Careful Of Booking Spirit Airlines

[jezzdogg]

As of tomorrow Spirit will be charging for all check luggage for all passengers and you will only be allowed 1 pieced to be checked and paid for.

Was an alert sent to me

[cb at sea]

That's insane!!!! They won't let you bring anything on the plane, and now they are limiting what you can check?????? NUTS! Someone, somewhere has to put these airlines in their place!

You would have thought that since carry-on stuff is so restricted, that they would have "upped' the weight limit on checked bags. Not so! Crazy, isn't it!

[Sue L]

As of tomorrow Spirit will be charging for all check luggage for all passengers and you will only be allowed 1 pieced to be checked and paid for.

Was an alert sent to me

 

 

I went on the website and it says you can bring a additional bag but they won't guarantee it will make it on and they are not responsible if you have to leave it behind!:eek:

[mi3stooges]

Time to buy an RV!!! (Watch the movie before you do!)

[jep617]

For customers who purchased tickets prior to December 15, 2006, for each ticketed passenger, Spirit Airlines will transport two (2) bags as checked luggage free of charge. For customers who purchased tickets on or after December 15, 2006, Spirit Airlines will transport one (1) piece of luggage at no charge per fare-paying customer. Transportation of additional bags can be purchased at the airport on a first-served basis; but Spirit cannot guarantee that there will be space for extra bags, and will not be held responsible for any additional items brought to the airport by the customer. Please note that space is extremely limited on certain flights. Please see Excess Baggage for more information.

[jezzdogg]

But not for tickets purchased after today no checked luggage for free. One piece allowed and you PAY for it.

Needed tickets for June and will not fly them any longer

[ponygirlgt1]

I hate Spirit Airlines and will never fly with them.

 

DH and I book a non-stop flight from Orlando to Negril, leaving at 11:30am (giving us time to take our son to school in the morning so grandma wouldn't have to). We were to leave Negril at around 5:00pm. leaving us part of the day still on the island.

 

Shortly after booking, I received an email that our flight would now have a lay-over in Ft Lauderdale, and our new departure time was 7:30am. Plus our return flight was now leaving at 9:00am leaving us NO time on the island the day of departure.

Called Spirit to complain, with no luck. That is the only flight they were offering. We could however get a full refund but there prices were around 100.00 cheaper than another non-stop flight so we kept the reservation.

 

Changes to our flight continued on a monthly basis for the next 4 months.

 

Every time I talked to Spirit all they said was the same thing, either keep it or get a refund. No one would compensate for our trouble and they sure as he** didn't give us a partial refund in price difference for changing from a non-stop to a lay-over flight!

 

We ended up cancelling the flight with them just because I was so furious.

 

I sent a detailed letter to Spirit and also included all the emails notification of flight changes, along with the name of everyone that I had spoken to about it and the lack of concern for customer service.

 

Two months after cancelling, we received a letter stating that we each had a 100.00 credit to use towards the purchase of another flight!

 

ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!!! Why would I book with them again?? If it had been a one time change...maybe two, I could of dealt with that...but not five!

[PhoenixCruiser]

That's insane!!!! They won't let you bring anything on the plane, and now they are limiting what you can check?????? NUTS! Someone, somewhere has to put these airlines in their place!

You would have thought that since carry-on stuff is so restricted, that they would have "upped' the weight limit on checked bags. Not so! Crazy, isn't it!

 

Agreed!!

 

###

[Coralc]

We don't fly Spirit..but that is goofy. I hope the other airlines don't follow suit. Since we cant take deoderant and toiletries in carry on.... It increases the items that need to be checked...which increases the amount of checked baggage. I don't quite get it, other than having to take a larger carryon, which contains nothing but clothes, which would otherwise have been checked. :confused:

[mi3stooges]

What is their reasoning for this new rule???

[Chardo]

What is their reasoning for this new rule???

 

You really need to ask? It's all about money. Fewer checked bags means faster ground turnaround. Planes on the ground are not making any money for them. Also, fewer bags means less weight, so planes use less fuel. Of course, charging for each bag brings in additional cash. Also, they can advertise artificially lower fares that really end up being no lower than before due to the baggage charge.

