Why Is Spirit Airlines So Much Cheaper?

Depending on where you are going, flights can be expensive, but budget airlines like Spirit did disrupt the air travel industry by adopting new ways of doing business and making flying so cheap. You can pretty much pay a few bucks for a flight from Los Angeles to Orlando, and if you already spotted that $20 Spirit flight you may wonder why are spirit airlines so cheap? Here is the short answer: The reason why Spirit Airlines is so cheap because they charge only for the flight, and everything else is optional but they charge for it, you won’t get other services unless you pay for them, take a carry-on bag, change the seat, have a meal or watch inflight entertainment, if you don’t pay for all these things you won’t get them. A beautiful Spirit Airline Airplane

Is Spirit Airlines cheap?

Spirit Airlines Fees: What to Know Before You Fly It can be easy to be fooled into thinking you scored a deal after nabbing a $26 flight to Las Vegas on Spirit Airlines. But while the airfare itself is certainly cheap, there’s a good chance your total flight costs will far exceed $26.

That’s because Spirit Airlines has one of the most comprehensive a la carte pricing models of any airline. Spirit seats on their own tend to be tantalizingly cheap, but things that other airlines typically include in the cost of airfare — like soft drinks and reserved seats — will cost you extra. Suddenly, your $26 flight might start to cost the same, or even more, than the fares listed for non-budget airlines.

» Learn more: Base fares include one personal item, like a laptop bag or purse. But don’t think you can get away with not having to pay by stuffing all your possessions into a backpack, as even that might not fit. Spirit defines a personal item as anything 18 by 14 by 8 inches or smaller.

Even something like would be too large by Spirit standards. For larger bags, like that backpack or rolling luggage, there’s a good chance that the cost to fly your stuff is more than the cost to fly yourself. Spirit doesn’t publish standard bag fees, as they can vary not only based on route but also on when you pay for them.

And the longer you wait, the more you’ll pay. If you’re paying at the gate, you could end up paying nearly twice as much as if you had paid the bag fee at the time of booking. While fees can fluctuate, here’s what Spirit bag fees look like for the aforementioned $26 flight between Seattle and Las Vegas:

During Spirit.com booking
After booking, but before checking in online
At the airport (before the gate)

And that’s assuming your baggage weighs 40 pounds or less. Here are the additional fees you’d pay per bag if transporting large or heavy items:

	Additional charge (on top of bag fee)
Baggage weighing 41-50 lbs.
Baggage weighing 51–70 lbs.
Baggage weighing 71–100 lbs.
Items measuring 63-80 linear inches (length + width + height)
Items over 80 linear inches (length + width + height)
Surfboard (maximum of 2 surfboards per bag)

For customers enrolled in Spirit’s add-on membership program called Spirit Saver$ Club, there’s some good news: Bag fees are discounted. The membership costs $69.95 for 12 months, $99.90 ($5 savings) for 18 months and $129.90 ($10 savings) for 24 months. Here’s how much typical bag fees cost for that same flight if you’re a member of the Spirit Saver$ Club:

During Spirit.com booking
After booking, but before checking in online
At the airport (before the gate)

Depending on the size of your bag, it might not be considered a personal item, even if it fits under the seat in front of you. What’s more, you might not be able to carry it on, even if you think it’s a relatively small suitcase. Here’s how Spirit defines each type of bag:

Personal item: Maximum of 18 by 14 by 8 inches, including handles and wheels. Carry-on: Maximum of 22 by 18 by 10 inches, including handles and wheels. Checked bag: Maximum of 62 linear inches (length plus width plus height) including handles and wheels, and less than 100 pounds (overweight/oversize baggage fees apply).

Change fees are on hold temporarily due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Generally though, there’s a good chance that the cost to change or cancel your flight ends up being more than the cost of the flight itself. Spirit does not offer any sort of refundable fare, but it does provide some options to change and cancel reservations.

