I have flown Spirit Airlines twice. No, I don’t mean like my grandma used to say, “The first and the LAST time.” Literally twice. And the difference in the two experiences was as different as cruising in the Boiler Room of the Titanic versus flying in an Emirates Luxury Air suite. My mom, sister, and I had dreaded the flight pretty much as soon as we booked it, but the prices just couldn’t be beat. My sister saved about $700 on direct flights for her party of three, and the flight times were actually better than the alternative options. So we sucked it up. But we pretty much prepared for “sucked’ to be the theme of the trip. But when my recent (and second) trip was so vastly different from the first one, I called my husband in shock as soon as we landed. It was so pleasant and smooth! The difference was like night and day.
The first time it was a disaster. I stood wide-eyed as I watched helplessly as the reservation desk agent barked to the guy behind me that he would be ponying up extra cash if she checked him in versus him checking himself in at the self-serve kiosk. He muttered something I’m glad I couldn’t discern in return, and begrudgingly dragged himself to the kiosk. My attention quickly turned to the forlorn couple in the corner cussing and frantically flinging things out of their bag to reduce the weight to the optimal “40 pounds,” no doubt EXACTLY the way they wanted to start their romantic rendezvous. Finally, my eyes fell upon the small child crying in the corner desperately holding onto her stuffed lovie because her “carry on” was too big to actually be carried on. It was a mess. It definitely didn’t leave me with a “feel good” sentiment of travel, and it suddenly became crystal clear why so many people had been lamenting on and on about how awful Spirit Airlines is. I began googling comparisons of Spirit Airlines’ in-flight (coping) alcohol sales to those of other airlines, but that’s neither here nor there.
The second time we were welcomed by a choir of children singing, our bright white smiles aglow, checked in smoothly, floated onto the plane, and had an amazing trip! That’s only a slight exaggeration, but I’m telling you. It was NIGHT AND DAY. So what made such a huge difference? If Spirit Airlines and I were in a romantic relationship, I think I’d have to admit, “It’s not you, Spirit. It’s ME!” The first time, I wasn’t prepared. I wasn’t in the know about Spirit and frankly I think many people were just as clueless as I was. This was when Spirit was relatively new, and nobody had done their research and all were left in shock at the check-in desk. Nobody had learned how to play the Spirit game. You see, Spirit acts like they don’t play, but EVERYBODY plays. Strangely enough, they even let you in on the game secrets! But I think most people forget to read the directions before pressing “start.” Now, don’t get too excited. I’m not saying you’ll be lounging with your Louboutins propped up, holding a crystal glass of champagne, soaring through the friendly skies. But you ARE going to save to some cash. And maybe you can use that extra cash to buy an entire bottle of champagne once you get to your destination of choice. If you figure out how to play the game, you can win. And Spirit can’t stop you. Realistically, I don’t even think they want to! But navigating their information can be overwhelming, so I’m here to break it down for you. Here are the top ways to play the Spirit game, and win.
1. Consider Joining the $9 Club
The $9 club, which incidentally costs $59.95 the first year with an automatic renewal fee of $69.95 each year, initiates members into an exclusive club of the lowest fares and reduced baggage fees. The 60 day trial membership used to cost $9, thus the confusing name, but now costs $19.95. Much like the initial year membership, the trial membership rolls over into a yearly membership if not cancelled before the expiration date.
So when is this club really worth it? The member discounts extend to the member and up to 8 additional people booked on their itinerary. At the very least, the $9 club will save you $9 on each type of bag, regardless of when you pay for the bags. So if you and your eight friends each checked a bag, you would save $81 on the first leg of your flight. Conceivably you could pay for your membership in one trip if you rallied together and all booked on the same reservation. So do the math and figure out if Spirit is something you might fly again in the near future. If it’s just you and you don’t expect to fly Spirit any more that year, it might be a waste. But if you plan to fly again and would like to score some deals on flights, it could really be a winner.
2. Familiarize yourself with Spirit’s Luggage policies
Baggage is where most Spirit flyers really lose their mind. Spirit’s policies are admittedly foreign to the Spirit-Newbie, but if you are informed and prepared, you can still come out on top.
Start by measuring and weighing your luggage at home. Unlike other airlines, Spirit cares not just about weight, but also about measurements. Measure your bags at home to avoid any breakdowns at the airport as you get hit with unexpected fees.
What are Spirit’s Luggage Rules?
Personal Bag: Every passenger is allowed one free “personal bag” that is no larger than 18″ by 14″ by 8″. This includes wheels and handles (!). This is the one item that doesn’t have weight limitations. For ideas on bags perfect as your personal bag, check out my post here.