 

BTW, the baggage charge will be $5 per bag (up to 50 pounds) prepaid on their website, or $10 at the airport, plus the usual extra for overweight bags. Two bags per passenger at that rate. Third bag will be $100, so send that one by Fedex.

 

They will also be charging for beverages on board. $1 for juice, soda, and hot drinks (water is free), $5 for beer/wine/liquor (with free mixers).

 

This may become the wave of the future in the airline industry. It's really not that big a deal, as long as you know about it in advance. When you shop for flights, just be sure to add all these extra costs to see which deal is really best for you.

[bouhunter]

We're flying Spirit from Michigan to Florida at peak spring break season for under 140.00 per person - can't beat that!!!:D If the fares are comparable next year plus a few bucks for luggage I'll fly with them again.

 

We've flown Spirit 3 times before. All flights were on time, luggage arrived safe and sound, and the employees were friendly and efficient. These days you can't ask more from an airline. The airlines are all going to be nickle and diming the consumer more and more, sad but true:(

[alwalaska]

I hate Spirit Airlines and will never fly with them.

 

DH and I book a non-stop flight from Orlando to Negril, leaving at 11:30am (giving us time to take our son to school in the morning so grandma wouldn't have to). We were to leave Negril at around 5:00pm. leaving us part of the day still on the island.

 

Shortly after booking, I received an email that our flight would now have a lay-over in Ft Lauderdale, and our new departure time was 7:30am. Plus our return flight was now leaving at 9:00am leaving us NO time on the island the day of departure.

Called Spirit to complain, with no luck. That is the only flight they were offering. We could however get a full refund but there prices were around 100.00 cheaper than another non-stop flight so we kept the reservation.

 

Changes to our flight continued on a monthly basis for the next 4 months.

 

Every time I talked to Spirit all they said was the same thing, either keep it or get a refund. No one would compensate for our trouble and they sure as he** didn't give us a partial refund in price difference for changing from a non-stop to a lay-over flight!

 

We ended up cancelling the flight with them just because I was so furious.

 

I sent a detailed letter to Spirit and also included all the emails notification of flight changes, along with the name of everyone that I had spoken to about it and the lack of concern for customer service.

 

Two months after cancelling, we received a letter stating that we each had a 100.00 credit to use towards the purchase of another flight!

 

ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!!! Why would I book with them again?? If it had been a one time change...maybe two, I could of dealt with that...but not five!

 

Delta played this game with me for our Disney trip in December and I am sure the fares were much higher than with Spirit Air. The other really bad thing about Delta, is they did not notify me when they changed our flight. I found out by accident when I was playing around looking at our reservation info. They changed us from a straight through flight to one with a 3 hour layover. They also cancelled our seats each time they changed our itinerary and we were not always placed near each other when we called.

 

American Airlines changed our Seattle flights twice on us.

 

If people decide the low price is not worth the luggage hassle, either the policy will change or they will go out of business.

[MIcruiser99]

Spirit has always been good about changing our flights without charge only when they have made a change to our itinarary. That is one thing I like about them.

 

Just heard on the news the changes on Spirit and that the airline will be dropping their prices by 40%. They also said this was going to happen in June so I thought all changes were happening then but after reading this not sure!

 

If they do drop their charges, I can handle paying for one checked bag and do without the snacks! If the price doesn't drop, I may reconsider airlines.

 

With Spirit, I have always had good service, on time flights, and they have never lost my luggage!

[clingandclatter]

"Spirit cannot guarantee that there will be space for extra bags"

 

What are they gonna do? Cut the baggage hold in half? Put concrete blocks in the space that used to be for baggage? I mean really, if there was space before for all the bags, how do they figure now there won't be space?