Spirit typically charges $90 to cancel your reservation online and an even heftier $100 to cancel over the phone or at the airport. Perhaps what stings even worse than paying $90 to cancel your flight: You won’t get the amount you paid refunded back to your original form of payment. Instead, you get it as a Reservation Credit toward future Spirit flights.

And adding insult to injury is that those credits have an expiration date; typically, your new flight made with the Reservation Credit must be booked within one year from the original date of purchase. If you’re changing your flight within 24 hours of departure, you can pay $99 to stand by for an earlier flight.

• If you booked an award ticket, expect to pay even more.
• The change fee is $110, and you still must pay the difference of any additional miles required for your new itinerary.
• » Learn more: Act quickly.
• As long as you’re booking a flight at least seven days before departure, Spirit does not charge a fee if the flight is changed or canceled within 24 hours after the initial purchase.

Money is refunded to the original form of payment. Book a Flight Flex (though we don’t recommend it). Flight Flex is a sort of insurance program offered by Spirit Airlines that allows you to modify your flight once without having to pay a change fee. But Flight Flex comes with its own fee which, like bag fees, can vary by flight.

For this $26 flight between Seattle and Las Vegas, the cost to add the Flight Flex option was $45. And Flight Flex comes with restrictions, including that you are entitled to only one change, and you need to make the change more than 24 hours before the scheduled flight. Plus, you’re still on the hook to pay for any difference in fares.

Here’s why Flight Flex is generally a bad deal: Say you’re changing your $26 flight to a new $100 flight. With Flight Flex, you would have paid $71 (that’s $45 for the Flight Flex option plus $26 for the original flight). You also still owe $74 to make up the fare difference, which means changing to a new $100 flight ends up costing $145 after all the fees.

Flight Flex is also included as part of Spirit’s Bundle It Combo (more on that later), which removes the a la carte aspect and instead packages a bunch of add-ons for one fee. If you want the ability to change your flight and anticipate checking bags anyway, the bundle option can make more sense. There’s no fee to check in online for your Spirit flight.

Once checked in, print your boarding pass at home, too, because it’s free. But if you fail to plan ahead, you’ll have to pay up. If you need to print your boarding pass at an airport kiosk, it costs $2. If you’re a luddite who prefers bypassing the kiosk in favor of a human, it costs even more: $10 to have your boarding pass printed by an airport agent.

Spirit waives those fees in a few circumstances, such as if you’re traveling as an unaccompanied minor, with a lap infant, or if you’re using a military ID instead of a passport and are unable to check in online. Whether you’re trying to avoid the middle seat or you just want to guarantee that you can sit next to your kid, it’s going to cost you to choose your seat ahead of time.

Spirit doesn’t have a published list of seat assignment pricing as it varies per flight, though the airline says all seat reservations start at a minimum of $5. But $5 is a liberal assumption for how much you’ll actually pay to reserve your seats. Here’s how much seat assignments cost on that same $26 flight between Seattle and Las Vegas: The “Big Front Seats” have more legroom, are wider (no middle seat in the row) and cost an additional $40. The often-coveted seats in the emergency exit rows cost $20, and even a middle seat near the back costs $12 to reserve. All refreshments sold in-flight on Spirit come with a fee, such as coffee ($2), sodas and juices ($3), beer and wine ($8) and snacks like Pringles or Oreos (starting at $3).

Spirit charges $110 per pet container, each way, with a limit of four pets total in the cabin. Spirit allows you to put two pets in one container. If you are traveling with a pet or two, they’ll always ride with you in-cabin, as Spirit does not transport pets in cargo. And even still, there are a number of limitations.

Pets need to be small, since the container must fit under the seat, and pets must be able to stand and turn around in the container. Plus, the combined weight of the pet and carrier must be 40 pounds or less. For an additional fee, you can whiz through security and be one of the first to board the plane.