Carry-on bag: Unique to Spirit, carry-on bags cost more than larger checked bags. In most situations, you should optimize the use of your personal bag with things you really need on the flight and put whatever else you had planned to carry-on into your checked bag. Spirit limits your carry-on to a maximum of 22 x 18 x10 inches (56 x 46 x 25 cm) including handles and wheels. Don’t forget to measure those handles and wheels!
Checked Bags: Checked bags can be a combined measurement of 62 linear inches or 158 cm maximum. This includes adding up length + width + height. Once again, this includes handles and wheels and can not weigh more than 40 pounds.
Oversized Checked Bags: Spirit will allow oversized bags at an additional cost, see below. But the maximum weight of oversized bags is 100 pounds (45kg) and combined linear measurements of 80 inches (203cm). As you can see, just adding 9 more pounds will cost you an additional $30. Do the math before you commit to paying for an oversized bag. It might make more sense to simply pay for an additional bag under 40 pounds.
International Travelers:
International travelers have additional restrictions on baggage, some depending on the time of year and some are year round. Below you will find the details. It’s a lot of info so if you aren’t traveling internationally, feel free to skip this session!
| REGION | DATES | RESTRICTIONS |
|
South America
|
ALL YEAR (Additional Restrictions Apply – December 1st through January 10th) |
|
Caribbean
Mexico
Central America
South America
|
December 1st – January 10th |
|
3. Pay for your bags online at HOME, not at the airport and do so BEFORE online check in is available
I fly a lot, and if you’re like me, you are accustomed to paying for your bags at the kiosk at the airport or with the reservationist at the check-in desk. This is likely the most common mistake Spirit travelers make. Spirit cares about WHEN you pay for the luggage, and they reward you for doing so early. Unlike other airlines, Spirit Airlines does not have a standard price for luggage. Bag prices vary based on dates of travel, route, and channel of purchase. For my recent trip to Tampa from DFW, the prices were as you see below. As you can see, paying for my first checked bag would have been $21 at the time of booking on Spirit.com vs $65 at the gate! Huge difference. It seems Spirit wants to REALLY punish those people who try to pass their checked bag as a carry on, but they’ll only make that mistake once. On some flights, paying for your bags during online check-in will incur additional fees. For my particular flight this time, it did not. To be on the safe side, pay before online check-in begins. Check out the price breakdown for my 1st check bag based on when paid with and without the $9 club:
First Checked Bag Pricing:
- $21 ($30 without $9 club) When you pay at booking
- $31 ($40 without $9 club) When you pay online BEFORE online checkin (which begins 24 hours before departure)
- $31 ($40 without $9 club) When you pay online during online check-in
- $50 (for everyone) When paying at the Airport day of flight
- $65 (for everyone) When paying at the Gate
So as you can see, if really pays to plan and pay ahead. And most importantly, don’t try to bring an oversized carry on and get stuck with the bill.
4. Seating
Decide if it matters where you sit. You don’t have to pay for a seat, but then you’ll be seated wherever they assign you. Select seats start at $5 and vary depending on route and location in the aircraft. If where you sit matters, make sure you square this away before your departure date.
If you want the closest thing to a “first class” seat, choose what Spirit so descriptively calls “Big Seats.” They are, not shockingly, bigger seats that the rest. They’re towards the front and offer up to 32% more leg room than other seats. They are so much wider, in fact, that they have no middle seat. Keep in mind you don’t receive any additional amenities, however, just more space.
5. Plan Your Food and Beverage
Pack your snacks!! Every single thing costs money on Spirit. I think we’ve all become accustomed to not expecting champagne and chocolate covered strawberries on flights nowawayds, but Spirit doesn’t even offer you WATER. No joke. Not a CUP or water. So plan accordingly. Stuff whatever snacks and drinks you can into that personal bag because that’s the ONE bag that they won’t weigh. If you really want to save, just bring an empty water bottle and fill it up at the nearest water fountain. Your other option, since you can’t bring outside water through security, is to pay the inflated airport price of water bottles. Still, you’re likely to pay less than onboard.
If you do NOT pack snacks, make sure you buy one of the drink and snack packages as opposed to individual items as you can save considerably if you must purchase onboard. You can check out their menu here.
6. Print Your Boarding Passes or Download on Your Phone
Nothing will infuriate you more than paying $10 just for checking in at the gate and having them print your boarding pass. This can easily be avoided by simply checking in online within the 24 hours of your flight. You can either print your boarding pass or, unique to Spirit, you can download several boarding passes to your mobile device. Simply request the boarding passes be emailed to you during online check-in.
The moral of the story is flying Spirit is doable, possibly even pleasurable, and will save you some serious cash! I hope this bit of research can make your achieve all the above! Happy Travel!
XOXO
Elisha
