Has anyone tried Spirit Airlines?

[pktbMouse]

They are cheap but are they any good??

 

[orion2185]

Never used em myself

Some family members were looking at booking them for their cheap prices to WDW
However they charge for both checked and carry on luggage. When they added this cost...it works out same as more "name" airlines

Would be interested in reading anyone's review of spirit

 

[smbowtie]

They are cheap but are they any good??

We have used Spirit for years out of AC in NJ to Orlando. We have never had a problem. New clean planes.

 

[lauti]

No, they are not good. If you have a choice I'd recommend a different airline. They charge for everything and have the least amount of leg room. They also have a very poor on time/cancelation record.

 

[mom2rose&john]

I did not have a good experience.

They cancelled my return flight without notifying me. I happend to find it unavailable on their website, called customer service, was told to email, the same person returned my email with a phone call. I had to request refund rather than credit and it took two months for it to appear on my CC. I don't think they operate at Niagara Falls airport anymore.

As always your result may vary.

 

[wendow]

My inlaws flew them at Christmas and were not happy at all with the experience. They nickeled and dimed them to death too. *Everything* cost extra. IIRC, they made them pay an extra charge to have seats together

 

[::danielle::]

I have flown Spirit 3 times. What you are reading is is true.

They charge you for EVERYTHING so make sure you take that into consideration before you purchase. For example, you may only carry on the one personal items that fits under the seat for free. Everything else is a fee. Picking your seat is a fee. Want a drink or pretzels? Be prepared to pay.

They have the smallest seats of any airline.

Their customer service is non-existent.

That being said, I am flying them again in May. But I know what I am getting into so I've decided the savings is worth it. They're easily $100 RT cheaper than any other airline per ticket, even after their fees.

 

[G719]

My sister flew with them in a November to join us at Disney. They do not participate in the airline check in service that is at disney so you have to take your own checked bags with you to the airport when you leave.

 

[DisneyDiana]

I use them all the time. They can't nickel and dime you if you don't let them. I pay for my checked bag and then make sure my carry on will fit under the seat so they don't chargè me. You don't have to pay to have your seats together. I check in online at exactly 24 hours before my flight. Out of 20 or so flights we have only been separated once. I bring my own snàcks and buy a $3 soda on the plane. I also save at least $100 per person per flight. To me it is worth it.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

Go to the Transportation Board and do a search for Spirit. You'll find many threads with plenty of opinions.

 

[wendow]

I use them all the time. They can't nickel and dime you if you don't let them. I pay for my checked bag and then make sure my carry on will fit under the seat so they don't chargè me. You don't have to pay to have your seats together. I check in online at exactly 24 hours before my flight. Out of 20 or so flights we have only been separated once. I bring my own snàcks and buy a $3 soda on the plane. I also save at least $100 per person per flight. To me it is worth it.

It sounds like you know how to work their system so you don't get nickel and dimed. My inlaws are not frequent flyers and are older so they had no idea how this airline worked. It's totally their fault they didn't make themselves aware of WHY the cost was so low.

But they did have to pay for their seats. At Christmas time, flights were busy. They would not have gotten to sit together had they not paid for certain seats ahead of time. My MIL said it was $25 each and if I understood her right, that was per flight.

 

[vweryhappy]

Always had excellent service for past ten years out of acy to mco. Flights always on time...seats are just fine! Yes you do pay extra for checkin bags but we still saved a bundle! If you can buy tickets at airport. .will save even more money.

 

[vweryhappy]

Wanted to add might want to sign up for $9 club and for their emails..watch closely and when you see a great deal jump on it because saw flights go up overnight a few times.

 

[Moniqu17]

We've flown spirit quite a few times and will be using them again in the near future. Even after all the fees we save $100 pp. The seats are a bit tighter, but for us the flight is just over 2 hours. We also pre-buy our checked luggage and carefully make sure our carry on fits the personal item. We take backpacks with no issue so no extra fee!

Also, they charge if you wait until the airport to print your boarding pass so we did it at home after we check in. At WDW, the hotel front desk has always helped us with printing our boarding passes with no issues. We take the Magical Express but do have to handle our own luggage, but really that's no big deal. We also pre-buy our seats together but it has only been $10 pp each way. Every time we've checked in at 24 hours there were seats available together but I like to sit sort of close to the front so I'm willing to pay the fee. Even with checked bags and buying seats it's always cheaper than everyone including SW by close to 100 pp. I don't like how I can't pick or buy seats on SW either... I'm too anxious for that. Plus just buy a few snacks or drinks before you take off and it's a bit cheaper. But b/c so few people have large carry on bags it seems quicker to us to board etc.

BTW we've always received an email with flight changes and only had an issue once with seats changing when the plane did. It took time but it was resolved. I think all major airlines have their issues.

 

[shelly3girls]

We have flown them many times. I will fly them to save money. If any if us were above average weight then we probably would not as the seats feel very tight.

The major downside with them is that they only fly limited flights. If they have a problem with a plane then good luck getting to where you need to be. I had an absolute nightmare experience getting home from MCO due to a plane issue. It took them 10 hours to get a replacement. Long story short, we arrived at MCO at 8am and didn't get to the Atlantic City airport until 2am the next day. We were treated very poorly by the airline through the multiple delays (some of which was sitting on the plane). I swore I would never fly them again but sometimes those $9 fares still suck me in!

 

[njmom47]

This is one of the most heated debates on the DIS.
We fly to Florida out of AC when we fly and for a 2 1/2 hour flight, we like Spirit Airlines just fine. There are ways to make it cheap if you can: buy tickets at the airport (saves fees, but you have to do the math), pay for bags online at least 24 hours before you flight (cheapest way), etc.
When I asked to change a flight, they were more than accommodating. Maybe the most positive experiences are in AC because for now they are the only airline that flies out of there.
We don't really care if we sit together, although I understand with kids or other circumstances you would want to sit together, and the snacks didn't cost any more than what you would pay at Wawa ($4 for a bottle of water and a muffin).

 

[samanthacatangel]

I love Spirit! After numerous issues with JetBlue out of Newark, we drive almost 2 hours down to AC to fly to Orlando. The stress free environment of Atlantic City is worth it. So far, I have not had any problems with them. Yes, they charge for everything, but you should be aware of that going in.

 

[tasha99]

My daughter and sister flew them for a trip to Cabo last summer. The first leg of their return flight was cancelled, and Spirit was able to get them on a new flight (wait for it . . . ) 5 days later! This wasn't weather or any other type of cancellation that would normally cause such a delay. It was Spirit not having their act together by having contracts with other airlines. So, being unable to hang out in the San Diego airport for 5 days, they rented a car and drove 24 hours to get home. Think about it--is saving a few bucks on airfare worth ruining a vacation? A flight cancellation on the way out could mean having to buy expensive new tickets last minute. If you're flying from close enough to drive if there is a disaster, that's one thing, but if you're coming from the west coast, I would recommend against them. I guess I would consider them only for a visit to family that could be easily rebooked.

 

[MillauFr]

My daughter and sister flew them for a trip to Cabo last summer. The first leg of their return flight was cancelled, and Spirit was able to get them on a new flight (wait for it . . . ) 5 days later! .

This happens on Spirit far more than other airlines. If you want piece of mind don't fly Spirit. If you are a gambler and want to save money at the expense of service than sure fly Spirit.