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I'll keep it short and sweet. Has anyone flown with Spirit Airlines? The tickets are really cheap, about half the cost as when I fly United, Delta, etc.
So, what's the catch? Are they safe? Are the mechanics up to par with the bigger airlines?
Any info/input would be appreciated. Thanks!
They cram more seats into their planes than the other airlines. If you are tall, either pay for a "big front seat" (known as "first class" at other airlines) or choose an exit row.
They charge for bags and onboard refreshments. This keeps the actual "ticket" price low.
They pay their employees less than other airlines. They contract out a lot of the work: cleaning planes, baggage loading, etc.
They spend little on advertising, relying more on negative publicity: charging for everything, pissing off the government, double-entendre website ads, etc.
I've flown them 3 out of the last 4 times I've taken a trip. Most of our hockey team flew them to Vegas twice from Minneapolis and we all checked our hockey bags as normal bags, just paid the normal price, didn't have to pay extra. They talked about charging for carry ons at gate, but I haven't had to pay for my large backpack. We all saved a decent amount of $ using them over Delta, Suncountry, etc...
If you have little or no luggage, then their prices are much better, because of the baggage fees for carry ons and checked baggage. Plus they have a very few flights on some routes. I looked into them for when my son is flying home and back out, (Phx to Dallas) and there was only one flight per day, leaving at 1 AM and arriving at 5 AM and the return flight was at 11 PM. I guess if you only have say $140 to spend on travel with no bags, it is not a bad deal. My son's ticket would be $140+ 35 for carry on + 30 for a checked bag each way for a total of $270. Same flight (days) on Southwest is $189 right now round trip with 2 free checked bags.
I've flown them 3 out of the last 4 times I've taken a trip. Most of our hockey team flew them to Vegas twice from Minneapolis and we all checked our hockey bags as normal bags, just paid the normal price, didn't have to pay extra. They talked about charging for carry ons at gate, but I haven't had to pay for my large backpack. We all saved a decent amount of $ using them over Delta, Suncountry, etc...
I would not try that if I was using them. Their gate check price per carry on bag or luggage is $100 per bag, per flight!
Thanks for all your replies. I have dug a little deeper as well to find they charge EACH WAY for baggage. You do get one free carry-on like a backpack or purse but they charge for everything else.
My main concern is if maybe since they pay their workers less that the mechanics are not the best around?
Flew them once. They charge for everything, even carry on bags, coffee on board, printing boarding passes. A personal item that can fit under the seat is free. You really have to figure those in to compare fares.
My main concern is if maybe since they pay their workers less that the mechanics are not the best around?
Mechanics have to follow a set protocol for working on planes. There is no allowable variation between mechanics. If part A is not working, the mechanic goes to the maintenance manual and copies the procedure for fixing part A, goes out to the plane, completes task 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,etc. All their work has to be documented (i.e. they are held fully responsible for it), all of it is monitored by headquarters, and no mechanic would risk his job, career, life, and the life of hundreds by cutting corners. There is no incentive for them to save the company money by doing poor work.
If they had shoddy maintenance, I don't think they would have made it this far (20 years) without an accident.
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