Rolling the Dice on Another Spirit Airlines Flight

Spirit Airlines: Most travelers either love it or hate it. I know the risks. But, I decided to roll the dice and book another flight on Spirit.

24 Hours in Denver

As some of you know, I visit my mom in Denver every few months. I’ve found the best way to score a deal on flights is to plan a trip at the last minute. I let prices dictate my schedule since these trips are typically 24-48 hours long.

Yesterday, I started looking for a cheap flight before the end of the year. I prefer a weekend so that I can take one of my kids with me. But, I was willing to go by myself during the week if the price was right.

Since Southwest just advertised another sale, I figured I’d score a deal there. However, the $49 fares were only mid-week at o’dark thirty times. Not ideal.

So, I decided to check out Spirit. I found an $89 round-trip flight over the weekend at ideal times. This is a standard price, not a special $9 fare club price. Woohoo!

Since we’re only staying one night, we can fit everything in our backpacks. We won’t incur any extra baggage fees.

The Risks of Flying Spirit Airlines

Flying into Denver during the winter is a risk no matter what airline you fly. So far, I’ve been lucky, and I haven’t been stranded due to a snow storm yet (knock on wood!)

The biggest risk in flying Spirit is that it only has one direct flight between Dallas and Denver each day. Also, Spirit doesn’t have any reciprocal interline agreements with other airlines. If something goes awry, we likely won’t make it to Denver at all that weekend.

Yet, I’m an optimist. I’ve flown this route on Spirit before with no issues. I plan to watch the weather in the days leading up to the trip. Worst case, we have to go a different weekend.

To further mitigate the risk of bad weather, I decided to stay in an airport hotel instead of staying in Downtown Denver. I love staying downtown, but if the roads are snowy, I’d rather have fewer places to get to.

Spirit Airlines—A Less Terrible Airline?

Spirit used to have the most customer service complaints of any airline and a terrible on-time arrival record. Over the past few years, the airline has improved in both categories. But, has it improved enough?

Travelers still can’t seem to get over all the extra costs that can be tacked on to ticket prices if you’re not prepared. If you don’t pay for your carry-on before your flight, it costs a fortune at the gate. You can’t even get a free cup of water on the flight!

But, I know all the quirks of Spirit. And for this specific short trip, assuming there are no major hiccups, the flight on Spirit Airlines is just what we need.

Have you flown on Spirit Airlines? Has your opinion of the airline changed over the past few years?

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