There's a lot of negative and bad reviews of people flying Spirit Airlines. If you're on the same internet as me, then you know they say Spirit has the craziest flight attendants, comedians, thieves, liars and other kinds of distasteful workers representing them on a daily basis.
I'm only repeating what many other have said about Spirit. Despite their bad reputation, I decided that I needed to try them out for myself so I can see for myself if Spirit Airlines is worth it.
I had to make a quick trip from Raleigh, NC to Miami to get my Global Entry membership for the U.S. Border Control Trusted Travelers Program. If you want to know how to join the program, read this blog post!
So since Miami is a short 2-hour flight away from Raleigh, I thought this was my chance try Spirit Airlines out and really see what all the commentary is about. Overall, I would fly Spirit Airlines again, but only for flights that are 3 hours or less. The lack of free beverages makes it difficult to do anything longer in my opinion. I did enjoy their affordable upgraded seat option. It was an additional $35 for the big seats at the front of the plane.
Here's a more in depth breakdown of my experience with Spirit. This is based off my experience and is intended to help guide you on if and how you'll fly with Spirit Airlines.
Checking In For My Flight : 8/10
I was able to check in for the flight 24 hours beforehand on the Spirit app. I had no issues pulling up my ticket once I got to the airport and only needed my phone to get on the plane. I was very happy the app wasn't glitching or stalling like so many other do. (American Airlines..)
Airport Desk Assistance : 6/10
Spirit is in a different terminal from the airlines I've flown with in the past, so I'm not used to going through TSA in that terminal. The TSA staff were much more standoffish than the Spirit staff, but nothing stood out to me about them.
Boarding the Flight : 8/10
We boarded pretty quickly and left the airport on time. It made takeoff a lot smoother than some other experiences I've had. If you are a Spirit Mastercard holder, you board the plane first, along with anyone who purchased a bag for the flight.
In-flight Service : 8/10
I purchased a bottle of water and had a few questions about upgrades. The attendant was helpful and friendly, so I had no complaints there! The water did cost me about $10, which is crazy by itself but still.
In-flight Entertainment : 0/10
There are no TV's or reading items.
Complimentary Food & Drinks : 0/10
There are no complimentary drinks or snacks.
Seat Comfortability (Economy Class) : 3/10
The seats are slightly smaller than normal which is fine, but it makes the middle seat even more uncomfortable. Assigning your seat at purchase is an additional fee for the base price.
Luggage Care : 5/10
I didn't check my bag, I only had a carry-on. The overhead bins were normal sized and my expanded Samsonite bag fit perfectly.
Plane Cleanliness : 7/10
It didn't smell like cleaning supplies so it wasn't clean in my opinion. That might sound crazy but oh well! Everything was in order for the most part but they could've done a more thorough sweep of the cabin before letting us inside.
Again, I would definitely fly Spirit Airlines again but only for short hauls no longer than 3 hours. Anything longer and I will be flying with JetBlue, Delta, or other budget airlines that offer more complimentary services with the flight.
Hopefully this helps you decide if you'll be flying with them in the future and share this with your friend who's always looking for good budget airlines! Talk soon.
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