1. Starting at $5.99, Spirit’s “Shortcut Boarding” access allows you priority boarding in Zone 2.
2. Depending on the airport you’re departing from, you may also be able to pay for “Shortcut Security,” though we don’t recommend it.
3. It’s not, but it will allow you to go through security in an expedited lane.

Costs vary per airport but don’t exceed $15, though it’s not a guarantee your airport even offers the Shortcut Security program. Is your kid flying alone? That’s an extra $100. You’ll get hit with that unaccompanied minor fee if the child is 5-14 years old.

• On the bright side, Spirit will throw in a free snack and drink for your kid, a solid $6 value.
• Spirit won’t allow children to fly alone if they’re 4 or younger, or if they’re traveling on a connecting flight, international flights or domestic flights that include a scheduled change of aircraft.
• Spirit offers bundled packages during the booking process.

If you anticipate paying for a number of these fees anyway, then bundling them isn’t a bad deal. Going back to that same flight between Seattle and Las Vegas, it costs $52.99 more for the Boost It package and $64.99 for the Bundle It package. Here’s how much it would cost to order a la carte what you can get in the combo packages for one set price: Boost It package (costs $52.99):

Pick Your Seat: $20 (exit row!). Personal item: $0 (already included with airfare). Checked Bag plus 10 pounds extra: $33 (if the bag weighs 40 pounds or less) or $63 (if it weighs 50 pounds or less). Shortcut Boarding: $5.99.

The Boost It package is worth $88.99 in this scenario (if you take advantage of the 50 pound allowance), which is a $36 savings. If your bag is less than 40 pounds ($33) but you want to pick a seat ($20) and have Shortcut Boarding ($5.99), then you save only a few dollars on the Boost It bundle price.

Personal item: $0 (already included with airfare). Checked Bag plus 10 pounds extra: $33 (if the bag weighs 40 pounds or less) or $63 (if it weighs 50 pounds or less). Shortcut Boarding: $5.99.

*It’s tough to assign a value to Spirit miles because you accrue a different number of miles based on your status within the Free Spirit program. The 2x miles aside, the Bundle It package is worth $133.99 in this scenario, which is a $69 savings if you were to buy each item individually at booking.

• Spirit says it’s a $104 savings value, based on the company’s own mileage valuation.
• Again, if you are packing that oversize bag (between 40 and 50 pounds) or you want the Flight Flex option (which we don’t really recommend), then it’s worth it.
• But if you want only a few things — say one checked bag that weighs less than 40 pounds, the ability to choose your seat and shortcut boarding — keep buying a la carte.

In NerdWallet’s annual, Spirit ranked second-to-last for lowest average fees. The only airline that had higher fees was fellow budget airline Frontier. Spirit passengers can expect to spend an average of $137 on fees, including about $56 for a checked bag and $60 for a carry-on, plus $21 for seat selection.

Frequently asked questions What fees does Spirit Airlines charge? Spirit is a low-cost carrier, which means that the price you pay for the flight will include only the ticket itself. You will need to pay for everything you’d like to add such as bags, printing your boarding pass at the airport, selecting your seat, change fees, award redemption fees, meals on the flight, early boarding and more.

The fees fluctuate based on when you purchase these add-ons, so a bag purchased at booking will be cheaper than if you purchase it at the gate. Is Spirit really cheaper? Because Spirit is a low-cost carrier, you will need to pay extra for everything other than the flight.

So, if you’ll be checking a bag, printing your boarding pass at the airport, purchasing food on the plane and paying for a seat up front, you’ll end up paying for each of these add-ons, which will increase the price of your ticket. If you often fly with Spirit and value these extras, the carrier offers the Spirit Saver$ Club, which provides discounts on bags, seats and more.

Do you have to pay for seats on Spirit? Spirit will assign a random seat to you during the check-in process. However, if you’d like to choose your own seat or select one at booking, you will need to pay for it. The proximity to the front of the plane also affects the cost of the seat.

