Spirit Airlines

I first flew Spirit in November 2013 on a return trip to and from Cancun Mexico. Booked on Spirit after coming across the cheap prices on Kayak. I went to the airport ready to do battle but much to my surprise I was quickly processed through there were no surprise extra costs and the flights were in fact uneventful. I again flew last week to and from San Diego and the experience was the same. Yes I wish they had better seats with more leg room and perhaps provide some sustenance during the flight but I guess one has to prepare for lack of such amenities when flying budget. Would I fly with them again? Yes I would. During the four flights I had with Spirit I saw the ground/airport crew work overtime to make sure that we did not miss the connecting flights when there were delays sometimes personally escorting/directing the passengers through the maze of airport hubs and the on-air crews were always pleasant.

Hidden fees all over terrible customer service rude staff in every department! Every bag you have is extra money checked bags carry on bags and they tell you none of this until after you have bought your ticket. It even costs money to print your boarding pass at the airport. Your carry on can weigh 50 lbs which costs you different amounts based on when and where you tell them you have a carry on. Then if you check a bag it costs you another 50 bucks if it weighs over 40lbs! I have flown plenty this is by far the worst experience I have had with an airline.

Because their rate was much lower than all other carriers I decided to try Spirit for my recent Chicago to Las Vegas round trip. I found the planes to be reasonably modern and the service to be fine but what really bugged me was that they charged for everything! Seats checked bag carry on luggage (if you do not pay at time of booking it jumps to $100 per piece at the gate) beverages (including water and coffee!) and snacks. I understand that it is a low-fare and no frills airline but really must you need to charge for everything? This cannot be a long term business model. You don't feel that you got the value for your money. I am a frequent business flyer who logs between 40-50 thousand miles per year. I have a few favorites but I am always on the look out for options. Needless to say Spirit has been erased from my list. I don't have much spirit for this airline.

Flight from LaGuardia to MCO (Orlando) with a connecting flight in Detroit - absolutely mortified with the check in service at LaGuardia. My 17 year old son brought his skateboard on the flight as it is permitted with the TSA guidelines. When we got to check in the man at the desk said Spirit has different policies but he would allow it if we pay extra $50 to bring the skateboard on the plane. He said he would call the gate to let them know. When we got to the gate the people almost didn't allow us - the guy at check in didn't call. When we got into the plane my son had his board and the people on board said oh yeah that's fine! When we got to Detroit we looked at the receipt to explain to the next flight attendants and we were shocked when we saw $110 on the receipt. The man at check in deliberately lied to us. Spirit flight was fine no TVs but that's fine. Absolutely outraged by the check in service at LaGuardia.

On Sunday March 30 2014 my husband and I endured the worst experience we have dealt with regarding any airline. From the moment we got into the line to proceed to the service counter where we engaged with the rudest of service reps to the poor representation or should I say lack of representation when I called to check on a charge for our carry-on luggage and additional charge for so called extra poundage on our check-in bag. The bag (they said) was 7 lbs. over when on a previous flight with JetBlue it was 4 lbs. under. How does that work? Never fly again with them.

Had to find quick non-stop flight from Dallas to Orlando. Spirit fit the time frame and would have me there by 7.08pm. When we arrived at DFW flight was on time. Then at 1.30 the flight board showed a 90 minute delay. By 2.30 it was a 3 hour delay. Instead of leaving at 3.39pm it was now a 6.45pm departure. First time my wife and flew Spirit and was surprised at all of the added fees. Time was of the essence so we gave it a shot due to having 'lower' rates. Total cost would have been comparable to other rates from airlines with a better on time average which I learned while sitting waiting for my very delayed flight. I will always take a few minutes and always check an airline out online if I am not familiar with them.

The worst airline I have flown! Filthy seats too small. Seats don't recline jammed 3 in a row and you had to keep your body still or you hit the person either side. Stewardesses? Looked bored and put out when asked a question. Hit with baggage fees on check-in pay to sit next to the person you traveled with! Will never fly this airline again.

The worst flight experience my husband and I have had! It cost more for our 2 carry-ons than the cost of our tickets. The flight attendant who checked the boarding passes was terribly rude and unprofessional the service on the plane was outrages. Nothing is free even the water. Narrow seats dehydration one restroom out of order. We flew from O'Hare to San Diego on March 28 2014. At the gate I went first pulling my carry on at the plane entrance I noticed my husband was not behind me. I went back to check and saw my husband being charged for his carry on. At that time the attendant started yelling 'They have two they have two' so the attendant charged my husband another $100 for my carry on! There was no explanation no kindness. It wasn't my fault that the flight attendant let me go at first and then when I came back she treated me like prey she has missed! I will never ever fly with Spirit again.

People who complain about the fees and whatnot must not read before booking their flights. The site is very clear about the various fees all the way through the booking process. With the membership we saved a ton of money on our flight even with baggage fees and the extra fees to reserve big front seats it was still cheaper than flying a major airline even if we cashed in airmiles. As far as customer service goes we had no issues. Staff at Niagara airport were fine we had no issues and because it's such a small airport we got through check-in and security in record time. The flight itself was fine. There was a technical issue with the gate but even after having to switch gates we still departed on time. Big front seats are worth the extra money for sure. On the way home we had very friendly staff at Ft Lauderdale airport. There was an issue with the cleanliness of the plane on our return trip. Our seats weren't spotless but not gross but it seems that the cleaning crew didn't notice that someone had been sick in the row across from us. A passenger unfortunately put her hand in it while getting to her seat and had to go back out to the terminal to wash it off. The flight attendant was very sincere and concerned apologized to them and everyone in the area got the cleaning crew back in asap to take care of it sprayed some air freshener apologized again and again and had the passengers from that row seated in another row for the flight since there were some empty seats. It was unfortunate but the attendant handled it perfectly and we still left on time. The rest of the flight there were no issues. Even with major airlines I've almost always found garbage in the seat pocket that got missed it happens. Overall I would fly Spirit again but maybe not for a long flight. I recommend it if you want to save some money and don't care about inflight meals and movies (you can purchase snacks and drinks this is pretty typical of most airlines now anyway not many provide a free meal or snack these days). If you're a tall or heavy person definitely pay the extra for the big front seats. Generally speaking you get what you pay for. This is a discount airline so go in with low expectations and you'll be fine.

One of the worst staff ever experienced. Onboard staff was so rude and don't help. They did not let us use the bathrooms when seat belt sign was turned off and bathroom was empty but staff was using it. Our child was coughing and needed a glass of water first they asked me to pay $3 before giving him water. They charge for everything bag seat water food. Its looks cheap when we search for the deals but there are hidden prices which makes it expensive in the end. I will never go back and would not recommend them.