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Old 09-23-2011, 06:29 AM
 
Location: NC
335 posts, read 800,880 times
Reputation: 308

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My husband and I have flights arranged through a travel company using Spirit airlines. We're leaving DCA at 7AM on a weekday, connecting in FTL to another Spirit flight to Cancun. I didn't know much about this airline when we booked but now I'm getting concerned after reading negative reviews. Has anyone flown Spirit out of DCA internationally? What is the check-in process like? We plan to be at the airport by 5AM.
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Old 09-23-2011, 07:09 AM
 
Location: New-Dentist Colony
5,759 posts, read 10,723,135 times
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Do they not let you print your boarding passes at home, 24 hours before takeoff?

DCA in the early AM on a weekday is very quiet. You should have no problems on that front.
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Old 09-23-2011, 07:35 AM
 
Location: Virginia
18,717 posts, read 31,080,646 times
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Just watch out for extra fees. They are notorious for this.
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Old 09-23-2011, 07:40 AM
 
Location: NC
335 posts, read 800,880 times
Reputation: 308
I accessed our itinerary last night online and got a warning message about not being able to print boarding passes without providing passport information first. There was no place to do that on their site. Maybe that option becomes available when it's 24 hours to go? We leave in early Oct.

We will definitely be wary of fees. I'm already changing my packing strategy.
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Old 09-23-2011, 08:09 AM
 
Location: Alexandria, VA
754 posts, read 1,739,234 times
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I have many family members and friends in FL who use Spirit frequently. I haven't heard anything from them that I haven't heard about AirTrans or JetBlue, which is (as another poster mentioned) you have to be wary of the fees, and Spirit generally seems to have time delays. However, considering where their major market is (FL and Caribbean), I'm not sure how much of this is because of the airline and how much of it is attributed to the weather.
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Old 09-23-2011, 09:15 AM
 
Location: Central Virginia
6,558 posts, read 8,389,581 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DownEastB View Post
My husband and I have flights arranged through a travel company using Spirit airlines. We're leaving DCA at 7AM on a weekday, connecting in FTL to another Spirit flight to Cancun. I didn't know much about this airline when we booked but now I'm getting concerned after reading negative reviews. Has anyone flown Spirit out of DCA internationally? What is the check-in process like? We plan to be at the airport by 5AM.
My husband and I are going the same route. I wonder if we'll be on the same flight...

I've never flown Spirit either. But we booked with them because they had us landing in Cancun in the late morning and it was the least inexpensive with that arrival time. Others we looked at had us arriving at 8pm and were $1000+ for both of us.

The negatives that I've noticed so far:

A.) There is an additional charge (on top of your airfare) for choosing your seat. If you don't pay the charge and choose your seat, you may not sit next to your travel companion. We elected not to pay the fee because he'll have his earbuds in listening to music and I'll have my nose stuck in a book so it won't matter that we won't be sitting next to one another.

B.) They charge for carry-on luggage that fits into the overhead bin! I've never heard of this before and the last time we went to Cancun (flying Delta) we packed just enough so we wouldn't have to check to save money. Well, if I have to pay for carry-on, I may as well pack more things and just check my luggage. I seem to recall it was $25 for a carry-on suitcase (small bags that are stowed under the seat are free) and $30 for checked luggage.

What resort are you staying at? We're staying at SunPalace.
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Old 09-23-2011, 11:34 AM
 
Location: NC
335 posts, read 800,880 times
Reputation: 308
Hey HokieFan. I had heard that the only way you can check in ahead of time online was to book a seat (ka-CHING!). Maybe that's not true, though? If it is, that's ridiculous. When I called Spirit last night to get a confirmation number so I could check in online, the agent tried to get me to book a seat, oh-so conveniently not mentioning that there would be a fee. He also wanted my home phone to send me an email w/ the confirmation number. Ummm, no. To top it off, he tried to sell me three more things after that. I don't like to hang up on CSRs, but I came very close.

We're staying at the Grand Palladium, south of Playa Del Carmen. All the flight concerns aside, we can't wait! Hope you guys have a good experience w/ Spirit. I agree that their arrival time in CUN was optimal.
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Old 09-23-2011, 12:10 PM
 
3,550 posts, read 6,489,416 times
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Spirit was all over the news a couple years ago for being the first airline to charge for carry on luggage and everybody was like "What!! I ain't never flying Spirit!" and yet here they are still around
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Old 09-23-2011, 03:23 PM
 
Location: Chapel Hill, NC, formerly NoVA and Phila
9,777 posts, read 15,786,780 times
Reputation: 10886
Our friends take Spirit to Fort Lauderdale all the time, so I guess they like it or put up with it enough to get the cheap prices.
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Old 09-23-2011, 05:50 PM
 
3,550 posts, read 6,489,416 times
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But if you think about it, it's really a way to encourage people not to overpack. I myself have witnessed it, at airports, people humping too much stuff, I mean like they don't need half that crap
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