Spirit Airlines is one of the largest ultra-low-cost airlines in the United States, and personally my favorite (I prefer Spirit to Frontier, for example). While Spirit often gets a bad rap, I think it’s largely because people have unrealistic expectations. So, in this post, I wanted to share my top tips for getting the most out of the Spirit Airlines experience, because it doesn’t have to be bad.
Keep in mind that Spirit is in the process of being acquired by JetBlue, and the plan is for the combined airline to look much more like JetBlue in the future. That being said, for the time being, Spirit continues to operate independently and nothing has changed for passengers. In fact, if the merger wins approval, it will be interesting to see how the two fleets harmonize.
With that out of the way, let me share my top tips for getting the most out of a Spirit Airlines experience.
Make sure you understand the rules
Spirit Airlines is an ultra-low-cost carrier, which means that the airline usually has pretty low fares, but then charges extra for just about everything from seats, carry-ons, checked bags, snacks, and drinks.
I think the thing that frustrates people the most about Spirit is not understanding the rules. And I have to say, I don’t think Spirit is to blame for that – the airline is incredibly transparent during the booking process about what is and isn’t included. So I think the problem largely boils down to people reading what they want to read and then being shocked and outraged when they realize that their wishful thinking doesn’t actually reflect reality.
With that in mind, when booking a ticket on Spirit:
Understand that almost everything is going to cost you more Don’t expect you can get away with packing anything on the plane (like a full-size carry-on bag, if you didn’t pay for it) Understand that you’ll pay more for extras the longer you wait; it is cheaper to add bags at the time of booking and it is more expensive to add bags at the airport
Spirit Airlines is incredibly transparent
Pay for a carry-on instead of a checked bag
While all Spirit Airlines passengers can bring one free personal item onto the plane, you must pay more for large carry-on and checked bags. Interestingly, Spirit charges more to bring a carry-on bag than to check it. For example, take the next flight from Tampa to Baltimore, where a carry-on bag is $65, while a checked bag is $55.
Spirit Airlines Baggage Fees
While the natural idea might be to pay for a checked bag instead of a carry-on, I personally think it’s worth paying more for a carry-on. That way, you can avoid the lines at check-in, which can sometimes be very long. You shouldn’t have any trouble finding space in the overhead bin for your bag, either, since not many people pay for carry-on luggage.
Also, anyone who pays for a carry-on bag will automatically go up to the first zone, which means you’ll be among the first to board (if that matters to you). So when you pay for a carry-on, you not only save a lot of time, but you also get early boarding. Of course, this is all assuming you’re not just taking a personal item, which is the actual way to get a deal with flying Spirit.
In the meantime, if you’re traveling with more than you can reasonably fit in a carry-on, your best bet is to check a bag.
Consider reserving a large front seat
One of the things that makes Spirit Airlines unique among ultra-low-cost airlines is that the airline has the Big Front Seat concept. These are essentially first-class seats at the front of the cabin, except they don’t come with any extra amenities.
Given how cramped Spirit Airlines seats are, reserving one of these seats ensures that your flight is that much more comfortable. Back in the day, this was the deal of the century, as a large front seat was consistently an extra $30-$50. Today the cat is out of the bag, and the price premium has risen significantly for the Big Front Seat.
Regardless, if you care about comfort and can rock it, I can’t recommend the Big Front Seat enough. I understand that many people fly Spirit because they are looking to save as much as possible, so this is not for everyone. However, if you are in a position where you can spend the extra money, then do so.
Spirit Airlines Large Front Seat
Plan how you are going to entertain yourself
Don’t expect to find seatback entertainment on Spirit Airlines, so make sure you have a plan for how you’re going to entertain yourself. It’s pretty easy these days to bring your own personal device with pre-loaded TV shows or movies, so I recommend doing so.
One amazing thing about Spirit, though, is that the airline now offers high-speed Wi-Fi across most of its fleet. It’s great to be able to stay productive when flying Spirit Airlines, and it’s pretty reasonably priced. Wi-Fi streaming costs $6.99-14.99 per flight, so it’s reasonable if you’re looking to get some work done or just want to stream entertainment.
Most Spirit Airlines flights have Wi-Fi
Board your Spirit flight last
For whatever reason, people tend to fill up the gate area before boarding begins and feel some pressure to get on the plane as soon as possible. In the case of flying with Spirit, I think it is worth doing the opposite. Spirit is notorious for having limited seat pitch (apart from the large front seat), so you really don’t want to spend more time on board than necessary.
That’s why I recommend trying to address the latter, rather than the former:
If you have a personal item, it will go under the seat in front of you regardless of whether you have a carry-on, there should be plenty of room for it in the overhead bin, given how few people have carry-ons. (compared to other airlines)
Don’t spend more time than necessary in Spirit Airlines seats
Consider buying your ticket at the airport
The concept of booking a ticket at the airport instead of online is virtually unknown today, at least in the United States. However, there is an exception for ultra-low-cost airlines. Specifically, you can save $22.99 per ticket when you book in person at the airport, as it allows you to avoid the “passenger usage charge.”
The problem is that you may not get the same great prices on add-ons that you would if you book online. Check out this post for more details on when it’s cheapest to buy Spirit tickets at the airport.
The airport may be the best place to buy your Spirit Airlines ticket
Get a Free Spirit Elite Status Match
Free Spirit is Spirit Airlines’ loyalty program and it is surprisingly lucrative. The program offers a status matching challenge, for those who have status with a competing airline. What’s amazing is that if you have Spirit Airlines Gold status, you can avoid most fees, ranging from seat assignment fees to carry-on fees to checked baggage fees. This really makes flying Spirit a great deal.
Get a free drink and snack as a Spirit Gold member
have a good attitude
This is more general advice for flying, although it’s definitely important in Spirit as well. Spirit Airlines has really great, happy and fun employees. They come to work with a good attitude, and if you treat them right, they’ll treat you right.
I often see passengers express their frustration with Spirit employees for things that are not their fault. So be courteous and nice to them, and you’ll probably have an even better experience.
Enjoy BuzzBallz
In the same way that I like to sample the selection of drinks in International First Class and Business Class, the same is true of Spirit. So while Emirates is proud to serve Dom Perignon in first class, Spirit is proud to serve BuzzBallz. They are delicious and set the standard for flying with Spirit. As the name suggests, they’ll get you a little excited, which makes any flight more enjoyable, right? 😉
Spirit Airlines Serves BuzzBallz
Bottom line
Spirit Airlines is my favorite ultra-low-cost airline, thanks to Big Front Seat, high-speed Wi-Fi, and a great elite status program. There’s no denying that aspects of flying Spirit aren’t great, though we hope the tips above make it a little better for beginners.
The reality is that you should love Spirit Airlines regardless of whether you ever fly with the airline or not. Spirit has put a lot of downward pressure on airline prices, so the airline is blaming other airlines. Frankly, I’m a little sad about the prospect of Spirit being taken over by JetBlue, as the airline brings something unique to the market.
Does anyone have any other tips to make the Spirit experience as enjoyable as possible?
Source: news.google.com