If I’m going on a trip where I have to fly, I already know one thing: We’re ballin’ on a budget. (Is that saying still relevant? Oh well, I’m using it anyway.)
And that means I’m almost always flying Spirit Airlines. Now, let me clarify — I don’t fly a ton (I drive to Disney World) and when I do, it’s only because it’s the ONLY way to not spend days on end in a car. I’m usually flying short distances too, which is why Spirit is one of my best bets anyway. But that also means I’m well versed in flying the airline, so here are 3 unspoken rules you NEED to know before you step on that plane.
Pack As Little As Humanly Possible
It’s no secret that Spirit charges for every bag that isn’t a personal item, but that additional cost isn’t the only reason I advise packing as little as you can.
Many airlines lose luggage, but many people don’t have a lot of faith in Spirit to begin with, so why give them a chance to lose your bag? If you have just a personal item with you, you know there’s no chance of it being lost in transit by the airline.
Taking a carry-on is a little more risky, since if they run out of room on the plane, yours could get put underneath the plane anyway (where you DON’T want it to go if you’re afraid of it getting lost), but it’s better than bringing a checked bag that has the highest risk of getting lost.
Basically, my rule of thumb is to fit everything into one backpack and just hope I didn’t forget anything too important.
The Shorter the Flight, the Better
I’ll be the first to admit that this is my rule of thumb for all flights, because I start to get anxious on any flight longer than about 4 hours, but this is ESPECIALLY true with Spirit — the shorter the flight, the better.
Spirit is not known for their comfort and amenities, and that means you’ll want to be flying with them for the least amount of time. I know, you want to save money on that 6 hour flight cross-country, but if you’re someone who is uncomfortable easily or likes to use in-flight entertainment, you will be miserable for 6 hours.
Choose to upgrade and spend more money so you’re not wanting to throw yourself out of the plane. But you may be able to handle that for a 2-hour flight, so save that money in that case!
Expect the Worst, Hope for the Best
I personally have never had any issues flying with Spirit. On the other hand, I’ve heard plenty of horror stories and am always prepared that my next flight could be the moment I have MY horror story.
When I’m booking my flights, I know that saving money could come a bit at a comfort cost. As long as I remember that and prepare, I’m happy to save the money! This means packing my own entertainment and snacks, knowing I may be smushed against the person next to me, and mentally preparing for the worst possible thing to happen so nothing surprises me.
At the end of the day, I’m still going to be flying Spirit Airlines so I don’t have to wait an extra few months to take my quick vacations on a different airline, but it’s important you look at flying with them through a different set of eyes. If not having extra amenities is normal for you, you won’t see anything different about flying with them. If you usually fly Delta? I implore you to remember that this is NOT Delta, and they don’t claim to be.
Here at AllEars, we’re always trying to give you the best tips and tricks to be ready for your next vacation, so stay tuned to our blog!
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How do you feel about Spirit? Tell me in the comments!
Flying spirit? Never again! Worst airline to work for or to fly. By blocking the JetBlue acquisition on antitrust grounds the Justice Department forced Spirit into Bankruptcy.
Well I was thinking about flying Spirit on my next trip to Phoenix.I am going to stick with American. Thank you for the Heads-up!!
I don’t have any issues with Spirit Airlines even with checking suitcases,carry-ons and all the other fun stuff. I usually have my medical bag too and they don’t give me a problem with the extra bag! Thanks Spirit 😊
I always fly Spirit, they are the safest airline of all the other airlines. They have never had a crash. To me that is more important than bag charges or that “free” soda.
Nightmare, flew to Puerto Rico, they mishandled my luggage in Houston, never got my one bag that had both mine and my wife’s luggage. Spent more time at airport waiting on a bag that they never sent. Communication sucks with this airline!!!!
I’m a subway rider from NYC. At least on Spirit I know I’ll be sitting,not standing, and no one will try to entertain me ,then ask for money.
I had the worse service from major Airline. The airline made excuses instead of saying they were sorry. I will never use them again.
I know the rules and love both Spirit and Frontier. I’m 6’3″ 235 pounds and I fly them because they fly directly to my destinations. There’s not any real difference between them and other airlines’ cheap flights. Beats Amtrak and driving any day. My Uber to the airport usually costs the same as cross country flights. I bring my own snacks and everyone brings their own entertainment nowadays anyway. I can afford any airline but get the most value from these guys. No walk of shame through business class, just regular Americans.
Spirit Airlines ripped me off. First they got me for an overweight bag. They didn’t just charge the overweight fee they charged a NEW check bag fee AND overweight fee. On their app, it listed an expedited boarding line. $19.99 per person coming and going. That’s $80 I’ll never see again. There was no expedited boarding line going or coming. I have read all about how they tap dance around refunds. I understand they just paid millions of dollars settling a class action lawsuit. Companies like this don’t just “settle” unless they know they have a big problem ahead of them. I’ll never travel them again. We did spend extra money getting the upgraded seats and that was well worth it especially considering my husband is 6 foot three and weighs close to 300#. United and Southwest get my business now.
No complaints. I fly them all of the time. I always take budget airlines all over the world. I just don’t pack a lot and use Laundromats a lot. Never had a complaint with Spirit and I take them quite a bit.
Awful staff at MCO. Stand around talking to other workers instead of assisting people as they should.
I’ve never had problems on Spirit because I have learned the “rules” of Spirit mentioned here plus a few more.
I think a lot of people believe that Spirit and Frontier are on the same level as Delta or United. Not at all! Spirit only guarantees you a random seat on the plane and a government mandated personal item to be carried on the plane.