I recently flew Spirit for the first time and had a decent flight, so thought to book them again for a fall trip. The little tag line ("Lower fares generally available at the airport.") at the bottom of their website had me curious. Did a quick google search, found this forum, found this thread.
It seems strange to offer lower fares at the airport, considering the man power and time it takes versus online. Last night, went to book online, and was going to purchase the $9 FC membership to take advantage of their sales. Problem was, I was basing my comparative calculation on 1 fare. By the time I punched in 5 fares, there were no more special $9FC prices. Since husband works close to the airport, asked him to pop in to check on airport prices. I'm shocked at the difference. I shouldn't be, based on this thread, but still, I don't get it. Anyway, got our tickets and a big thanks to this thread for saving us $180.
Here's the comparison:
$9 Fare Club
$81.49 (to) - but couldn't get this price anymore, anyways
$123.99 (from)
$205.48 (total)
Standard Fare
$121.49 (to)
$152.99 (from)
$274.48 (total)
At Airport
$91.87 (to)
$102.67 (from)
$194.54 (total)
I asked my husband if there was a line. He said, "No, but I sure created a line-up."
Will probably end up buying the $9FC anyway, to save on bags. But definitely not needed for the flights!