Spirit Airlines is an ultra-low-cost carrier known for low fares and bright yellow airplanes. The airline serves more than 80 destinations across the United States, Latin America, and the Caribbean. Spirit’s unbundled pricing model lets you pay only for what you need, and it’s a go-to option for budget-conscious travellers.
Spirit’s fares work best for travellers taking one or two vacations per year who want to save money. That said, regular flyers can find value too, thanks to multiple ticket packages and the Savers Club. Here’s everything you need to know about flying Spirit.
Why should you consider Spirit Airlines?
The main advantage of flying Spirit is the cost of their unbundled airfares. You pay a low base price and add only what you need, like bags or seat selection. Spirit even offers payment plans through Flex Pay by Upgrade, with terms that vary and APR ranging from 0–36% depending on the provider.
Spirit saves money by operating a point-to-point network instead of a hub-and-spoke model. This often means fewer flights to reach your final destination compared to traditional airlines.
For a budget airline, their international route map is pretty impressive. You can get to a lot of spots in Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central and South America.
Spirit keeps things simple by flying only Airbus A320 and A321 family aircraft. The airline recently retired its last Airbus A319, leaving a fleet composed exclusively of A320 and A321 models (including ceo and neo variants). This means the layout is consistent, so you always know what you’re getting. And while Spirit does not have a traditional “Business Class,” passengers can take advantage of their premium product, “The Big Front Seat,” for a nominal fee.
Spirit fare class and pricing
Spirit doesn’t do traditional fare classes. Instead, they offer three bundle options so you can pick your package.
The base fare is called the Value ticket, which replaced the original “Go” option that made Spirit famous. You get the lowest advertised price, with bags and seats purchasable separately (prices vary by route and trip length). Seat selection costs extra too.
Otherwise, your seat gets assigned randomly, which means if you’re traveling with a group, you’re not guaranteed to sit together.
The Premium Economy ticket is the next step up. This bundle includes your airfare, one carry-on bag, Priority Boarding with Group 2, reserved overhead space, no change or cancel fees, and a snack plus non-alcoholic drink on the flight. Spirit is phasing out the blocked middle seat feature in favor of extra-legroom seats with 81 cm of pitch.
Spirit First is the all-inclusive option. It includes a Big Front Seat, one carry-on and your first checked bag, priority check-in at select airports, Priority Boarding with Group 1, streaming Wi-Fi (subject to availability), and complimentary snacks and drinks, including alcohol for passengers 21 and over.
Spirit Airlines’ single-class cabin
Spirit operates a single main cabin with Standard and Premium (extra-legroom) seats, plus the Big Front Seats at the front.
At the front of the aircraft is the Big Front Seat, Spirit’s premium product. It comes in a two-by-two configuration, with width varying by aircraft: approximately 58 cm on the A320, 56 cm on the A321ceo, and 53 cm on the A321neo, with up to 28 cm of additional legroom compared to standard seats.
Big Front Seats are limited. The A320s offer eight, while the A321neo also has eight. You can score one with the Spirit First ticket or by upgrading separately when available.
The rest of the plane is standard economy, with three seats on each side of the aisle. Standard seat width ranges from approximately 40-45 cm with 71 to 76 cm of pitch, depending on the aircraft. It’s one of the tightest squeezes in the sky, tied with other budget carriers.
If you need more legroom but don’t want to spring for a Big Front Seat, your best bet is a Premium Seat or an exit row. Gold members get complimentary exit row seats at booking, while Silver members can select them free starting 3 hours before departure. Everyone else will have to pay.
Spirit’s amenities: Pay-as-you-go
On Spirit, the word “free” is used very selectively. What you get depends on the ticket you bought. If you went for Spirit First, premium snacks and drinks are included for your flight. Premium Economy gets you 25% off inflight menu purchases. Everyone else? Get your credit card ready.
Free Spirit Gold members can also get a free snack and non-alcoholic beverage during their flight just by showing proof of their status to a flight attendant.
Your best move is to bring your own snacks. You can bring dry food through TSA, and an empty water bottle to fill up at the gate. It’ll be way cheaper than buying anything on the plane.
Accessing Wi-Fi on Spirit
As with everything aboard Spirit Airlines, your amenities and entertainment will depend on how much you want to spend. The only free content is access to Spirit’s website. There are no USB power outlets on the flight, so bring your own portable charger if you want to stay online throughout your trip.
Spirit has two Wi-Fi plans. The “Browsing” plan is for basics like browsing the web, email, chat, and social media. The “Streaming” package is faster, designed for high-speed internet and video streaming, but your mileage may vary.
The good news is that the Wi-Fi works from gate-to-gate when available, covering Spirit’s network across the U.S., Latin America, and the Caribbean. So you can log in as soon as you board and stay connected for the whole flight.
Free Spirit: Spirit Airlines’ loyalty program
Yes, even Spirit has a loyalty program, and it’s free to join. It’s called Free Spirit, and it lets you earn points toward cheaper travel. The number of points you earn is based on how much you spend.
Free Spirit’s earning structure is straightforward:
6 points per $1 on airfare
12 points per $1 on À La Smarte options like seats and bags
Silver members earn 8 points per $1 on fares and 16 per $1 on options
Gold members earn up to 10 points per $1 on fares and 20 per $1 on options
You can also earn Free Spirit points with the airline’s credit cards. The Free Spirit Travel More Mastercard offers 3x points on eligible Spirit purchases, 2x on dining and grocery purchases, and 1x on all other purchases.
After earning 2,000 qualifying points in a year, you’ll hit Silver status, which gets you perks like Shortcut Security where available, Zone 2 boarding, and free general seat selection 24 hours before departure. Exit row seats become free starting 3 hours before departure. At 5,000 points, you reach Gold status. This gets you all the Silver benefits plus a free carry-on bag, your first checked bag free, Zone 1 boarding, Flight Flex, and a complimentary snack and drink.
Points can be redeemed for flights, and you can use a Points + Cash option to lower the ticket price. Your points won’t expire as long as you earn more within a 12-month period or hold a qualifying Spirit credit card account.
Spirit $avers Club: Access to the lowest fares
For the true Spirit loyalists, there’s the $avers Club. It’s a paid membership that unlocks exclusive fares and discounts on all those extras like bags and seats for you and up to eight other people on your booking. Check Spirit’s website for current membership promotions.
In exchange for the fee, you get access to the lowest fares, cheaper bags, and savings on things like Shortcut Security and Shortcut Boarding (Zone 2 boarding). You’ll also get exclusive offers and discounts from Spirit’s partners, including car rental agencies and other service providers.
Joining the Spirit Savers Club only makes sense if you’re planning to fly Spirit more than once or twice per year. If you aren’t going to be a regular with the airline, you probably won’t get the full value of the program.
This KAYAK-commissioned article is presented as-is, for general informational purposes only, and may not be up-to-date. The opinions contained in the article are original to the author and reflect their authentic experience, which may vary significantly from the experience of others. Find more perspectives in our user reviews below.
