Spirit Air Buyer Beware

[Original Juls]

Attempted to book a sale on Spiritair.com yesterday. No confirmation received so I called. They said it didnt go through but they didnt charge me. On my credit card they sure did. Not very nice to deal with and just said there was nothing they could do even though I had the printout with the charges very clear. I had to file a Dispute with the card company which can take up to 45 days..Spiritair is saying the charge will just drop off my card after 24 hours...still waiting...and I have also lost out on the deal that expired at midnight..

[Markospoon]

Bummer, I wish and hope they get thier act together.

Good luck and take care Juls.

[Original Juls]

Refund made but price is up $80 to rebook the same itinerary...grrr...

[marley9808]

I have nothing but bad things to say about this airline.....

I never fly them anymore and I wouldn't no matter how good the deal.

Beware though, if you do, that:
a) they charge for EVERYTHING so that good deal may not be so good after all is said and done
b) if you have connecting flights check your layover time....ESPECIALLY if you have to go through customs....they like to either give you 8 hour layovers (when you don't need them) or only 30 minutes (and 30 minutes is NOT enough time to get through customs, security and back to the gate in time...and they will NOT wait for you....they don't care if they leave you)
c) if anything goes wrong....they don't care....and if you call "Customer Service" and were able to get someone on the phone who doesnt hang up on you or treat you rudely then you are way ahead of most


If JetBlue is an option....or even AirTran, I would highly recommend those instead, even at a higher rate...you won't be sorry with either of these airlines
Just my $0.02

[Marko]

I have nothing but bad things to say about this airline.....
I never fly them anymore and I wouldn't no matter how good the deal.

If JetBlue is an option....or even AirTran, I would highly recommend those instead, even at a higher rate...you won't be sorry with either of these airlines
Just my $0.02

mi concur........now they absolutely stink.......ever since that new CEO took over in 2006

the last time I flew them....it took them 3 times to land in a rainstorm in Tampa....it was like a roller-coaster
but what do you expect when Spirit has their pilots on the lowest wage scale in the industry.......
now they nickel and dime you to death.........so it ends up being an expensive way to travel......
and the Reps that work those counters are just nasty.......seen too many fights at those Spirit counters....
sure they might be making some money now......but at the travelers expense........

Spirit website is not user friendly at all.....it really stinks with all the chit they have on it
plus they have that stupid pick a resort thingy now before you can book a flight....

this poor reputation will eventually come back to bite dem in da ass down the road.....
just mi two cents too......

when they first started up they were great.....cheap airfare and good schedules........not anymore

and yes AirTran and JetBlue is the way to go for this guy........no Spirit for this guy......ever

Cool Runnings, Marko

[marley9808]

Couldn't agree more Marko!

I flew them several times prior to 2006 and thought it was the best thing around $1 flights and what not, I was in heaven....then got burned a couple of times, they cancel flights without telling you and just assign you to a new day and time....uhm, you might want to tell someone when you do that....had to call and change hotel reservations, etc.
But the last time was the final straw and that is when I said I will never fly with them again!
And YES! everyone I have dealt with in that company has been nasty....and I understand if they are overworked underpaid, been there done that, but don't take it out on the paying customers....who are probably overworked and underpayed as well and saved long and hard to enjoy their vacation!

But with JetBlue direct from Orlando at such a great price.....I don't even worry about that crappy little airline anymore...they are "Dead to me" lol

[rastagirl777]

Ever hear the saying "If its too good to be true it probably is?" Well - if it walks like a duck....

Those $9 fares were all the rage weren't they. Add taxes - now it's a $209 fare. Wanna reserve a seat? It'll cost $20 for an aisle, $15 for a window, $5 for a middle. Checking bags? $25 or $35 each.

So...your $9 fare is now around $264 if you go for an aisle seat. Oh - but you can't get a $9 fare on your return flight! Oh no...THAT fare is $250.00. You are now paying the same or more as you would on a more major carrier that doesn't charge for a seat AND might even let you check your first bag for free because you are flying internationally.

I've flown them and their schedules do suck. But I was lucky....the planes were comfy, and I didn't experience any delays when I flew them (once) to and from Jamaica. The 6 hour delay in Detroit was a bit of a bummer when I flew them to NY once...but our entire plane made friends and they kept the bar open in the airport for us.

When researching fares make sure you dive much deeper into the actual fare - does the airline charge for seat assignments? What is their baggage policies and costs? I do this enough to know that

IF ITS TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE IT PROBABLY IS.

[airportworker]

they are copying Ryanair and beware the latest ryanair "good idea" is to remove toilets leaving only one per plane, but giving extra seats, oh and did i mention you have to pay to use that remaining toilet

[sammyb]

My Spirit flight out of Mobay was delayed and I was going to miss my connection, Spirits solution....come back three days from now, oh and you're on your own for accommodations. I eventually did fly out on a "special" Spirit flight the next day only to miss my connection and remain in Fort Lauderdale for yet another night. I have to say once I made it back to the states the Spirit reps were helpful in trying to get me home. After much communication and sending a complaint to everyone but President Obama I got a full refund and a $100 voucher, but trust me after I use this voucher for a ONE WAY TICKET I will NEVER fly them again.

[max2]

I flew round trip on Spirit from ORD to MBJ once. With that one and only round trip, I became a member of the "Spirit Airlines NEVER AGAIN club".

I was warned before I flew with Spriit but, I did not take the warning seriously. After all, could it be that bad? Yup, it could be that bad.