 

I flew Spirit once to Florida from NY two years ago and didn't really have complaints. However, Southwest serves ISP which is closer to me than LGA where Spirit flies from so I don't have much use for Spirit. But I guess if there fares have dropped 40% then a $5 bag charge would just have to be "sucked up" by me. If it's not that much cheaper than Southwest, then there's no point to drive alllll the way to LGA.

 

I'm done with JetBlue as a cheap alternative (after them screwing around AGAIN Friday night 3/2 with my flight JFK to HOU and eventually cancelling it, although never telling us it was cancelled, just "strongly suggesting" we make other arrangements - my friend saw that it was cancelled online but their staff at the airport don't know this (or better yet won't tell the truth!). Worse, there were a bunch of people who were trying to get to Galveston for a 3/3 cruise that I hope made it!) so if they can provide SERVICE at the best price even after nickle and diming the customer, I'm down.

[kato92]

Don't overlook the fact that Spirit's prices(already low) are to drop even lower when this luggage charge goes into effect. $10 for 2 checked bags is not ripping any body off...especially if the fares do go even lower.

As to the time changes...most times the airline does not control it. It is the airports. Some many flights only so many gates....

[mi3stooges]

You really need to ask? It's all about money. Fewer checked bags means faster ground turnaround. Planes on the ground are not making any money for them. Also, fewer bags means less weight, so planes use less fuel. Of course, charging for each bag brings in additional cash. Also, they can advertise artificially lower fares that really end up being no lower than before due to the baggage charge.

 

BTW, the baggage charge will be $5 per bag (up to 50 pounds) prepaid on their website, or $10 at the airport, plus the usual extra for overweight bags. Two bags per passenger at that rate. Third bag will be $100, so send that one by Fedex.

 

They will also be charging for beverages on board. $1 for juice, soda, and hot drinks (water is free), $5 for beer/wine/liquor (with free mixers).

 

This may become the wave of the future in the airline industry. It's really not that big a deal, as long as you know about it in advance. When you shop for flights, just be sure to add all these extra costs to see which deal is really best for you.

 

 

Gotch ya...but any time I've checked their airfare, it's not even comparable from JFK to any of my destinations. Maybe I won't have to worry!!

[Safetyal]

Just remember though, they will only guarantee that they will take one bag. If you have two, you really have to consider what you will do on the off-chance they will not take the second bag on either leg of your flight. You may be able to depart with it, but there is no guarantee that you will be allowed the second bag on the return.

[goodml]

That's insane!!!! They won't let you bring anything on the plane, and now they are limiting what you can check?????? NUTS! Someone, somewhere has to put these airlines in their place!

You would have thought that since carry-on stuff is so restricted, that they would have "upped' the weight limit on checked bags. Not so! Crazy, isn't it!

 

Now let's not go off the deep end here. It's not the airlines that are limiting what you can take on the plane, it's the government so no need to put the airlines in their collective place.

 

This baggage policy actually makes sense to me. We all want the cheapest airfare we can find. All the airlines have been facing increased costs due to rising fuel prices etc. Maybe (speculating only) they're setting a maximum weight limit for each aircraft in order to increase fuel efficiency and so, they put a nominal charge on excess baggage to discourage people from bringing so much. It's no big deal. Hubby and I can put whatever we need in two large suitcases and two carry-ons anyway and if for some unknown reason I need more I've got no problem coughing up $10.

 

We fly Spirit fairly regularly out of Detroit and the service has been great. The new planes are quite nice.

 

To ponygirl, I'm not really sure what you expected as compensation from the airline. You were given the option to cancel with a full refund or keep the rescheduled flight. These situations happen all the time with airlines these days - it's unfortunate but that's the state of the industry. At least you had the option of getting your money back and booking somewhere else albeit at a higher price.

 

We're flying on Northwest to LA in May for the simple reason that they had the most convenient direct flight timewise at the lowest price. I dread it though because I've never felt so squished in on a plane as I have in the ones NW uses to fly across the country. Oh well, it's the choice we made to save some bucks and fly at the times we wanted. Now with my luck, they'll change our flight times to some weird connecting flight.:D

[FitzLA]

Here are the prices

 

If you check in online, 1st 2 bags are $5 each.

