. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikel24m Posted September 30, 2014 #2 Share Posted September 30, 2014 (edited) Does anyone have any experience with Spirit Airlines? They are going to start flying from Cleveland, Ohio to Fort Laudedale starting in February 2015 and they are almost $300 cheaper than any other airline I have checked on. We have a cruise in March and plan to fly in the day before. I just don't want any surprises. I know that everything is extra and will start to add all that up to do a real comparision but I figured a good starting point was the airfare portion. Thanks Spirit is fine we have used them out of Atlantic City for years without ever any issues.Just remember all the fees. One tip I would pick the emergency row seats for the additional $20 ,it gives you a ton of room !! Forgot to add sometimes they do have delays though usually coming back from Florida Also forgot to add join the $9 fare club too for some more savings Edited September 30, 2014 by mikel24m Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nasa1974 Posted September 30, 2014 Author #3 Share Posted September 30, 2014 Spirit is fine we have used them out of Atlantic City for years without ever any issues.Just remember all the fees. One tip I would pick the emergency row seats for the additional $20 ,it gives you a ton of room !! Forgot to add sometimes they do have delays though usually coming back from Florida Also forgot to add join the $9 fare club too for some more savings Thanks a couple things to look into. Not worried about coming home we just want to get down their on time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikel24m Posted September 30, 2014 #4 Share Posted September 30, 2014 Thanks a couple things to look into. Not worried about coming home we just want to get down their on time. You will hear on cruise critic to go down a day early to be sure you make the ship on time ,we do this if we can get an extra day off work but I would say 80% of the time we go down the day of and have never had an issue with Spirit being late Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whatcruiseisnext Posted September 30, 2014 #5 Share Posted September 30, 2014 (edited) Spirit is the only airline we NEVER fly. We think it is sub-par. They have such a negative reputation that any savings you might get is definitely not worth it. Most of the time the "savings" that you think you are getting is offset by al the additional fees and what you come out saving is not much difference from a regular airline. The seats are so close together that even sardines have more room. You pay for your carry on as well as your checked bags. Your checked bag can only way up to 40 pounds or you are hit with even more fees. Just not a good way to start a vacation. Goggle them....you won't find much positive. Also on Spirit....the seats do not recline and all and you are squeezed so close together it is uncomfortable. So unless you are a tiny person you would be very crowded. Edited September 30, 2014 by whatcruiseisnext 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pammi44 Posted September 30, 2014 #6 Share Posted September 30, 2014 I hate to tell you this, but Spirit almost ruined a vacation to Costa Rica several years ago by bumping us from the flight the night before we were to leave. I cannot tell you the ordeal we had to go through to actually make our flight (we had to switch to American for part of the journey that they agreed to pay for, then invalidated our new tickets at the last minute). The day we left was one for the records. May not happen to you, but just giving you a heads-up. Good luck!!! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crystalkrt Posted September 30, 2014 #7 Share Posted September 30, 2014 We took Spirit once, and it was the most uncomfortable plane ride ever. Seats are way too close, small plane. Like others say, there were delays too, so I would fly a day earlier, especially with Spirit . 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChaserX Posted September 30, 2014 #8 Share Posted September 30, 2014 (edited) You might also check Frontier Airlines http://www.flyfrontier.com/ Depending on the days picked, there are flight combinations from $204 Economy / $324 Classic Plus round trip to $564 economy / $684 Classic Plus round trip. The Classic Plus fare is fully refundable and includes 1 checked bag and one carryon among other perks such as stretched seating. With Economy fare, a checked bag is $20 advance $25 at the airport, and carryons are $25-$50 I've flown with them twice out of tiny little Trenton Airport north of Philly, and had a good experience. I'm flying with them again this Saturday. Hope this helps. Edited September 30, 2014 by ChaserX added my own experience, fee info. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
highflyingrealtor Posted September 30, 2014 #9 Share Posted September 30, 2014 (edited) Tried them once because the fare was so much less than the real airlines. It was a red eye supposed to leave midnight. Only plane leaving at that time out of MSP and it was still delayed about 3 hours. It took them that long to find a power cart at that time of night (morning) to jump start it - really - true story.:eek: Yes, small seats and no recline. On trip back out of FLL we were supposed to leave at around 8pm, didn't get off the ground till after midnight. :eek: again. Not an airport delay but there were issues with the plane (again). YMMV but ours will keep us from using them again. Edited September 30, 2014 by highflyingrealtor 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare LMaxwell Posted September 30, 2014 #10 Share Posted September 30, 2014 I have and will fly them again but would not fly them for day of a cruise. If day before you should be okay. They do not have reciprocity with many (any?) airlines. If your flight is canceled or delayed you are stuck until the next one with room on it. True story, a few years ago when I lived in NJ I was flying out of Atlantic City on a 7 PM flight to FLL. They ended up cancelling the flight because the crew had timed out. (The 7PM is the last one out of AC, so if there are delays during the day they stack up too much). I had gotten a ride to the