www.CostaRicaTicas.com

I'm a committed Jetblue fan, but cost and options are becoming more important to me. Spirit has a flight into SJO, landing at 1 am. What are the experiences of brothers having used this flight?

Can I get a (non-thieving) taxi to my hotel? Any of the regular monger hotels have issues with late check-in?

I guess the bank upstairs is closed ... that'll suck. What else should I add to the decision process about this flight?

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bypassin' kinky, and usin' the whole chicken!!!

From florida it is maximum 3 hours. I personally can live with anything for 3 hours. Use an airport taxi and you will have no problem. Most hotels will charge you for the entire night as they have to block the room. Del rey ATM is open all night if colonies are needed.

The only other thing that I would note is Spirt charges for everything, and I do mean everything, make sure you account for everything (bags, check in, boarding pass, seat assignment....) when making a final decision on price

Funny song on this subject: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qHcim_KNZYw
Spirit is only a small step above that cheap-o Irish airline that wanted to charge for the loo...

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"A man accustomed to hear only the echo of his own sentiments, soon bars all the common avenues of delight, and has no part in the general gratification of mankind"--Dr. Johnson
"Amen, brother"-ED

How in hell did this slip my mind? I knew this and it's one of the reasons I despise them. I let the teaser fare blind me ... still, I may need that flight time ...

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bypassin' kinky, and usin' the whole chicken!!!

This is only my experiences, not trying to contradict Matt. I fly Spirit from Orlando to Medellin with a connection in Ft. Lauderdale. The only extra I pay is a baggage fee. I know their web site states that there is a charge for printing a boarding pass, but I always get them printed at the counter in Orlando and Medellin and have never been asked to pay extra. If you check in online, and at the kioshs, and print your boarding pass, you will be assigned a middle seat in the rear of the plane. I arrive early, am polite to the agent, and always get a fairly good seat by asking(only exception was one time in Medellin when there was a very long line, and I wasn't very early by the time I got to the counter). I've never checked in with Spirit in FLL, so I don't know what kind of experience to expect there.

I have flown the red eye out of FLL many times. No problem with Taxis as long as you use the official orange cabs. Of course you will be charged by the hotel for that day. I stopped taking the red eye because I would be exhausted the next day and it screwed up my sleeping patterns for the trip, but that is just me.

Used this option several times, there are some advantages and drawbacks.

Drawbacks- yes it is Spirit, so you will get smaller seats, yes you will be charged for more than a small carry on. My experience has been that it is still cheaper than Jet Blue and I can sacrifice for a few hours. Don't pre purchase seats, buy your drinks and snacks prior to boarding. Food availability is limited but still better than what they offer. If you want a chica when you arrive, choices are limited. I usually bit the bullet and stay at the DR the first before moving to SL or LA. This way you look for some action upon arrival. If you find one you like you have a better chance at getting a bargain or TLN. Worst case, you have a few drinks before turning in for the night.

Advantages- the flight is rarely sold out, usually have room to move if you want. Immigration seems to move faster fewer people waiting outside so this is easier to traverse. Cabs are limited but traffic is minimal.

This option is available as well. I have bought a ticket on the late flight, went to FLL as if I was on the early flight. Get to the counter and find out if there seats on the early flight. If so, the charge is just $25, this gives you about an extra 10 hours in CR.

I used to fly spirit to cr as they were only option. I always printed my boarding pass at kiosk and picked my seat no charge. Drawback is that duty free at fll and sjo are usually closed. My last few trips I've compared JetBlue and spirit prices and I believe JetBlue was like $30-$50 more. I was ok with that cause no charge for Checked bag or carry on bag. So to me that's worth it.

Also on return home the line at sjo to checkin is always at least 30-60 min wait. My last few trips on JetBlue the line at sjo was less then 5 mins.

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You do costa rica your way and I'll do it my way

Spirit has a 10:40 AM flight everyday of the week and it is usually the same price as the red eye, at least till they sell a certain amount of seats, then it becomes more expensive then the red eye.

If you take the Red eye save yourself all the hassle and just book a room at the Del Rey, party that night (early morning), get some shut eye, then move to your favorite hotel the next day

You may have an issue with checking in late at HLH at that hour. If it's the same (new?) guard on duty in December, assume the guy won't have a clue. Speak with Kim/Jason at great length prior to your trip, and reconfirm everything the day you travel.

As others have mentioned, Spirit will attempt to rip out both of your lungs. Try to save one. Their international baggage allowance is ONLY 40 lbs......... so be careful with weight. They'll charge you for carry-on. I view it as classic bait & switch. By the time you're done adding the additional $100 or $200 to the advertised price, you may not have saved much over the alternatives (if anything at all).

Good luck,

Bob

Kim and Jason are gone from Scores, sadly. But your advice is well taken. Thanks.

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bypassin' kinky, and usin' the whole chicken!!!

The free personal item size is 16"x14"x12", I have a rolling cooler that is 16x14x11 I can fit everything needed in that size and now I have a cooler for my room, you also save $16.99 per way if you buy your ticket at the airport (doesn't work for $9 fare members)

Didn't know that.......sorry to hear.

IMHO it only makes matters worse........

Bob

I flew Spirit out of Florida for a couple of years, until they started with all of their 'additional' charges. I used to pay extra and get a seat in the 'exit' row for the extra leg room. They were cheaper than American, and about the same price as Jet Blue. Once they started the bullshit with the extra charges, I switched to Jet Blue. For the 'average' flyer, once you factor in the additional charges, the total fare is about the same as Jet Blue and American. And as Brooklynkid stated, the check-in line at SJO for the return flight took about 50 minutes (every time), while the Jet Blue line takes perhaps 10 or 15 minutes. One time my amigos, Buzzfla and Royboy, and myself arrived at the airport at the same time. They were flying Jet Blue and I was flying Spirit. By the time I had checked in and made it to the gate area, they had already finished eating in the food court.
Ridiculous.

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"In a nation ruled by swine, all pigs are upwardly mobile, and the rest of us are phucked until we can put our acts together; not necessarily to win, but mainly to keep from losing completely"...Hunter S. Thompson (RIP)

Spirit's fares used to be significantly cheaper (at least their LGA to MDE route through FLL)... almost 200 cheaper (before additional fees) than their nearest competitor. Now they are just average. And they keep making it harder and harder to redeem those discount coupons featured on their homepage.