Ok everyone, I have to vent. We're flying to PR tomorrow, on Spirit which I haven't flown in a long time, and I know is bare bones BUT.... I went in today to print boarding passes, etc and noticed the fine print on Orbitz. Spirit's Bare Fare covers the minimum - Robyn, cover your eyes - they call it "Your Ass and Gas". That means no frills, no food, no checked-in bags and NO CARRY ONS included. You're allowed one personal item no bigger than 16x14x12. I travel light, I really do, but that is tiny!
So I checked their prices: carry-ons $35 and checked bags $30 if you buy online. Prices go up if you pay at the airport, all the way to $100 if you only realize this at the gate! So glad I saw it today!
I went upstairs to sort through all of our bags, and found some the right size. I embraced this challenge to bring the bare minimum. I could pack all my stuff in a bag that size, including my purse, since this would become my personal item! Marisa can do it - she actually did already. Called my mom, she took the challenge, she can do it. Then called Jim - no way. He's bringing a laptop, so that takes care of personal item. OK - plan B, we'll bring just one checked bag - cheaper than carry-ons, and bigger, so we'll have a bit of wiggle room.
I go online to purchase it and the prices have changed in the last hour! Now we are officially less than 24 hours from departure (by 2 freaking minutes!) and prices have gone up $10! So $40 to check a bag each way, I'm out $80.... Still ok with my $300 tickets, I guess, but it pisses me off. Thanks for listening :)
You are right to be pissed...that is ridiculous.
ReplyDeleteI read the travel section of USA today pretty regularly. It has talked about Spirit's fees, so I guess I thought this was well known. But it is definitely annoying! Their ticket prices are usually less expensive though, so probably you are still coming out ahead?
ReplyDeleteI guess you get what you pay for......
ReplyDelete$300 sounds incredibly cheap, so they have to make up the deficit somewhere. But it wod seem
More ethical if they just charged those fees upfront and made the ticket price more realistic......
I would say never again will they get me to pay for "My Ass and Gas"! Glad you realized it sooner than at the gate though. I think if not you would have been so mad, your head would have exploded and landed on my front yard. : ) Now think of the positive, you get to go back home, you get to see our brother and his family, you get to go to beautiful beaches. you get to eat AWESOME food... sigh. I'm stopping now. You get the picture.
ReplyDeleteYeah, altogether is not that bad... just wish I had realized it sooner so I could have paid the bag fee before the price went up. Like Babette said, it's pretty well known they charge extra for everything but it still took me by surprise that they even charge for a carry-on. They don't even give you water for free - but it's not as bad as RyanAir that tried charging for using the bathrooms until the passengers threatened to pee on their seats :)
ReplyDeleteI was a bit surprised when Delta paid for my hotel room in Atlanta last week. I thought those days were long gone. I wonder if it is now a wash to just buy a first class ticket? You get so much for the price- free luggage, food, drinks, wifi, movies... all the things coach must now pay extra for. Have a wonderful trip to PR! I hope you have gorgeous weather and fun with family and friends!
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