 

If you check in at the airport, 1st 2 bags are $10 each. Each additional bag after that are $100 a piece. It was on our news last night.

[DAMIFIKNOW]

I have been flying Spirit for over 15yrs no major complaints, my only complaint is there are NO GOOD AIR LINES ANY WHERE If someone finds one let me know.I have tried them all, except the Wright Brothers and I understand they even had problems.

[ponygirlgt1]

To ponygirl, I'm not really sure what you expected as compensation from the airline. You were given the option to cancel with a full refund or keep the rescheduled flight. These situations happen all the time with airlines these days - it's unfortunate but that's the state of the industry. At least you had the option of getting your money back and booking somewhere else albeit at a higher price.

 

We were changed from a NON-stop flight to a flight with at least 2 hour layover. We orginially paid a HIGHER fare for the NON-stop option.

When we were changed to a flight with a lay-over, you don't think we should have been intitled to recoup the difference in price that we paid???? Our first schedule change was done less than 30 days after booking so the fares were still comparable at that time.

 

I am NOT talking about a simple flight time change.

 

Just so know one thinks I am crazy, let me break it down

 

ORGINAL SCHEDULE booked 12/26

11:45 Depart

12:40 Arrive

 

Return flight

4:45pm depart

7:40pm arrive

 

1st change 1/20

8:00am depart ( a 3h 45m change which we NEEDED the later time)

8:55am arrive for 2h5m layover

11:00 depart

11:40 arrive

 

return

9:35 pm depart

12:15pm arrive for 2h35m layover

2:55pm depart

4:00 arrive

 

2nd change 03/15

8:50 depart

9:45am arrive for a 1h15m layover

11:00 depart

11:40am arrive

 

return

2:35 depart

5:15 arrive for 1h40m layover

6:55 depart

8:00 arrive

 

3rd change 04/06

8:30 depart

9:25 arrival for a 2h20m layover

11:45 depart

12:40 arrival

 

return remained the same

 

4th change 05/24 (final change cause we cancelled!)

8:55am depart

9:53am arrival for a 2h10m layover

12:05 depart

12:45 arrival

 

return

2:30pm depart

5:15pm arrival for 2h40m layover

7:55pm depart

9:00 pmarrival

 

Now keep in mind our flight wasn't until August so one can only guess how many more times it would of changed!

 

If these types of changes are "common" with airlines. What is to stop them from "offering" non-stop flights at a higher fare to then change them to a flight with at least one stop and keeping the money that was charged for the higher non-stop flight??????

 

I agree that Spirit has some of the lowest fares out there...but if this is the hassle that I have to incur to save some money....no thanks I will pass and actually ENJOY my vacation!

 

 

Sorry for the lengthly post and to the OP for going off topic :)

[WhiteSoxFan]

I think most airlines are trying anything they can to be profitable. This is only the beginning of ala carte airline services. Unless there is a huge revolt by the flying public by refusing to fly Spirit, you can expect it to spread. Pay a base fare, pay extra to get an pre-assigned seat, pay extra for your baggage, pay extra for your snack/meal/inflight entertainment.

 

Maybe we could get a discount if we agreed to load and unload our bags ourselves. Maybe vending machines in the galley areas. DVD rental counter on the plane. I have to get a job as an airline exec quick before I forget all these great ideas.

 

And people complain that the cruise lines nickel and dime you. At least they treat you well.

[puglvr]

I saw where Spirit was offering a 1 cent ($0.01) one way sale yesterday...they must have been hoping someone hadn't seen their luggage restrictions and booked a "deal". They were featured on the news yesterday too in regards to new baggage restrictions.

 

:mad:

[yogimax]

Airlines are still a great bargain compared to other forms of transportation. Statistically, they are also among the safest forms of transportation (much more so than driving).

 

We all have a choice. To exist the airlines need to be profitable. Witness the recent bankrupcies of Delta, Northwest, etc.. And where are Pan Am and Eastern today?

 

Sorry, but no sympathy here.