airport, about 2 hours from home. The fare was actually quite reasonable; I was a $9 fare club member at the time and I think I had roundtrip tickets with taxes and fees for like $119 total. Anyways, Atlantic City airport closes and you can NOT stay. Spirit had a bus take anyone that was OUT of state residents to a hotel and put them up for free and then gave them a ride back in the morning. But IN STATE Residents were on their own. Well, here I was stuck in the airport...I called a few Atlantic City hotels and had enough points for a comp room. After a heated argument Spirit covered the cost of ground transport for me and another guy TO the hotel but wouldn't get us back to the airport. Class acts. If your schedule isn't super tight and you can roll with the punches you can fly cheap. To me, for a flight that is 3 hours or less I can deal without the reclining seat. I'm happy to pay for a diet coke if that is what I want. The onboard staff are friendly, the planes clean, and I would say 85% of the time they get me where I want to go with no problem. With luggage and such you are wise to do a cost comparison and see where things really shake out. If a family vacation hinged on it I'd think long and hard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikel24m Posted September 30, 2014 #11 Share Posted September 30, 2014 I have and will fly them again but would not fly them for day of a cruise. If day before you should be okay. They do not have reciprocity with many (any?) airlines. If your flight is canceled or delayed you are stuck until the next one with room on it. True story, a few years ago when I lived in NJ I was flying out of Atlantic City on a 7 PM flight to FLL. They ended up cancelling the flight because the crew had timed out. (The 7PM is the last one out of AC, so if there are delays during the day they stack up too much). I had gotten a ride to the airport, about 2 hours from home. The fare was actually quite reasonable; I was a $9 fare club member at the time and I think I had roundtrip tickets with taxes and fees for like $119 total. Anyways, Atlantic City airport closes and you can NOT stay. Spirit had a bus take anyone that was OUT of state residents to a hotel and put them up for free and then gave them a ride back in the morning. But IN STATE Residents were on their own. Well, here I was stuck in the airport...I called a few Atlantic City hotels and had enough points for a comp room. After a heated argument Spirit covered the cost of ground transport for me and another guy TO the hotel but wouldn't get us back to the airport. Class acts. If your schedule isn't super tight and you can roll with the punches you can fly cheap. To me, for a flight that is 3 hours or less I can deal without the reclining seat. I'm happy to pay for a diet coke if that is what I want. The onboard staff are friendly, the planes clean, and I would say 85% of the time they get me where I want to go with no problem. With luggage and such you are wise to do a cost comparison and see where things really shake out. If a family vacation hinged on it I'd think long and hard. Spirit was cheap at one time but not really any longer especially for Florida .We use them more because ACY is a short taxi ride home for us. Our November cruise its over $500 for the two of us without bags and seat assignments. Hopefully the prices drop some Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
travelsuz Posted September 30, 2014 #12 Share Posted September 30, 2014 I have flown Spirit twice. I just weigh the price difference vs the uncomfortable flight. Sometimes the uncomfortable flight is worth saving $200 per person. Sometimes the savings isn't that big and I fly a different airline. But I wouldn't rule them out. I do hate the 40 lb luggage max however. But we always carry on a backpack and a purse and haven't had any issues. Sent from my iPhone using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ar1950 Posted September 30, 2014 #13 Share Posted September 30, 2014 Cheap flights? Maybe or maybe not....... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
msmoger Posted September 30, 2014 #14 Share Posted September 30, 2014 Cheap flights? Maybe or maybe not....... That's a Hoot!! :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thumper69 Posted September 30, 2014 #15 Share Posted September 30, 2014 That's funny!!!!! but sadly how true.:rolleyes: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yoyosma Posted September 30, 2014 #16 Share Posted September 30, 2014 Spirit is my airline of last resort. I won't say I would never fly them, but if I have a choice I will not fly them again. Their planes are not clean. I had an issue with my seat being dirty the last time I flew them. I didn't have anything to clean up the armrest and tray table before takeoff so I asked the flight attendant and was told that is not their job. So I asked if they could bring me something to clean it up. Not their job. I asked to get up and get something myself and was told that I couldn't leave my seat. It was disgusting and the attendant was snarky. The woman next to me told me I should report it but I knew it was useless. I read afterward that a businessman was forced to sit in a previous passengers urine so the plane could take off. The door was already shut so he couldn't even leave the flight. This was in an article about the CEO and his disdain for his customers. Personally, I worry about safety as well. A shame because at one time it was my airline of choice. The attendants acted like professionals, they were really good and inexpensive. No more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lauren0309 Posted September 30, 2014 #17 Share Posted September 30, 2014 I would never fly spirit again. The seats are so tight and uncomfortable. Also you have to pay for drinks like soda and even water which the other airlines give you at no charge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cbreit Posted September 30, 2014 #18 Share Posted September 30, 2014 No, we wouldn't fly Spirit again either.. headed to the airport one morning we had a bridge jumper so got stuck for about an hour. Had planned on getting to the airport with at least an hour's wait. Got there and the attendant said there was no way we could get on the plane, the doors had just shut! Decided to take a different flight to a different location, with my brother picking us up, costing a bit more. Well, that worked, but then we had to drive several hundred miles to get to where we actually wanted to be to catch our cruise. After the cruise, wrote them a letter explaining why we were late getting to the airport, and then received a (small) credit from Spirit.. well, around the same time about a year later, Spirit had already left our area and we could never use our credit. The attendants at the airport were also very rude... Good luck if you decide to use them! