Spirit/Frontier and such airlines. What are the issues?

[Anonymous]

I am not looking for rock bottom prices and am assuming that by the time I pay for seats, bags and whatever else, these airlines are not as cheap as they appear. So taking price out of the equation, they seem to have direct flights to where I want to go.
Given that, the above are there still any reasons why I should be careful about deciding on flying with them? If it matters, I am trying to fly out of BWI instead of IAD.

[Anonymous]

We've flown Spirit a lot. We like it. They do nickle and dime you on baggage but if you travel light, it's a great deal. It definitely feels like a budget airline when you fly them - no free pretzels. But really, who cares? Buy your snack and bottle of water at the gate.

[Anonymous]

Many infrequent travelers are unaware of the bag and other fees and end up surprised at the gate. They then get angry and blow up, and spend the flight mad and resentful towards everyone including other passengers. It makes for stressful travel. If you don't mind flying with cheap people acting like jerks over $35, it's fine.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Many infrequent travelers are unaware of the bag and other fees and end up surprised at the gate. They then get angry and blow up, and spend the flight mad and resentful towards everyone including other passengers. It makes for stressful travel. If you don't mind flying with cheap people acting like jerks over $35, it's fine.

They are so upfront about it I don’t believe this. I think the issue is people in general have a feeling that rules don’t apply to them and ignore them. I don’t think that hey are surprised.

[Anonymous]

I find the seats on Frontier to be very uncomfortable.

Sometimes these airlines only have a few flights per day, meaning if anything goes wrong, you could be delayed a long time (days) before they rebook you. If everything goes right, the cost savings might be worth it.

[Anonymous]

Flew Spirit once. It was terrible.
Kept telling us another 30 mins to depart, ended up being 4 hours and then they had to switch to a smaller plane after all so some people got bumped. ( not us)
It was evening so shops were closed. Spirit didn't provide any snacks, water or anything.

Then on plane it was very cramped. I’m only 5”7 but had to sit totally upright with my knees touching the seat in front.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Many infrequent travelers are unaware of the bag and other fees and end up surprised at the gate. They then get angry and blow up, and spend the flight mad and resentful towards everyone including other passengers. It makes for stressful travel. If you don't mind flying with cheap people acting like jerks over $35, it's fine.

They are so upfront about it I don’t believe this. I think the issue is people in general have a feeling that rules don’t apply to them and ignore them. I don’t think that hey are surprised.

This on all airlines. People carrying on multiple oversized carryon bags. I wish all airlines would enforce this more. I haven’t flown Spirit or Frontier, but I hear they are more strict about this than United.

[Anonymous]

Spirit had horrible delays...first an hour, then 2, then 6. No explanation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Many infrequent travelers are unaware of the bag and other fees and end up surprised at the gate. They then get angry and blow up, and spend the flight mad and resentful towards everyone including other passengers. It makes for stressful travel. If you don't mind flying with cheap people acting like jerks over $35, it's fine.

They are so upfront about it I don’t believe this. I think the issue is people in general have a feeling that rules don’t apply to them and ignore them. I don’t think that hey are surprised.

You’d be surprised. There are a lot of stupid people out there.

[Anonymous]

The issues are uncomfortable planes, bad terminals, limited rescheduling, no option to buy comfort/convenience.

But honestly if you’re an adult traveling on a direct flight it’s not that different.

[Anonymous]

Issue isn’t so much the nickel and diming (which also is an issue) but when delays or cancelations happen, you’re basically on your own.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Spirit had horrible delays...first an hour, then 2, then 6. No explanation.

I mean…isn’t this every airline? Southwest and American have both done this to me.
We will take frontier/spirit if the cost savings are worth it (this may depend on where we’re going. Skiing to Denver the luggage fees may not make it worth it). I pack snacks in advance no matter what airline we’re on. Its fine.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Many infrequent travelers are unaware of the bag and other fees and end up surprised at the gate. They then get angry and blow up, and spend the flight mad and resentful towards everyone including other passengers. It makes for stressful travel. If you don't mind flying with cheap people acting like jerks over $35, it's fine.

It’s not just cheap people, it’s also people who cut close to the bone to buy the tickets and take the trip in the first place. Who are often the people who don’t fly a lot and don’t know about bag policies. They should still be polite but it’s not just cheap people.

[Anonymous]

The main issue is cancellations and or maintenance. Since BWI is both a crew base and a mx base, you should be good.

[Anonymous]

Have flown Frontier 2x. The thinner seats were visually noticeable but no different in comfort. It was an unremarkable experience. Everything was as expected.