Good Morning!
Priya here, and I am going to talk about Spirit Airlines. Yes…Spirit Airlines. I will say, it is not my favorite airline, and if I had the choice on some trips, I would opt to take another airline. But, there are ways that you can survive a Spirit airlines flight. Yes, survive, and maybe even thrive. Sometimes flying on Spirit Airlines is really just a fight to survive the plane ride. And Sometimes Spirit plane tickets are over $100 cheaper than other airlines which is ridiculous! If I am trying to plan a trip on a tight budget, which is usually all the time, any penny saved is essential to a budget friendly trip. But we will talk about budget friendly travel in another post. Right now we are going to look into surviving spirit. As a disclaimer, it can also depend on the staff for spirit as well. These tips are some I have used, and they have worked for me. But be aware that not all staff are the same, and some could be more nitpicky as others.
- Bring your own water bottle
If you have ever been on Spirit Airlines, you get what you pay for…the bare minimum. Everything else is nickeled and dimed. Nothing is free on a Spirit Flight, not even water. I know many people say bring your own bottle, but on Spirit, it is the only way you will have something to drink. Yes you can buy a drink before you board the plane, but if you’re trying to penny pinch like I am, bring your own bottle, and fill it up. Now I’m not saying you can never buy anything. I do at times buy the occasional soda or kombucha at the airport, especially if I’m not feeling well and may get motion sickness. If I’m being honest, I would rather spend money toward excursions or food opportunities on the trip instead of a soda before I even get to my destination.
- Bring your own snacks!
Ok, so this I’ve had to discover and even though it has worked, I still get anxiety before I board. I know this seems like a no brainier, but with spirit it’s actually a helpful hack. I have brought a small tote bag with snacks in it, I do have food restrictions but have never had an issue. With Spirit, I would have my personal item AND a snack tote. So here is where the hack comes in, with a backstory. My husband and I flew spirit to Florida in December of 2024, we went to Magic Kingdom. Of course we brought souvenirs home for ourselves, friends and family, (as you get to know me you will know that souvenirs are one of my Achilles heels on vacation). Now, if you’ve flown Spirit, you already know that usually your personal item is jam packed with all your stuff. I didn’t really have room in my bag and my husband did not really have room in his. Here is where the snack bag comes in handy, we had our disney souvenir bag with some souvenirs on the bottom and placed the snacks on top. Now again, it depends on the staff. My husband’s snack bag which did have food in it among other things was pretty big. But he was able to get on the plane with his backpack and snack bag with ease. I also had a snack bag too that I was able to come on with along with my personal item.
- See if there are seat upgrades available for a cheaper price at the gate.
Everyone is different. I am 5’ 1” and I don’t have too much trouble with the amount of legroom that spirit has. But my husband who is 5’ 10’ is a little different. It is more difficult for him to sit in the standard seats. One trick we have used before is waiting until at the gate to see if there are any upgraded seats left. Usually there are exit row seats available. Now not many people want to sit in an exit row seat because it has a certain responsibility to it. But, it does have a lot more legroom for more than half the price of a big seat. There are also at times big seats available. I recommend getting to your gate a little early so that you have the chance to ask or listen for an announcement of premium seats for cheaper.
- Do not have high expectations.
The bottom line is, you’re flying Spirit Airlines. You most probably did not buy the ticket because it was a luxury experience, but because it was an affordable way for you and or your family to get to a destination. Being prepared as to what to expect is just as essential as tips on surviving. When you know what you are getting into, you can better prepare for the flight, and try to bring what you know you will need to survive the flight.
I hope some of these tips will help you on your next flight on Spirit Airlines. Have you ever flown Spirit Airlines? What are some tips and tricks that you like to do? Comment below!
Stay beautiful,
Priya
