Hioctane wrote:
Scuba1 wrote:
On another subject........
I hate Spirit's business model and business philosophy - also I must state as forcefully as possible that you have to add up all the extras - like a reserved seat <sure you can roll the dice, but I don't want a middle seat, even on a 2.5 hour flight)> and their baggage policy - and see what you have. Often Spirit is NOT the least expensive option - I add $100 to the cost of a Spirit r/t for the baggage, seat, etc. as a matter of course.
The seats suck - like military intelegence, jumbo shrimp, and other oxymorons, Spirits "pre reclined seats" are awful.
But...and this is a huge but - I have had great luck with Spirit's on time proformance - both from FLL to SJO as well as to NYC - so I would recommend guys check them out for any flight to SJO THAT ORIGINATES IN FLL - I WOULD NEVER FLY THEM EXCEPT ON DIRECT FLIGHTS, AND MOSTLY ALL REQUIRE A STOP OR A CHANGE OF PLANES IN FT LAUDERDALE.
You're thinking about it the wrong way.. They are not the airline of extras. They are the airline of choice. Not everyone cares about where they sit. If they can pay less and get a random seat so be it, it's their CHOICE. If you're on a short weekend trip or maybe even a 3-4 day trip, you might be able to get away with just using the free bag underneath your seat. It's your CHOICE. It all depends what is more important you.
Personally, I've flown them half a dozen times with no problems. I only had one delay but that was during a long layover, so it didn't really matter. For me.. If a Spirit flight is > $100 cheaper then the closest competitor, I'll probably choose them otherwise it is not worth it.
I don't get where you see that Spirit is not the cheapest.. It really depends on the route, but usually they are. On a random dates from FLL to SJO, I see a Spirit flight for 227 vs 407 for Jetblue.. I'd jump on the Spirit flight in a heartbeat! From LGA to SJO Spirit is 387 vs 442 with Avianca. I'd probably have to go with Avianca.
As you say, its up to each individual - however, I'll stand 100% behind what I posted about them not always being the least expensive, especially if you check and/or carry on a bag, and if you want an assigned seat (truly, you have to add about $100 to the cost of the quoted fare to arrive at what you will be actually be paying) - and yes, I've flow them many times, especially when I can carry on a small bag and have zero issues with their on time preformance, something I can't in all honesty say about American. Frankly, sometimes they are and sometimes they are not the least expensive - all you prove with your example is that on the flight and date and time you used they were
I just flew JetBlue w/in the last 3 weeks to SJO - and I would gladly pay extra for their seat comfort, legroom, cabin service vs Spirit - how much extra - I honestly don't know, maybe $100 or so - I hate Spirits pre reclined seats that much - but that's my choice.
Simply pointing out that while I do fly them and expect I will in the future, while the quoted fare may be less than their competition, if you are carrying on a bag, and you want to assure yourself of not getting a middle seat all the way in the back of the plane, they may not be the least expensive option, when you factor in the extras most want.
Also, since many CRT's don't fly all that frequently, pointing out things you need to be aware of when you fly Spirit - Spirit often gets excoriated on this and other forums - and while I don't subscribe to that hate, I do think its worthwhile to point out things to be aware of when you fly them.