So my plan for this week's blog post was to talk about my experience with Spirit Airlines and how they really aren't that bad. After flying with them a few times, I really didn't understand why they had such a bad rep. But of course, they have now spent the last week or so making every headline for canceling thousands of flights, leaving people stranded, and overall ruining plenty of people's trips. And all this negative publicity is more than likely going to discredit anything I say here. How ironic! LOL!
The current situation really is unfortunate because it has caused lots of warranted frustration from customers who are stranded in random locations, out hundreds of dollars, and not getting the answers they deserve. It's caused tears, stress, and long hours from employees as they try to solve problems they don't even understand, deal with all the yelling, cussing, verbal, and potentially physical abuse from angry customers, and are being forced to work overtime to fix a mess they didn't even create. And, of course, Spirit's brand is going to take a MAJOR reputation hit when they already weren't doing very well to begin with. To be honest, I won't be surprised if it takes years to regain customer loyalty or if this is the beginning of the end for them. It's not looking too good...
Fortunately, I don't have any upcoming flights with them so I will have some time to see how they handle this current situation and make plans accordingly in the future. But since I already planned to write this, might as well see it through. If they are able to get it together but you still have other questions or concerns, this may help.
Fees, Fees, Fees
I think one of the biggest reasons people don't like Spirit Airlines is because EVERYTHING adds an additional cost. Now don't get me wrong, it can get annoying to have to pay for every little thing when you are used to everything being complimentary. But I think the quickest way to solve this complaint is to be realistic about the situation. You can't get mad that your $50 flight doesn't offer the exact same benefits as a $250 flight. You get what you pay for. I mean if you really think about it, nothing is necessarily complimentary on the bigger ticket airlines, it's just already included. The $250 was basically them charging you for your seat selection, baggage, snacks and drinks, Wifi, etc. upfront, whereas Spirit only charges you the flight upfront and everything else is à la carte. If you enjoy the convenience of being charged once and not having to worry about it anymore then, by all means, go for the higher-priced ticket. However, don't let the fees automatically stop you, esp. if you know how to avoid them. If you know how to finesse the system like I do, your $50 flight can really stay $50. Here's how I avoid the extras:
Baggage: Spirit allows all passengers 1 free personal item. I believe both carry-ons and checked bags start at around $30. The key to avoiding these fees is finding the biggest personal item you can and being strategic about your packing. And don't worry, I've literally fit 6 outfits, 2 pairs of shoes, etc. into my bag before so this doesn't mean you have to wear the same jeans and sneakers every day of your trip. I go into detail about my packing tips here.
Snacks and drinks: Did you know you are allowed to bring food through TSA? If you didn't, now you do. Their rules say no liquids but solid food is perfectly fine. So sometimes, I will bring my own snacks on board. You are also allowed to bring empty cups/bottles through TSA. I've brought my Yeti inside and gotten a free cup of water from one of the bars in the airport (pre-Covid, a lot of bars seem to be closed right now) and filled my bottle up.
Check-In: Spirit charges a fee for checking in at the desk. But I travel almost exclusively with personal items/carry-ons so I check-in online and walk straight to TSA anyway. If you don't need to check your bag, always check-in online and you'll be good to go.
Seat Selection: If you have really long legs or real flying phobias, paying for seat selection may be worth it. But I personally don't think it's necessary, especially for shorter flights. I prefer window seats but if random seat selection can save me money, I typically go that route.
Although this may seem like a lot of extraness, I have never personally had a problem packing my personal item for my short 4-day trip, checking in online (which I prefer to avoid extra lines anyway), hopping on my 3-hour flight, and going about my day. HOWEVER, I would not recommend flying Spirit if you are just going to add all of the amenities anyway because it will likely bring you close to the cost of any other airline, in which case, there is no point in booking them. I tried this the other day for an international trip that was about $600 through Spirit and close to $900 for other airlines. But adding the extras raised the price to $850. So I went ahead and booked with American. I was already booking last minute so it was more expensive than normal so there was no way I was about to spend that much with SPIRIT!
In-Flight Differences
As far as the in-flight experiences, there are some major differences. But if your goal is simply to get from here to there, I don't think they are dealbreakers. First of all, I don't feel any more in danger than I do on any other airline LOL. You don't have to fly the plane yourself, the employees are normal people, and landing does not mean y'all are about to fall out of the sky. But those memes are hilarious so keep 'em coming!
The first difference is the legroom and seats. Most Spirit seats have about 28 in of legroom while other airlines start at 30 in. This probably will be a bigger deal the taller you are. It doesn't really impact me though. I have also heard people complain about seats not being very comfortable but I personally don't notice a difference (I have slight back problems and still didn't notice a drastic difference in seat comfort level). The tray table is tiny! Don't come prepared to sit a whole laptop or iPad on it or you will be very disappointed. Along with that, I don't believe Spirit offers WiFi or any in-flight entertainment. So don't fly with them if you need to handle work or business-related things. I typically download a few movies or TV episodes from Netflix or Disney+ to watch offline on the plane (best feature ever), play games like Candy Crush, or just sleep until we land. There are also no power outlets so make sure to grab a portable charger if your phone is quick to run out of juice. Most of these for me are really easy fixes or no big deal. And as for the seats themselves, I can definitely tolerate a short flight. Would I fly 14 hours to Japan like this? Definitely not. But for 3 or so hours, it's fine.
Overall Thoughts
Spirit's definitely not my preferred airline because I also enjoy the convenience of other companies, can get rewards points quicker through other airlines, and honestly have slight reservations about Spirit's customer service, especially after this last week. But assuming this week's situation is a one-off, I would still heavily consider them for future trips if the price is right! My previous encounters with them have been just fine.
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