If you’re interested in the Big Front Seat, which is Spirit’s equivalent of domestic first class, it will be cheaper to purchase this seat in advance instead of at the airport. Is a backpack free on Spirit? You are allowed one personal item (e.g., purse, small backpack) free of charge. The dimensions must not exceed 18 x 14 x 8 inches (45 x 35 x 20 cm) including handles and wheels.

If your backpack is larger, refer to the carry-on and checked bag price list. What fees does Spirit Airlines charge? Spirit is a low-cost carrier, which means that the price you pay for the flight will include only the ticket itself. You will need to pay for everything you’d like to add such as bags, printing your boarding pass at the airport, selecting your seat, change fees, award redemption fees, meals on the flight, early boarding and more.

The fees fluctuate based on when you purchase these add-ons, so a bag purchased at booking will be cheaper than if you purchase it at the gate. Is Spirit really cheaper? Because Spirit is a low-cost carrier, you will need to pay extra for everything other than the flight. So, if you’ll be checking a bag, printing your boarding pass at the airport, purchasing food on the plane and paying for a seat up front, you’ll end up paying for each of these add-ons, which will increase the price of your ticket.

If you often fly with Spirit and value these extras, the carrier offers the Spirit Saver$ Club, which provides discounts on bags, seats and more. Do you have to pay for seats on Spirit? Spirit will assign a random seat to you during the check-in process.

However, if you’d like to choose your own seat or select one at booking, you will need to pay for it. The proximity to the front of the plane also affects the cost of the seat. If you’re interested in the Big Front Seat, which is Spirit’s equivalent of domestic first class, it will be cheaper to purchase this seat in advance instead of at the airport.

Is a backpack free on Spirit? You are allowed one personal item (e.g., purse, small backpack) free of charge. The dimensions must not exceed 18 x 14 x 8 inches (45 x 35 x 20 cm) including handles and wheels. If your backpack is larger, refer to the carry-on and checked bag price list.

• Book your $26 flight, but expect to spend a lot more than that.
• You might have thought you could get away without a carry-on when you booked the flight, but as you start packing, you realize you’ll need a small rolling suitcase.
• That’s an extra $45 at check-in.
• You don’t have a printer, so you’ll have to pay $2 to print your boarding pass at the airport kiosk.

You don’t want the middle seat so you accept you’ll pay $14 to choose an aisle, but why pay $14 for an aisle when it’s only $6 more for the exit row aisle? You pay $20 to choose a good seat. Once flying, you pay $3 for a ginger ale. While your credit card is already out, you throw in Sea Salt PopCorners for $4.

Suddenly, your $26 flight has become $100. That’s not even including a number of other fees you might end up paying too, like pet fees, priority boarding, cancellation fees and more. Don’t be fooled into thinking Spirit has ultra-cheap fares. Traveling with Spirit is cheap if you pack uber-light — and pack your own snacks.

For budget travelers who can plan ahead, Spirit can be a deal. But pay attention when booking, because your “cheap” Spirit flight might cost more than a ticket on any of the other airlines. : Spirit Airlines Fees: What to Know Before You Fly

What are the cons of flying Spirit Airlines?

Cons: –

Nothing but a personal item comes included in the base fare of your flight. Legroom is a few inches tighter than other airline seats, tray table and armrest are small, and seats do not recline. No free food or drink inflight. No inflight entertainment on seatback or in Spirit app.

All in all, I think Spirit serves a purpose in the travel industry. You just have to know what you’re getting into. If you’re looking for the cheapest flight possible from Point A to Point B with no frills, this is a great option. If you can pack in just a personal item, bring your own food and water and inflight entertainment, this is for you! But if sacrificing a free carry-on bag, more comfortable seat with more legroom, and inflight snacks isn’t worth it for you, pass on Spirit.

Is it OK to fly Spirit airline?

