Spirit Air...

[Alabamaboy!]

Just looking at prices on Spirit Air RT from LAX to BAQ or MDE. Depending on what days you go, you can get prices as low as $329 RT including all fees, etc if you are a member of their "$9 Club"

Those are some killer prices.

Anyone had experience with them? Any major problems or differences with service, luggage restrictions, etc?

[whitey]

Just looking at prices on Spirit Air RT from LAX to BAQ or MDE. Depending on what days you go, you can get prices as low as $329 RT including all fees, etc if you are a member of their "$9 Club"

Those are some killer prices.

Anyone had experience with them? Any major problems or differences with service, luggage restrictions, etc?

I fly Spirit on every trip to Colombia.  They are almost always the cheapest flight ... I've actually never seen one cheaper but occasionally I hear about some that are close to the same price.

With Spirit, you get exactly what you pay for ... a seat on the plane and nothing else.  Each bag, even a carry-on costs extra, as do drinks and meals.

I've flown Spirit 8 times now, and had problems twice.  The first was a computer problem in Detroit that caused me to miss my Ft Lauderdale connection to Cartagena.  The other was a cancelled flight due to the remnants of a hurricane.  On both occasions, they were able to get me on another carrier down to Colombia the same day, although many hours later.

The flight attendants (unfriendly) and the plane (dirty and crowded) from Detroit to Ft Lauderdale suck, but I don't really care ... all I need is a good book.  But, once you land at the hub in Ft Lauderdale, things get much better.

I'd recommend Spirit for those who like to save money ... but if you prefer to spend more for better service, you'll want a different airline. 

[whitey]

Forgot to mention ... I'm Canadian so I can't be a member of the $9 club because I don't have a US address.

I paid around $500 for my return flight from Detriot to Medellin back in May, including all taxes and luggage fees.

My flight this month to Cartagena was around $450, and my flight in December if I can go will probably be around $700.  They just opened a new route to Barranquilla in August, but the flight times are pretty crappy and it's usually better to fly into Cartagena instead.

[CROW]

Just looking at prices on Spirit Air RT from LAX to BAQ or MDE. Depending on what days you go, you can get prices as low as $329 RT including all fees, etc if you are a member of their "$9 Club"

Those are some killer prices.

Anyone had experience with them? Any major problems or differences with service, luggage restrictions, etc?

Don't forget that aries now flies out of FLL to Cali just in case you want to come visit me and get some more helpful advice. jajaja

http://www.aires.aero/home/

[Gato4Astrid]

AIRES -  Can we pay by credit card?     (Avianca.com.co - you can pay by credit card even from your own country)

[Alabamaboy!]

yes

[mudd]

my friend tried to fly them out of medellin, flight got into the air and had to come right back. problem with one of the engines, took him a week to get out.

[Alabamaboy!]

On Spirit Air? Why so long? Do they only have one plane or something? Seems like they have multiple daily flights listed on their website. Wow. Maybe worth it to spend a little more to avoid that kind of disaster.

[mudd]

well, they are not like continental or American with a lot of extra planes that they can move around, if one has a problem. they are pretty small, Spirit has  32 planes total, and they fly the cheap airbus planes, which if you talk to a pilot, they  don't like the airbusses too much. well, at least that's the  general feeling i got from a handfull i talked too. said they are a cheaply made plane.


when my friends flight broke down, apparently, they  didn't have an extra plane to send, so they had to fly down parts to fix it in Medellin, which i guess took a week. and their were no available seats on other airlines, probably because spirit didn't want to pay the fees,  so my friend refuses to fly them now. you get what you pay for. 

[bcc_1_2]

my spirit air flights have all been on time and cheap. i drink a bottle of water before flying... hit the head.. and just listen to my MP3 player on the flights so it works for me. i check one piece of luggage and carry on a small backpack just in case my luggage gets lost (never happened as of yet).

i've got my music and gum an don't really care about the service or the bathrooms so a lot of the complaints are non issues to me.

[fathertime]

This thread is a bit old, but I was hoping to get some updated information regarding people's experiences with Spirit Air. 


I did notice that that I can save about 200 or more per ticket to get to Colombia.  It appears Spirit only flies into Cartagena and not Barranquilla at this time.  That is no problem though, spending a night in Cartagena is ok, and taking a shuttle into Barranquilla is also ok.   

I see they have a baggage fee, no problem...I see they charge for carry on's. Is a laptop considered a personal item or a carry on?  I've read online reviews, but I'd rather here from members here.  What else do I need to know?


Thanks,
Fathertime!   

[Awesome]

I flew spirit out of Dallas to Medellin.  Had no problems.  I liked that they routed me through Ft Lauderdale then direct to Medellin.  No stops in other countries like Mexico, El Salvador, or Panama which can be a pain in the arse.

I will say one thing, F*CK aeromexico!  Those b#tches had me stuck in Mexico City on a return flight and were completely useless as far as helping me catch another flight or find accomodations for the night.  On the positive side I inadvertently got to see downtown MX City, ride the subway and hang out for a night.  I've never had much motivation to hang out in DF but now I definitely want to go back and see what kind of trouble I can get into.   

[fathertime]

I flew spirit out of Dallas to Medellin.  Had no problems.  I liked that they routed me through Ft Lauderdale then direct to Medellin.  No stops in other countries like Mexico, El Salvador, or Panama which can be a pain in the arse.

I will say one thing, F*CK aeromexico!  Those b#tches had me stuck in Mexico City on a return flight and were completely useless as far as helping me catch another flight or find accomodations for the night.  On the positive side I inadvertently got to see downtown MX City, ride the subway and hang out for a night.  I've never had much motivation to hang out in DF but now I definitely want to go back and see what kind of trouble I can get into.   

From what I've read here it appears Spirit isn't too bad...the price is unbeatable.  I viewed a post by Benjio on a different thread where this link was provided...very helpful.


http://www.cntraveler.com/stories/2014-04-21/how-to-keep-your-fees-on-spirit-airlines-as-low-as-possible


Fathertime! 

[robert angel]

This thread is a bit old, but I was hoping to get some updated information regarding people's experiences with Spirit Air. 


I did notice that that I can save about 200 or more per ticket to get to Colombia.  It appears Spirit only flies into Cartagena and not Barranquilla at this time.  That is no problem though, spending a night in Cartagena is ok, and taking a shuttle into Barranquilla is also ok.   

I see they have a baggage fee, no problem...I see they charge for carry on's. Is a laptop considered a personal item or a carry on?  I've read online reviews, but I'd rather here from members here.  What else do I need to know?


Thanks,
Fathertime!

How do they compare to JetBlue?

[Dan Las Vegas]

How do they compare to JetBlue?

I can tell you that I normally fly Jet blue to Medellin with a stop in Fort Lauderdale.  Price is about average but I always upgrade to exit row and have it to myself on every flight. The flights now arrive later out in Medellin than they used to and the return leaves at night and arrives around 5 in the morning in Fort Lauderdale, then I have a two and a half hour wait for my flight home to IAD.


Planes are always in good shape, clean and I don't think I have ever had a problem or major delay with them on numerous trips to Medellin.  I've only flown spirit one time and it was horrible and I'll never fly with them again. I'd rather pay more money and be comfortable and have a reasonably clean plane.


Dan LV

[whitey]

Hey FT:


My old posts upstream still accurately represent my opinions and experiences with Spirit except for two things:


1) As you noted, the flights to BAQ were short-lived and no longer available.


2) I've now flown Spirit to CTG more than 15 times with no issues that weren't remedied the same day.


I still hate flying out of Detroit, but once you hit Fort Lauderdale ... all good.