Spirit Airlines

Spirit is in a league of it's own when it comes to fees

Flew my daughter to Las Vegas on Spirit.

Terrible.

Too many add on costs not well explained in advance.

You can not call them. No call center.

All activity is on the internet.

Bad experience, bad vibes, never again.

I enjoyed my couple flights on the Airbus

You can get some rock bottom prices...be prepared and to keep costs down, take only a backpack if possible.
MN to Vegas RT for under a hundred bucks is hard to pass up.....Would prefer to fly Delta or Sun County, but the price is hard to argue with.

Also, get the free $50 from the D for showing your Spirit boarding pass with in 24 hours of arrival

Isn't this the airline that charges for carry on luggage? I still wonder about the people who wear multiple outfits (multiple layers) so that they incur no luggage fees or carry on fees.

As of Today, Up to $100 for a Carry-On Bag on Spirit

A ground crew member loads baggage onto a Spirit Airlines Inc. plane at the San Diego International Airport in San Diego, June 19, 2012.


With all the political coverage over the past few weeks, it's understandable that one piece of airline news may have gone unnoticed by many travelers.

But it's an important one: Today's the day Spirit Airlines starts charging up to $100 for a carry-on bag.

Misty Pinson, a Spirit Airlines spokeswoman, said the timing of the new fee had nothing to do with the election and was "purely coincidence."

In fact, she said, "We absolutely do not want this news to be buried and have been actively working to make sure our customers are aware of this change, including emails to our customers and signs posted at our airports. What's most important is that we truly do not want any of our customers to have to pay $100 for their bag."

Which begs the obvious question: If the airline does not want people to pay $100 for a carry-on, why are they charging up to $100 for a carry-on?

Sam Hodgson/Bloomberg via Getty ImagesA ground crew member loads baggage onto a... View Full Size Sam Hodgson/Bloomberg via Getty ImagesA ground crew member loads baggage onto a Spirit Airlines Inc. plane at the San Diego International Airport in San Diego, June 19, 2012.
"The fee is intentionally set high to encourage customers to reserve their bags in advance, and it is meant to deter customers from waiting until they get to the boarding gate. When customers wait until the boarding gate, this delays the boarding process for everyone," Pinson said.

With just two weeks until the busy Thanksgiving travel weekend, it's a fee people who still haven't booked -- and are considering a flight on Spirit -- need to factor into their travel budget.

Spirit said it's "Bring Less, Pay Less" bag program passes the cost of handling bags solely to those bringing bags rather than have everyone subsidize these costs. The airline said the program has helped the company conserve the equivalent of nearly six million gallons of fuel in the last year alone compared to the rate of consumption before the introduction of the program.

Passengers who pay in advance will not have to pay $100 for their carry-ons.

Spirit Carry-On Bag Fees:

$9 Fare Club Member Online: $25
Standard Online: $35
Telephone Reservations: $40
Airport Ticket Counter or Kiosk: $50
Boarding Gate: $100

Spirit Airlines was the first domestic carrier to charge for carry-on bags, but they're no longer alone. In April, Allegiant Airlines started charging as much as $35 for a carry-on bag.

In October, London-based low-cost carrier Wizz also started charging for a carry-on. The cost is about $13 in U.S. currency.


Link

I flew Spirit this past week from Minneapolis to Las Vegas for the first time. Yes, they have a whole list of items that they charge extra for in addition to their low base rates. This is all explained on their website in detail; if you book with them there shouldn't be any surprises if you have done a little homework. I hate dragging around a suitcase at the airport and usually check my bag, so sure they charge a fee...most airlines are doing that and some are also charging for carry-ons..I believe Allegiant is doing that. Because this was my first time flying with them, I opted to choose my seat..an added fee...all explained on their website. I am also flying with Delta next month and they keep sending me e-mails about upgrading my seat selection..for an added fee. Spirit sent me an e-mail notice 24 hrs in advance of my flight, so that I could print off my boarding pass before arriving at the airport and another notice 24 hrs before my return flight. I printed my pass at the hotel's business center for a buck.

I arrived at the MSP airport a couple of hours before the flight and check in was a breeze. I handed the agent my boarding pass, put my suitcase on the counter to be weighed and tagged and then carried it 50 feet to hand it to the TSA agent (standard procedure at this particular airport) and was on my way to the security scan. The agent was pleasant and the process was quick and smooth. The boarding process also went off without a hitch. The flight attendants seemed friendly, the flight left pretty much on time, considering the weather was 13 degrees below zero with stiff 20-25 MPH winds. Arrived on time in Vegas without incident. The return flight was pretty much the same...no problems. Even with the extra fees I saved myself over $150 on my airfare.

There were some negatives and here they are:

The seating...the rows of seats are close together, if you are tall, you will have your knees touching the seat in front of you. Being smaller in stature, this was not a problem for me, but was noticeably a problem for the 6 ft guy in the seat next to me. The seats are uncomfortable, I am glad that it was only a 3 hr flight.
The flight attendants made announcements several times during the flight out to Vegas hawking their Master Card sign up promotion...annoying.
My flight times were less than desirable...flight out to Vegas left at 9:30 pm arriving in Vegas around 11:15 which is a lot later than I am used to. In order to keep the airfare low, I had to take the red-eye flight back..leaving at 12:35 am and landing in MSP at 5:10 am. I have taken the red-eye flights with Delta, still makes for a long day.

Overall, it was a positive experience and I will probably fly with them on my return leg for my next Vegas trip in March..their one way flight fee is $80 less than any other airline right now. You have to do your homework in order to avoid the extra fees, but it is not that difficult if you take a little extra time.

This is just my initial impressions with my dealings with Spirit; I take from the tone of others on this board that their experience has been less than optimal. I hope my input helps people make an informed decision before using Spirit.


Glasses can affect your vision; especially when they have been emptied several times.......

Spring Break 2000 !!!

Thanks everyone!

great airline if your 5ft tall

Both my son and daughter on different occasions flew Spirit. They both had their flights cancelled. Reason given was mechanical problems. If you have your flight cancelled with Spirit do NOT try calling them as the reservation people are from India and are no help. They told both of them they could get them out on a flight in 3 days!!! So, go to the Airport and get in line for Spirit where they will try to get you out on another airline or one of theirs if there is one. My son stood in line for 3 hours and got a flight the next day, thus losing one day of vacation and having to change all his plans, ie car rental.

My daughter got a notice in the middle of the night that her flight for 6 am was cancelled and when she tried calling they told her they could get out in 3 days. She cancelled with Spirit and booked with Delta, where she said it was actually cheaper. She has their credit card for free luggage.

So go to the airport if you need help and forget their customer service on the phone.
Wanda