So I flew Spirit Airlines
I had a blast in Chicago this weekend, but I'll save that for another entry.
Back to Spirit, I prepared for the worst and I worked diligently not to be charged any extra fees. I flew out on Southwest, the luxury brand of low-cost carriers. I had a lovely experience and all my Spirit prep helped me deplane in a jiffy to walk miles and miles and miles to the CTA orange line. I got my 10,000 steps in both days in Chicago, I'll have you know.
So my Spirit Airline prep, I had my Timbuk2 bag, which measures 15.0” x 13.8” x 7.9” (smaller than the 16” x 14” x 12” dimensions for the one personal item is included in the Bare Fare). I crammed it full: 6 tee shirts, 6 boxer briefs, 6 pairs of socks, a pair of sneakers, a rugby style shirt, a light cotton hoodie, gym shorts and tee, toiletries (toothpaste, eczema cream, cologne, deodorant, shaving cream, moisturizer and lotion - I keep my toothbrush and razor separate since they aren't liquid) and an iPad. Plus, I wore a sweater and my chukkas to keep more room in the bag. It was more than enough clothing, and options, for 2 nights in Chicago. I could stretch it for 3 or 4 nights. I proved to myself that I could successfully pack minimally in the winter in order not to need to pay any baggage fees.
Confident that I wasn't going to pay any baggage fees, I vowed not to pay any other fees. I didn't choose my seat. I didn't pay for more legroom, I didn't accrue any extra cost while I was purchasing my ticket or checking in. (I even printed my boarding pass ahead of time at my hotel to avoid Spirit's $10 fee.)
Since I didn't paid for any extras - like $15 to choose a seat, I got seat 17B - a middle seat. After discovering that I would be stuck in the middle, I read up on Spirit's practices. To save money Spirit doesn't have wifi, stock in-flight magazines or even hand out free water. If Spirit pays to transport it, they charge you for it. Since there wouldn't be a magazine, I paid $9 and tax for Bossypants by Tina Fey for airplane - a superb investment.
I paid for soda and a snack. I feel that's a purchase over a fee. I rationalize. So do you. I buried my nose in the book and forgot that I was in a middle seat. It was comfortable enough - I've been less comfortable on Amtrak before. I was getting to the point about Tina's DelCo childhood and her memories at the Summer Showtime (a.k.a. the Upper Darby Summer Stage) when the pilot announced were making our final preparations to land. The flight went by fast!
We landed a few minutes early. That, plus I only had a personal item, I had time to catch the last Septa train from the airport.
My trip worked out smoothly.
My critiques:
Not an issue:
High points:
Long and short of it, I will take Spirit back to Chicago with good planning; $81 is too good of a deal to pass up.
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| Cloud Gate by Anish Kupoor |
So my Spirit Airline prep, I had my Timbuk2 bag, which measures 15.0” x 13.8” x 7.9” (smaller than the 16” x 14” x 12” dimensions for the one personal item is included in the Bare Fare). I crammed it full: 6 tee shirts, 6 boxer briefs, 6 pairs of socks, a pair of sneakers, a rugby style shirt, a light cotton hoodie, gym shorts and tee, toiletries (toothpaste, eczema cream, cologne, deodorant, shaving cream, moisturizer and lotion - I keep my toothbrush and razor separate since they aren't liquid) and an iPad. Plus, I wore a sweater and my chukkas to keep more room in the bag. It was more than enough clothing, and options, for 2 nights in Chicago. I could stretch it for 3 or 4 nights. I proved to myself that I could successfully pack minimally in the winter in order not to need to pay any baggage fees.
Confident that I wasn't going to pay any baggage fees, I vowed not to pay any other fees. I didn't choose my seat. I didn't pay for more legroom, I didn't accrue any extra cost while I was purchasing my ticket or checking in. (I even printed my boarding pass ahead of time at my hotel to avoid Spirit's $10 fee.)
Since I didn't paid for any extras - like $15 to choose a seat, I got seat 17B - a middle seat. After discovering that I would be stuck in the middle, I read up on Spirit's practices. To save money Spirit doesn't have wifi, stock in-flight magazines or even hand out free water. If Spirit pays to transport it, they charge you for it. Since there wouldn't be a magazine, I paid $9 and tax for Bossypants by Tina Fey for airplane - a superb investment.
I paid for soda and a snack. I feel that's a purchase over a fee. I rationalize. So do you. I buried my nose in the book and forgot that I was in a middle seat. It was comfortable enough - I've been less comfortable on Amtrak before. I was getting to the point about Tina's DelCo childhood and her memories at the Summer Showtime (a.k.a. the Upper Darby Summer Stage) when the pilot announced were making our final preparations to land. The flight went by fast!
We landed a few minutes early. That, plus I only had a personal item, I had time to catch the last Septa train from the airport.
My trip worked out smoothly.
My critiques:
- The below average legroom, 28", is completely obvious, though it wasn't a nuisance on a two-hour flight.
- There is only one flight from Philadelphia and one flight to: 6am-ish to ORD and 9pm-ish from ORD. What happens if that flight doesn't come in? A hidden plus to that is that you can do a full day trip to Chicago for the fare of a Spirit flight.
Not an issue:
- No free water; everyone should know the life hack of carrying an empty bottle and filling it up after security.
High points:
- The flight crew was very outgoing - which is the trend on low-cost carriers.
- I had a minor issue with my snack and the flight attendant provide me good costumer service and got me to up-sell on a product.
Long and short of it, I will take Spirit back to Chicago with good planning; $81 is too good of a deal to pass up.
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