Spirit Airlines gets a lot of crap. Most of the time, that crap is well deserved. They’ve ditched their lame attempts at bawdy humor and their CEO, which is a couple of steps in the right direction, but they’re still brazenly cheap and the epitome of uncomfortable, bare-bones flying. The problem is, their prices are enticingly low. It’s possible, however, to fly this cheap, unaccommodating airline without losing your mind.
As much as people hate Spirit, you have to admit: their prices are awesome. Recently, I booked a flight halfway across the country for $100 round trip, and that was about $200 less than the same route with other airlines. Even better, it’s a nonstop flight that’s a few hours long. Yes, the flight is probably going to be late, and no, I won’t have any in-flight entertainment, but for $100, I’m willing to “rough-it” for three hours. It’s not the first time I’ve flown with Spirit, either. I’ve learned how to get through the experience without losing my shit.
Splurge and Get the Best Seat
Like most airlines, Spirit charges you to pick your own seat. We all complain about sneaky airline fees but consider the fact that flight prices are historically low. It’s cheaper than ever to fly, and that’s partly because of this unbundling of fees. You can, in many cases, skip out on the fees and choose how expensive you want your flight to be. For example, if you don’t want to pay the seat fee, skip it and deal with the seat you’re assigned the day of your flight.
Unless you fly with Spirit. Spirit’s seat fees range from $5 to $38, and it’s worth paying the money to pick a comfortable seat. You’re already saving hundreds, splurge twenty bucks for the best seat in the house. From experience, I can tell you it makes the flight a lot more enjoyable. In fact, my fiance and I recently booked the best seats on a Spirit flight and I would dare even say it was comfortable.
There are tools that can help you find the best seat, too. Seat Expert, for example, ranks the best and worst seats on different flights for every airline, as does SeatGuru. For the most peace and quiet, you’ll do well to sit near or in front of the wing.
Your Flight Will Probably Be Late, So Buffer Accordingly
Spirit airlines is notorious for being late. They are, in fact, the worst airline for on-time performance, with just 65.3% of their flights arriving on time.
We all have that friend who says they’ll be there at 3:00, and then they don’t show up until 4:30. Spirit airlines is your always-late friend and you have to learn to adjust your expectations if you want to fly with them. For this reason, I give myself some buffer time. If it’s crucial that I arrive at my destination at a specific time, I either won’t fly with Spirit, or I’ll book an early morning flight.
Of course, depending on your trip, this might mean you have to check into a hotel earlier, and that can cost money, which would offset any savings from flying with Spirit. You have to do the math for your own situation because it’s not always worth it. I usually fly Spirit for casual trips back home to visit friends and family. I don’t have to pay for lodging, and if my flight is late, it’s not the end of the world.
If someone is picking you up from the airport, you want to make sure they’re prepared, too. Give them your flight number, so they can use Google to track your progress, check the airline’s website for your estimated arrival time.
Pay for Bags as Soon as Possible
Like a lot of airlines, Spirit charges you to check a bag. Even worse, they charge you for a carry-on!
There are ways to get around this, though. For one, personal items are free. According to their measurement guideline for personal items, the item has to be no larger than 16”x14”x12,” which means this luggage totally counts as a personal item. If you can fit everything in the bag, you can skip this fee. (Also, next year, they’re increasing this size to 18”14”x12”—not bad).
Otherwise, the carry-on fee varies from a semi-reasonable $35 to a WTF $100, depending on when you book. Here’s how their carry-on prices vary:
$35 when you pay at booking
$40 before you check-in online Before online web check-in
$45 when you pay at online check-in
$55 when you pay at the airport ticket counter
$100 when you pay at the airport gate
The longer you wait, the more expensive it gets, so if you think you’ll need more than a small bag, you might as well pay in advance when you book your ticket.
Buy Separate Tickets
I’ve found that it’s often cheaper to buy two separate one-way tickets rather than a single round trip. This is partly because you can switch up airlines and pick the cheapest flights on each leg of your trip.
When implementing this method, I use Spirit strategically. For example, thanks to jet stream, flights heading east are a little shorter. So I’ll fly Spirit from, say, California to Washington D.C., because the flight is only a couple of hours. When I fly back, though, I’d rather be a more comfortable since the flight is a bit longer, so I’ll pay more to fly a better airline. I still save money overall, but it’s a decent compromise for comfort.
It depends on price, too. If Spirit is considerably cheaper on one leg, I’ll go for it, but if the price difference doesn’t save me much, I’ll skip the other leg. Here’s how one Spirit flyer puts it over at Fort Worth’s Star-Telegram:
After comparing added costs, such as checked luggage, I’ve chosen Spirit over other airlines for numerous flights from Dallas/Fort Worth Airport to Denver, Baltimore-Washington, Cleveland, Portland and Boston. All have been nonstop flights, since connecting ones can add considerable travel time on Spirit. Sometimes I’ll fly, say, to Boston Logan on Spirit and return on JetBlue, depending on the most convenient flight schedule.
Thankfully, Google Flights makes it really easy to compare these flights and explore their schedules so you can find the best prices and most convenient flights for each leg.
Bring Your Own Amenities
Short of shoving you into cargo hold, Spirit is as barebones as possible. There are no free snacks. They charge $3 for water. And you can forget about watching TV on the seatback in front of you.
Be prepared and bring your own amenities. Make sure your devices are fully charged before you board, pack some snacks, and the Star-Telegram offers some additional tips:
Bring an empty water bottle to the airport, and fill up after security. Pack a few teabags and packets of sugar or sweetener.
Depending on the length of your flight, you might consider bringing a small external battery power bank for your laptop, tablet or phone.
Because of the low fares, expect a number of young families with crying infants. Pack earplugs and a sleep mask.
And finally, the best tip of all: splurge on the booze if you can. Spirit’s are slightly cheaper than other airlines’, and it’ll make the flight all the more tolerable.
Update: an earlier version of this post stated that TSA allowed airline-friendly alcohol bottles on flights, which is true, but according to FAA guidelines, “No person may drink any alcoholic beverage aboard an aircraft unless the certificate holder operating the aircraft has served that beverage.”
Illustration by Sam Woolley.