I was looking at flights for a trip the FL and the best flight available for the return trip was on Spirit, a notoriously cheap airline that charges for carryon baggage, etc. However the flight is a non-stop, at the right time, and even with the cost of a carryon it’s the cheapest option.
So, are there additional hidden costs with these airlines? Are they annoying beyond belief? Should I just book on an airline that doesn’t charge to use the bathroom?
The biggest hidden cost of those budget airlines is that if something goes wrong causing a cancellation (weather, mechanical, whatever), you either won’t get there anytime soon or you’ll pay a fortune for a last minute ticket on a legacy airline.
Spirit saved my ass once when I needed to get to Costa Rica that day but missed my original flight on another airline. I bought my ticket online only a couple of hours before it departed and it was still a very cheap ticket compared to any other option. They even upgraded me to an exit row free of charge when I told them what happened (that may be worth paying extra for anyway because their regular seats are as tight as they can get away with).
You have to be an informed traveler and not make any dumb mistakes but Spirit will get you where you are going the same as any of the others but for a lot less money. Just look up their rules and fee schedules and decide what is worth paying for and what isn’t. Consolidate your bags into one, preprint your own boarding pass…things like that.
I have taken them a couple of times since then by choice and never had a problem with Spirit. I can’t speak to the other discount airlines like Frontier because I haven’t used them.
BTW, Spirit does not literally charge to use the bathroom unless that is a recent change. That has be rumored for years but it wasn’t true when I flew with them not that long ago.
I’ve used them all: Spirit, Frontier and Allegient.
I never had a problem with any of them. When Ms. Cups and I lived apart I would see her about every other weekend, and I usually took a budget airline to do it. Since it was a weekend I just chucked everything into a bookbag (to avoid the fees), bought a Coke and some Starbursts at the airport, and I was good.
They will charge for every food and drink item (water included!), carry-ons etc. But I haven’t seen them charge for the bathroom (I never used one myself because the Charlotte --> Orlando flight is short).
One thing that’s actually an IMPROVEMENT is the legroom. I noticed I had more legroom because the seats don’t recline.
As for delays/cancellations/the plane catching fire midair/etc…I never had any of that.
We have Allegiant at a nearby airport. The local paper did an article on Allegiant and found that they have the highest rate of mechanical problems causing delays and in-flight emergencies than any other of the larger carriers. Part of it is because Allegiant uses older aircraft. They also tend to do the minimum required maintenance.
I was an aircraft mechanic for 24 years. The last time I flew to a place where Allegiant went, I drove 50 miles and paid more money to fly with another airline. Some things are worth saving a few bucks.
Last I checked, spirit didn’t have an app but printing a ticket from an airport kiosk was free. It’s getting a counter person to print your ticket that cost money.
I’ve flown Frontier a few times and it’s been pleasant. My biggest draw is they fly out of our small regional airport that is three miles away. This is Nirvana in comparison to the Inner Circles of Hell aka Philly and Newark Internationals.
Their destination offerings have shrunken at Trenton regional. I don’t know if this is the case in other markets.
I’ve flown on Spirit twice. The first time was unpleasant but about what I expected for the price: noisy, confusing, unfriendly staff. The second time, my return flight was canceled with no assistance to reasonably re-book-- they offered a seat on a flight a week (!) later. They refunded the fare and sent me on my way. I’ve vowed to never, ever use them ever again, despite my inner cheapskate.
I’ve flown Spirit (Atlantic City - Florida) three times in the last couple of months. No real complaints. Staff and crew were fine and friendly. If you live close to the airport you can save more by buying your tickets there rather than on-line. We missed one flight from Ft Lauderdale due to the connecting flight (different airline) being late. Spirit put us on the first flight the next day at no extra charge.
I’ve flown Spirit and had no problem with my flights. But 14 years ago, I booked flights on Spirit when they were having a sale, and they canceled my flight out from under us simply because they were not making enough money on the route (excuse me? Isn’t that the risk you take when you sell something at a discounted price?). That said, that was a long time ago, I don’t know if they’ve done that since.
I flew on Frontier out of Denver about a year ago. The crew announced several times that you were supposed to pay for overhead bin space and if they ran out of room, they would remove unpaid bags to make room for paying customers. They did not need to do so on my flight.
Plus they did the comedy version of the safety lecture.
I would fly with them again.
Well, the flight is booked. Saved us about $500 for the two of us, and it’s the best time and a non-stop. Since we are flying down on a different airline with different baggage policies we have to weigh the options of putting everything in a single larger piece of checked luggage ($40) or two smaller carryons ($45x2=$90) for convenience and cost.
We flew Spirit from Dallas to Orlando for a ridiculously low fare and would do it again. If you’re using them and considering combining luggage, be aware that their weight limits are lower than most other airlines. Check their website to be sure.
Also, how tall are you? I’m 6’ and this is what the legroom looks like. Fortunately (kind of), the seats don’t recline.
Interesting scene at the Spirit terminal in Ft Lauderdale after flight cancellations. Since Spirit won’t book you on another airline these folks had few alternatives. One of the downsides of low cost carriers.
I heard that Ryanair once considered it seriously, though, but decided against.