Is Spirit an unsafe airline? – No, Spirit Airlines is not an unsafe airline. It has been rated as one of the safest airlines in the world. The airline has a strong safety record and takes all necessary precautions to ensure the safety of its passengers. However, most people claim it as a worst airline on the internet.

Is Spirit OK to fly?

Are Spirit Airlines flights safe? – The short answer is yes, flying Spirit Airlines is Safe. While there have been some recent incidents, Spirit has an excellent passenger safety record overall. The airline had a few fatal accidents in the past but it has one of the best on-time arrival records in the industry. So it is a safe to fly and reliable airline.

Why do people not like flying with Spirit?

This post contains references to products from one or more of our advertisers. We may receive compensation when you click on links to those products. The content on this page is accurate as of the posting date; however, some of the offers mentioned may have expired.

For more information check out our Advertising Disclosure, It’s undeniable: Americans love to hate Spirit Airlines. The airline is practically infamous for its bare bones service, tiny seats, and plenty of extra fees in exchange for cheap base fares. But even if you swear you’ll never set foot on a Spirit plane, the airline’s mere existence is a win for flyers across the board.

Why? Competition between airlines means lower fares, and few airlines have more power to drive fares lower than Spirit – even on the likes of American, Delta, or United. As Southwest Airlines expanded across the nation to become one of the largest domestic U.S.

• Carriers over the last several decades, the so-called “Southwest effect” drastically brought down fares where Southwest decided to fly.
• Spirit Airlines has taken that to another level.
• But now that dynamic is in doubt as JetBlue plans to acquire Spirit, eventually pulling the signature yellow Spirit planes out of the sky and folding them into its own fleet.

While that might be a win for flyers who would much rather have JetBlue’s generous legroom and gate-to-gate Wi-Fi, Spirit’s disappearance could be a major loss for cheap fares.

What makes Spirit the worst airline?

Keep this in mind when you book your next flight. – Flying can be a hassle: Shrinking seats, delayed departures, and confusing terminals come together to make travel days less of an adventure and more of a headache. Sometimes with insider secrets, like these 13 things airlines won’t tell you, you can avoid problems, but you’ll also want to make sure you’re flying with the right airline.

• As with any industry, the company you do business with can make all the difference.
• Fortunately for all frequent fliers, the annual Harris Poll reputation quotient made a list of the best and—and worst—extremely visible companies of 2020.
• The poll ranks the reputations of various companies, including airlines.

To make the list, a company has to be well-known and highly visible in society. The study then measures and evaluates these companies based on six things: vision and leadership, social responsibility, products and services, emotional appeal, workplace environment, and financial performance.

For the most recent poll, the highest-ranking airline was Southwest Airlines while United Airlines came in last. United Airlines’ reputation quotient was 66.7, landing it 11th from the bottom of the entire list of 100 companies. In comparison, Southwest’s quotient was 74.4 and landed it at #48 in total.

Although these numbers are telling, they factor in more than what affects day-to-day customers. Another ranking that focused solely on airlines placed Southwest as the third-best airline overall (Delta was its top choice). Southwest’s high ranking on both lists could be thanks to this year’s lower fares and an increase in the size of its route network.

Or, in the wake of a pandemic, Southwest’s flexible rebooking policy and amped up safety measures. The airline won points for its non-existent baggage and change fees, too. Last year’s worst ranking airline, Spirit Airlines, likely ranked so low because of their overpriced checked and carry-on bag fees, having seats that don’t recline, no complimentary drinks, and the fact that they are constantly canceling and delaying flights which can sometimes cause altercations in the airport.

This year, however, Spirit did not even make the rankings, likely falling out of visibility slightly due to COVID concerns and branding complications. And now, with a JetBlue Spirit airlines merger, we’re likely to see some changes to both airlines. Whatever airline you decide to book with, the flight attendants will hope you avoid these 18 things you should never do on an airplane,

How much is Spirit per bag?

