Spirit Airlines isn’t exactly known for being one the best U.S. based airlines. But, I’m here to say that I flew Spirit Airlines and didn’t hate it.
When people say there is a charge for everything, they mean it. You want to check-in at the airport counter? No problem, but there’s a charge for that. You want to travel with carry-on luggage? There’s a charge for that. You want to enjoy a small bottle of water or a snack mid-flight? You guessed it. There’s a charge for that, too.
When my husband and I decided to take a quick Memorial Day weekend trip to Tulum, Mexico, I knew I didn’t want to spend a fortune on airfare. I began searching for tickets and Spirit was without a doubt the most affordable option. I had never flown with Spirit before so I started doing a little research and read several horror stories. Even after reading all of the horror stories, I booked our tickets and hoped for the best. I’m not going to lie, I was super nervous in the days leading up to our flight and I was just waiting for our flight to be cancelled or some other disaster to strike. Luckily, it didn’t.
Know What You’re Getting Into
I did enough research beforehand to know about the different charges so that I wouldn’t be surprised with any fees at the airport. I packed everything I needed for the weekend in a backpack so that it would count as my personal item and be free of charge. If you’re going on a trip that’s longer than three days, then carrying a backpack is probably not going to work so you’re going to need to purchase either checked or carry-on luggage. I would highly recommend purchasing your bags when you book your ticket because it’s going to be a lot cheaper than if you wait until the last minute.
Another way to save some extra cash is by checking in for your flights online and using the Spirit app for your boarding passes. This will help you avoid a fee for having to check-in at the airport ticket counter with an agent. I would also carry a refillable water bottle and your own snacks.
Overall Takeaway
I can honestly say I was thoroughly impressed with Spirit Airlines. Both planes we traveled on were new and we both had plenty of legroom. My husband is 6’1 and he had more legroom on Spirit than he does on most American Airlines flights we have taken. The flight crew we encountered on both flights were friendly and actually quite funny. Right now Spirit doesn’t offer WiFi on any of their planes; however, it was announced on our flight back from Cancun that starting in November 2018 they will begin adding WiFi to all of their planes with a completion date sometime during Summer 2019. I was really excited to hear this because Spirit doesn’t offer in-flight entertainment but with WiFi I could easily connect to Hulu or Netflix.
Would I Fly Spirit Again?
Overall, I would definitely fly Spirit again if I’m heading to a destination they service, the price is right, and the flight isn’t more than 3 hours.
Have you ever flown on Spirit? Leave a comment below and tell me all about your experience!