If there’s one consistent fact for Sharon and me since we’ve started writing Your Mileage May Vary, it’s that we don’t fly Spirit Airlines. In fact, I placed Spirit at #7 on our US-based airline list for 2022, just below Frontier and above United. Since then we’ve flown on United, so they have a chance to climb up the list.
I figured that since I was willing to settle my differences with United, why not give Spirit a chance? They’ve done plenty to improve customer service levels and many people travel with them daily without issues. Why not give them chance, as we did with Frontier?
After several attempts, I was convinced I’d never get Sharon to fly with Spirit. However, I had to book a solo flight from New York to Orlando and the cheapest fare was on a flight from LaGuardia on Spirit. It was a quick trip so I’d only need to pay for a carry-on bag and I’d be able to book a backup flight in case of a significant delay or cancellation.
Here’s my experience booking my first flight on Spirit Airlines.
Before booking my flight, I signed up with Free Spirit, Spirit Airlines’ loyalty program. I’m not expecting to earn enough points for a free flight but it was an easy way to connect my TSA PreCheck ID to my reservation.
From there I went to Spirit’s website. The one-way fare from LaGuardia to Orlando was $67.59
Of course, Spirit is the king of additional fees. Fortunately, they are very up-front about the cost of bringing a carry-on bag or checked bag. You’re allowed one personal item for free if it will fit under the seat in front of you. A carry-on bag for the overhead bins costs $43 and a checked bag starts at $37.
Since I thought I’d be in New York for 2 nights, that usually would require my TravelPro carry-on. Therefore I paid an additional $43 with my ticket cost.
Much like Frontier, Spirit sells packages that include seat assignments, checked bags, carry-on bags and early boarding for a reduced price. I had other plans for this trip, so I settled for paying for a carry-on bag. 
If you notice, Spirit charges the most for a carry-on bag. That’s because storing bags slows down the boarding process more than anything else. From my experience, Frontier and Spirit board flights faster than any other airlines that allow a free carry-on bag and personal item
At this point, I was paying $110 for a one-way flight from New York to Orlando bringing a carry-on bag. It would have been cheaper if I checked a bag and only brought a personal item. Checking in for my flight online was easy. I used the computers in the hotel lobby to print my boarding pass.
While I wanted to try out a flight on Spirit, I wasn’t about to be miserable during the trip.
More on how I upgraded my trip and what I thought of the in-flight experience in an upcoming post. 🙂
Want to comment on this post? Great! Read this first to help ensure it gets approved.
Want to sponsor a post, write something for Your Mileage May Vary, or put ads on our site? Click here for more info.
Like this post? Please share it! We have plenty more just like it and would love it if you decided to hang around and sign up to get emailed notifications of when we post.
Whether you’ve read our articles before or this is the first time you’re stopping by, we’re really glad you’re here and hope you come back to visit again!
This post first appeared on Your Mileage May Vary
2 comments
The ticket would have been even cheaper if you had bought it at an airport instead of online.
I flew out of bwi to mia with my wife and price wise it’s worth it if you’re sharing a single check bag. The downside is the flight to Miami was old and smelled like hot ballz and since it’s the budget airline then you get budget people (if you know what I mean). The plane ride home was much nicer and newer I have to admit and was much better. The seats are super tiny tho. Highly recommend an isle seat. Overall I probably won’t fly spirit again unless I lose my job and need to fly to California one way to become professionally homeless.