Buying Spirit tickets at the airport (changes)
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2015
Location: Champaign, IL
Programs: Total Rewards Diamond, Wyndham Diamond, Marriott Gold, AA Gold
Posts: 564
Buying Spirit tickets at the airport (changes)
I sent my friend to ORD the other day to purchase a Spirit ticket. Normally the "Passenger Usage Fee" is waived (for a total of $19 per OW ticket) for in-person ticket purchases. His ticket should have cost $16. Turns out it was $31.
He gave me his receipt and I compared it with the cost breakdown of purchasing a ticket from Spirit.com.
His fare was $0.01, and there were all the normal Gov't fees: Facility fee, etc...
He had a Regulatory "Compliance Charge" of $6.51 and a "Fuel Charge" of $9.30
On Spirit.com:
Fare was around $8, and again had all the Gov't fees
No Fuel Charge or Compliance Charge, but there was a Passenger Usage Fee.
Instead of saving $19 he only saved $7. When the hell did this happen? Not happy about this at all. It almost isn't even worth it to go to the airport to buy the tickets anymore.
He gave me his receipt and I compared it with the cost breakdown of purchasing a ticket from Spirit.com.
His fare was $0.01, and there were all the normal Gov't fees: Facility fee, etc...
He had a Regulatory "Compliance Charge" of $6.51 and a "Fuel Charge" of $9.30
On Spirit.com:
Fare was around $8, and again had all the Gov't fees
No Fuel Charge or Compliance Charge, but there was a Passenger Usage Fee.
Instead of saving $19 he only saved $7. When the hell did this happen? Not happy about this at all. It almost isn't even worth it to go to the airport to buy the tickets anymore.
#3
Join Date: Oct 2007
Posts: 239
I also just bought a ticket at the airport and received the full discount.
On a side note, I know I will have a carry-on bag, and did not attempt to pre-pay for one at the ticket counter. Is that even an option? I see that a carry-on costs $10 more when purchasing at or before check-in versus initial booking on spirit.com. I guess my question is if I had asked, would I have been able to pre-pay for my carry-on and get the additional $10 discount at ticketing at the airport? Anyone know?
Thanks,
-db
On a side note, I know I will have a carry-on bag, and did not attempt to pre-pay for one at the ticket counter. Is that even an option? I see that a carry-on costs $10 more when purchasing at or before check-in versus initial booking on spirit.com. I guess my question is if I had asked, would I have been able to pre-pay for my carry-on and get the additional $10 discount at ticketing at the airport? Anyone know?
Thanks,
-db
#5
Join Date: Apr 2010
Posts: 251
I just bought my first ever connecting flight at the airport for Spirit. One way DFW to CLE, connect in MCO. Was $103 online, so I figured it would be $83 at the airport. Turns out that it came to $63. In other words, I saved the PFC fee on both segments of the the flight.
Dburns.... unless it has changed recently, it has always been cheaper to pay for bags online, not at the airport, even if that is the initial ticket purchase point.
Dburns.... unless it has changed recently, it has always been cheaper to pay for bags online, not at the airport, even if that is the initial ticket purchase point.
#7
Join Date: Sep 2015
Posts: 366
I also just bought a ticket at the airport and received the full discount.
On a side note, I know I will have a carry-on bag, and did not attempt to pre-pay for one at the ticket counter. Is that even an option? I see that a carry-on costs $10 more when purchasing at or before check-in versus initial booking on spirit.com. I guess my question is if I had asked, would I have been able to pre-pay for my carry-on and get the additional $10 discount at ticketing at the airport? Anyone know?
Thanks,
-db
On a side note, I know I will have a carry-on bag, and did not attempt to pre-pay for one at the ticket counter. Is that even an option? I see that a carry-on costs $10 more when purchasing at or before check-in versus initial booking on spirit.com. I guess my question is if I had asked, would I have been able to pre-pay for my carry-on and get the additional $10 discount at ticketing at the airport? Anyone know?
Thanks,
-db
#8
Join Date: Sep 2015
Posts: 366
At least for me, my body is better suited doing a long west coast flight earlier in the day, preferably in the morning. I can sit on a regular Frontier or Spirit seat and feel much more comfortable than taking a late night flight even with a big front seat.
Last edited by beyondhere; Feb 22, 2019 at 10:34 pm
#10
formerly jackvogt
Join Date: Dec 2015
Location: Atlanta, GA
Programs: Delta SkyMiles,
Posts: 822
I just booked at the airport today. I walked up to the ticket counter and they informed me that I was unable to purchase a ticket until 8 am (it was 6:45 am). They then told me to go to the baggage services office and I thought for sure they would send me away. However, the agent was very friendly and even made a joke when I paid with my Delta AMEX. Spirit is becoming more and more attractive to me (for short and close by trips). I saved about $100 in those pesky fees by booking it at the airport.
#11
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: Austin
Programs: AA P4L, WN, BA, DL, UA, HHonors, IHG
Posts: 3,485
I'm thinking of taking my first Spirit flight, from Chicago to Austin. Southwest is my preferred carrier, but in this upcoming trip departing from ORD would be a lot more convenient than departing from MDW.
How tight is Spirit about the size of personal carry-on item? I have a small roll-aboard that meets the width and thickness rules, but is about 3 inches too tall.
Thank you.
How tight is Spirit about the size of personal carry-on item? I have a small roll-aboard that meets the width and thickness rules, but is about 3 inches too tall.
Thank you.
#12
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: SFO
Posts: 1,754
The seat “pre-reclines” but its so much better than the back of the bus. We waited until everyone else boarded, got on sat down and 5 hours later were at OAK. For $45 on a cheap as hell long haul flight? Worth every penny.
#13
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: YYZ
Programs: AP
Posts: 436
There is a report on Reddit that they were able to save some fees but other fees were recently added.
We often travel as a family of 7 so it's often worth if for us to stop by the airport to pickup tickets and save 14 passenger usage fees.
I noticed today on Spirit.com that they are no longer breaking down the price of a ticket.
This appears to be an update on their site which no longer breaks down the fees.
We often travel as a family of 7 so it's often worth if for us to stop by the airport to pickup tickets and save 14 passenger usage fees.
I noticed today on Spirit.com that they are no longer breaking down the price of a ticket.
This appears to be an update on their site which no longer breaks down the fees.
#14
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: SEA
Programs: HH Silver
Posts: 2,400
There is a report on Reddit that they were able to save some fees but other fees were recently added.
We often travel as a family of 7 so it's often worth if for us to stop by the airport to pickup tickets and save 14 passenger usage fees.
I noticed today on Spirit.com that they are no longer breaking down the price of a ticket.
This appears to be an update on their site which no longer breaks down the fees.
We often travel as a family of 7 so it's often worth if for us to stop by the airport to pickup tickets and save 14 passenger usage fees.
I noticed today on Spirit.com that they are no longer breaking down the price of a ticket.
This appears to be an update on their site which no longer breaks down the fees.
#15
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: SEA
Programs: HH Silver
Posts: 2,400
I bought a few more tickets at the airport today, and I had estimated it would be around $130. It ended up being $140. Being curious, when I got home I went in and dissected each ticket, and found that one of the flights had a $14.99 "Passenger usage" fee instead of the $19.99 that I normally see. 2 tickets with that smaller discount made up the $10 difference. What is really strange, is I booked the exact same flight a month later, and it had the $19.99 fee. I guess it probably will pay to double check the fee before going all the way to the airport in the future.