Spirit Airlines Checked Baggage

Baggage Type	During Online Check-In (Standard Fare)	Airport
Carry-On Bag	$41	$55
1st Checked Bag	$36	$50
2nd Checked Bag	$46	$60
3rd-5th Checked Bag	$91	$100

Does Spirit charge for every seat?

Don’t care where you sit? Spirit will randomly assign you a seat at check-in for free, but we can’t guarantee that you’ll get to sit with your friends or family. You can purchase a seat assignment and choose the seat you really want. Seat assignments start at just $5 and vary according to specific routes and location in the aircraft.

For a little bit more, a Big Front Seat™ comes with extra legroom. You can view seat prices for your flight on the Seats page when you book online, in My Trips, or during Online Check-in (within 24 hours of departure). Big Front Seats are located in the first rows of our aircraft and feature up to 32% more legroom than the Deluxe Leather Seats.

Big Front Seats™ are also wider and do not have a middle seat between them. Airbus A319 (319) – 145 Seats

10 Big Front Seats at the front of the plane (Pitch: 37″, Width: 22″, Under Seat Area: 20.8″x22″ at widest point) 135 deluxe leather seats (Pitch: 28-31″, Width: 17″, Under Seat Area: 18″x20″) 9 seats reserved for Guests with disabilities Non-moveable armrest seats: Rows 1-5 2 non-window seats in the last row 6 exit seats over the wings (Pitch: 38″) 2 galleys – 1 on the right of the front and 1 on the right of the back of the plane 2 lavatories – 1 on the left of the front and 1 on the back of the plane

Dimensions – Front: 37″x84″x46″, Back: 37″x80″x58″

6 exits – 2 in the front, 2 over the wing, 2 in the back Aisle width: 17″

Airbus A320 (32A/32N) – 182 Seats

8 Big Front Seats at the front of the plane (Pitch: Row 1 – 22″, Row 2 – 34″, Width: 22.8″, Under Seat Area: 20.75″x20″ at widest point) 174 deluxe leather seats (Pitch: 28-29″, Width: 16″, Under Seat Area: 18″x19″) 12 seats reserved for Guests with disabilities Non-moveable armrest seats: Rows 1-3 12 exit seats over the wings 2 galleys – 1 on the right of the front and 1 galley on the right back of the plane 3 lavatories – 1 lavatory on the left of the front and 2 lavatories at the back middle and left of the plane (these two lavatories combined can become one wheelchair-accessible lavatory)

Dimensions – Front: 37″x84″x46″, Back, when combined: 78″x87″x57″)

8 exits – 2 in the front, 4 over the wings, and 2 in the back Aisle width: 24″

Airbus A321 (32B) – 228 Seats

8 Big Front Seats at the front of the plane (Pitch: Row 1 – 22″, Row 2 – 34″, Width: 22″, Under Seat Area: 20.75″x20″ at widest point) 220 deluxe leather seats (Pitch: 28″, Width: 17″, Under Seat Area: 18″x19″) 12 seats reserved for Guests with disabilities Non-moveable armrest seats: Rows 1-3 6 exit seats before the wings (Pitch: 66″) 6 exit seats behind the wings (Pitch: 67″) 2 galleys – 1 galley on the right of the front and 1 galley on the right back of the plane 3 lavatories – 1 lavatory on the left of the front and 2 lavatories at the back middle and left of the plane (these two lavatories combined can become one wheelchair-accessible lavatory)

Dimensions – Front: 37″x84″46″, Back, when combined: 78″x87″x57″

8 exits – 2 in the front, 2 before the wings, 2 after the wings, and 2 in the back Aisle width: 17″

Accessible Lavatory for On-board Wheelchair Spirit offers accessible lavatories on our Airbus 320 and 321 aircraft. These lavatories permit an individual with a disability to enter, exit, and maneuver within using the aircraft’s on-board wheelchair. The two single lavatories located in the aft section are equipped with a feature that allows them to be re-configured or converted into one bigger lavatory to accommodate these Guests.