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GradUT Posted September 30, 2014 #19 Share Posted September 30, 2014 I have flown Spirit twice. I just weigh the price difference vs the uncomfortable flight. Sometimes the uncomfortable flight is worth saving $200 per person. Sometimes the savings isn't that big and I fly a different airline. But I wouldn't rule them out. I do hate the 40 lb luggage max however. But we always carry on a backpack and a purse and haven't had any issues. Ditto. We also have flown Spirit twice, once to Ft. Lauderdale and once to Central America. They weren't the most comfortable flights, but they weren't that much worse than what the "legacy" airlines offer these days. If I could save a couple hundred dollars, I'd fly them again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beachesanywhere Posted September 30, 2014 #20 Share Posted September 30, 2014 Have flown Spirit several times, yes I have been delayed I would not choose Spirit if I needed to be somewhere at an exact time. I always check other airlines and price compare, if its close to the same I will go with another airline. I also will fly Spirit again if the price is right....to me it's all a out the destination. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1980dory Posted September 30, 2014 #21 Share Posted September 30, 2014 Spirit is the only airline we NEVER fly. We think it is sub-par. They have such a negative reputation that any savings you might get is definitely not worth it. Most of the time the "savings" that you think you are getting is offset by al the additional fees and what you come out saving is not much difference from a regular airline. The seats are so close together that even sardines have more room. You pay for your carry on as well as your checked bags. Your checked bag can only way up to 40 pounds or you are hit with even more fees. Just not a good way to start a vacation. Goggle them....you won't find much positive. Also on Spirit....the seats do not recline and all and you are squeezed so close together it is uncomfortable. So unless you are a tiny person you would be very crowded. Spirit airlines. Your WalMart of the air! :eek: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1980dory Posted September 30, 2014 #22 Share Posted September 30, 2014 Spirit is my airline of last resort. I won't say I would never fly them, but if I have a choice I will not fly them again. Their planes are not clean. I had an issue with my seat being dirty the last time I flew them. I didn't have anything to clean up the armrest and tray table before takeoff so I asked the flight attendant and was told that is not their job. So I asked if they could bring me something to clean it up. Not their job. I asked to get up and get something myself and was told that I couldn't leave my seat. It was disgusting and the attendant was snarky. The woman next to me told me I should report it but I knew it was useless. I read afterward that a businessman was forced to sit in a previous passengers urine so the plane could take off. The door was already shut so he couldn't even leave the flight. This was in an article about the CEO and his disdain for his customers. Personally, I worry about safety as well. A shame because at one time it was my airline of choice. The attendants acted like professionals, they were really good and inexpensive. No more. Try to file a complaint! It is impossible to reach anyone if you have a complaint. After a few weeks I finally got through to report the attendant who deliberately opened the rest room to chastise a lady (while sitting on the pot) for failing to lock the door!!! The attendant continued her tirade while holding the door open while the occupant tried unsuccessfully to cover herself and pull the door closed so that none of the passengers could see her. Absolutely bizarre!!! :eek: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RJ2002 Posted September 30, 2014 #23 Share Posted September 30, 2014 I have not flown Spirit, but according to seatguru, their seat pitch has the least amount of room of all US carriers, at only 28 inches. Seatguru also reports that Spirit's seats do not recline. These are reasons enough for me, at least, to look for other carriers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luckysadie Posted September 30, 2014 #24 Share Posted September 30, 2014 Spirit does not have agreements with any other carriers. If there is a mechanical problem, etc., they cannot put you on another airline. If you want to change to another carrier, you will have to buy a ticket. Since you plan to travel in February, I would research another airline. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nobog Posted October 2, 2014 #25 Share Posted October 2, 2014 You might also check Frontier Airlines http://www.flyfrontier.com/ Depending on the days picked, there are flight combinations from $204 Economy / $324 Classic Plus round trip to $564 economy / $684 Classic Plus round trip. The Classic Plus fare is fully refundable and includes 1 checked bag and one carryon among other perks such as stretched seating. With Economy fare, a checked bag is $20 advance $25 at the airport, and carryons are $25-$50 I've flown with them twice out of tiny little Trenton Airport north of Philly, and had a good experience. I'm flying with them again this Saturday. Hope this helps. Be careful - Frontier is now under the same owners as Spirit - and their M.O. is the same - low initial and then stick it to you. JK Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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