Spirit Air

[TrvlJohn]

I would agree with Rick and Loria. As long as you understand what you are getting into it is a great deal. We have used them from Myrtle to STT and everything went fine. Ft. Lauderdale is a madhouse because of the crowds in the terminal. As I have gotten older, I have decided that I like to be pampered in first class(which is actually the equivalent of coach-20 years ago) but if I was traveling with the whole family I would probably fly on Spirit to save some $$

[Exit Zero]

I used Spirit for quite a few years twice a year STT- FLL- ACY [Atlantic City] - I always upgraded to 'big front seat' -- for the last few years the timing and costs have negated any advantages and the fees have escalated beyond my level of acceptance.
That said I had no problems but in FLL there is never an extra plane available for mechanical problems and I have had friends wait 2 days there at their own expense for a STT flight to finally be available.
No airline is perfect but I doubt I would ever choose to fly Spirit again, for my needs the nitpicking fees and service are not worth any savings, real or perceived.

[Teresa_Rae]

My advice, if you choose to fly Spirit, is to take food with you. They dump you into the international terminal at FLL, which is small and people are packed in like sardines...I have flown A LOT and have never seen anything like it. The food options are minimal, and you can't leave to go to another terminal, so you can wind up in a line behind 50 other people, easily, and get to the front and they've run out of food.

[JJShaw]

Yes...I didn't add that FT Lauderdale is busy when you get there...but within about 30 min it clears out , seems like each gate leaves about the same time, and if you want lunch there is a Nathans and a cpl other sandwich shops..enough that we find something that will work. We usually have just eaten breakfast before we take off at 8 and we get there usually at about 9:50 am so eating for us is not a big deal, and if we do eat because we didnt have breakfast, not a big deal to wait 30 min. esp if I've saved a good chunk and IF we take snacks, we just wait til we get to STT. Also if you want a drink to carry with you to STT so you don't have to buy their drinks on the flight...you can get one there..

[seagrape]

Peace of mind is quite peaceful. Okay, I felt very relieved to buy DELTA tickets. Turns out we would only save about $300 total after buying the "big front seats". I just feel better about it all around. Besides, we LOVE Delta. Just don't want to be stranded and lose our tix to Alaska. Thanks for your advice, one way or another!
Seagrape

[Laura T]

Na-Na-Na-Na-Na-Na...not listening...I already booked on Spirit out of Dallas/Ft. Lauderdale/STT this June...on the previous 5 trips, we only flew American, but it was $1000 cheaper this time for the 3 of us on Spirit including prepaid seats and checked bags and $5 cokes and $2 toilet paper and the $9 Something Club that I'm still not sure why I joined except for the email I get every week congratulating me on accumulated 0 miles thus far...I couldn't not do it.

So please respect my right to live in denial for two more months as I am also 6'3" and have a history of not doing well with non-plussed and under-caffeinated flight attendants:

"Pardon me, mam."
"Yes?"
"I know this plane is landing in Miami, but is it also the same plane that is going on to St. Thomas?"
"What does your ticket say?"
"You mean besides, 'Don't Feed The Bears?'"
"That's not funny, sir."
"Okay, could we ask the pilot if this is the same plane to St. Thomas?"
"No, but you can ask the air marshals when we get to Miami."
"That's not funny."
"I wasn't joking."

Whoops.

Hysterical!

[The2ofus]

Yeah @54b, that was hysterical!
I hate the Airlines ala Carte pricing. Personally I think the Government should reign it in. But I guess it's here to stay. Just makes it harder to compare. But really, with the Internet, we are lucky.
Knowledge is power.

[bobob1916]

Spirit Airlines blows.....MSP to ORD at 545AM 4.5 hours late. ORD to MSP 2.2 hours late. I could have spent $124 more on Delta and I wished I did. I checked the boards and they were on time. A simple 1 hour flight they cannot get right. I cannot imagine longer flights and connections.

[bigyellowtuna]

flew on Spirit for my trip last week. No issues, no surprises. Go into knowing that 1) you should bring food and buy a drink after security or plan to purchase something on board if you are hungry / thirsty, 2) there are no movies or TVs, 3) look into checked baggage and/or carryon fees before you purchase tickets - they must be factored into total cost, 4) if the people in front of you put their seats back they will be inches from your face.

For me it was the least expensive option by far out of Ft Laud. Both legs of the flight I had an empty seat next to me and was lucky that the folks in front of us did not put their seats back. Also if on a budget, you might want to look into the Spirit mastercard offer. Flight attendants were pushing it on the flight and claimed you get enough points for 3 offpeak round trip tickets for signing up -- not sure what that really means but might be worth exploring if on a budget.