Is Spirit Airlines Safe? My Spirit Airlines Review

A few years ago, I attended a wedding in Costa Rica. You may be wondering which airline I flew with to get there. I book my trips early to save the most money. I started looking for flights a few months before the trip. The two lowest prices I saw were $298 and $550 roundtrip. Delta Airlines was charging $550, and Spirit was charging $298. I’ve flown Delta a few times and never had a problem with them, but I wanted to know if I wanted to pay $550 for the flight. Then there was Spirit.

You may be asking yourself, is Spirit Airlines safe? I’ve flown with the low-cost carrier a few times. My first flight ever was with them. In late 2006, I flew to Las Vegas with Spirit. The planes were nice and clean, and it was a nonstop flight. The second time, I flew with them to Fort Lauderdale. The planes were small and dirty. The flight even had a delay that caused me to return home an hour later than initially scheduled.

I had to make a decision. Should I go with budget-friendly Spirit Airlines or book my flight with Delta? After reading reviews and talking to a few people who travel a lot, I decided to go with Spirit Airlines. I wanted to save as much money as I could. I just hoped I didn’t make a mistake and purchase the flight from hell from the low-cost carrier. Luckily, I didn’t. It was the best flight option. I didn’t have any problems with Spirit at all. So, is Spirit Airlines safe? The answer is yes.

Is Spirit Airlines Safe?

Before I ultimately booked my flight, I read everything! Everything you need to know about fees and whatnot is on their website. I honestly believe 90% of people with problems with Spirit don’t read the fine print on their website. If you ever fly with Spirit Airlines, make sure that you take the time to read everything. If you need help understanding something, call a friend or their customer service before you book that flight. The terms and conditions tell you the following things.

Carry-on Bag

You have to pay for your carry-on bag. It’s cheaper to pay for it in advance. If you pay for the carry-on bag online, you will pay $35 each way. If you purchase during the online check-in, you spend $45. If you have to pay at the gate, you are dishing out $100. I know for a fact that people don’t read this info. I heard some passengers discussing the pricing with a representative at the airport. Make sure you purchase your carry-on bags before getting to the airport.

Consider these two bags if you are looking for an excellent carry-on bag: 

MONTROUGE 55 CAB DUFFLE BAG

Baggage Fees

You have the option to pay for checked baggage online before your trip. It’s $30 before your online check-in, $40 during the check-in, and $100 at the gate. I made sure that I had purchased my bags before the trip. My bags came up to $70. So, with bags, the total of my flight was $368. That was still almost $200 cheaper than Delta.

Personal Item

Spirit does allow you to bring one personal item on the flight for free. The item can’t be bigger than 16″x 14″ x 12″. I measured my personal bag, and it fits those dimensions barely. Spirit has a thing at the airport where you can check to see if your bag is the correct size. Mine fit in the bin with no problem. If you are worried about the size of your personal item, go to the airport before your trip and put your bag in the bin.

Seat Arrangements

Like most airlines, Spirit charges you if you want to pick your seat. That will cost you between $1 and $199. It’s not that serious to me. I never pay for my seat. I’m okay with airlines assigning me seats once I check in. If you’re traveling with family, you may want to pay for your seats so that y’all can sit together; if you want to pick your seat, purchasing it sooner rather than later is good.

Baggage Weight

When checking in baggage, most airlines have a limit of 50 pounds. Anything over that amount, you are charged a fee. The weight limit for Spirit is 40 lbs. Make sure that you pay attention to that. The more your bag is over, the more you will pay. You risk paying an extra $30 -$100 depending on how many pounds your suitcase is. When packing for Costa Rica, I left a couple of pairs of shoes at home. I’m glad I did that because my bag weighed 36 pounds at the airport.

The Planes

My itinerary went like this. I flew from ATL to Fort Lauderdale and then from Fort Lauderdale to Costa Rica. The first plan was a little small compared to other airlines, but the seats were comfortable even though they didn’t recline. None of the seats on Spirit flights recline. The flight from FLL to CR was great. The plane was pretty big. It had more room than I expected. I can’t lie; I was caught off guard. My return flights were just as lovely.

Food

If you’re flying Spirit for the first time, don’t expect complimentary food or drinks during the flight. They have food and beverages, but you have to pay for them.

All in all, my flight with Spirit Airlines was a success. If someone asks me if Spirit Airlines is safe, I will always say yes. There were no delays. Every flight was on time. The planes were clean. I have no complaints at all. I don’t have a problem with budget carriers, so I’d fly with them again. Spirit is a “no frills” airline that offers cheap flights. They also have several domestic and international flights.

If you want to avoid flying with Delta, Southwest, United, or American, budget airlines like Spirit can safely get you to your final destination.

[]