Spirit Airlines: Is It A Horrible Airline or Unjustified Critisim?

Spirit Airlines often gets hit with a barrage of negative reviews online, not to mention the viral videos of shouting matches — and sometimes even physical fights — between passengers, or between passengers and Spirit flight attendants and gate agents.

How Much Cheaper Is Spirit Airlines?

Spirit Airlines can be as much as 30-60% cheaper for many routes. This is accomplished by charging for everything else, and having a very low CASM.

Airlines choose what to charge based on their CASM, or Cost Per Seat Mile!

CASM (Cost per Available Seat Mile) Comparison – 2024

For reference, here are the CASM costs of major U.S. airlines in 2024. (Note: CASM is measured in cents per seat mile, not dollars — all are under 20¢.)

CASM represents the airline’s operating cost to fly one seat one mile.

The formula is:

\[ CASM = \frac{Total\ Operating\ Costs}{Available\ Seat\ Miles\ (ASM)} \]

For reference, here are the CASM costs of other U.S. airlines in 2024.

*These are not whole dollars, but fractions of a dollar — measured in cents. All are under 20¢ per seat mile.

So because their operational cost is so much less, they can charge less! As you can see below.

In the above photo you can see that a Spirit Airlines flight from Chicago to St. Thomas is $279, American Airlines is $476, Delta is $543 and United is $600 for the exact same flight. This massive cost difference is the allure of Spirit Airlines.

Spirit Only Offers Economy Class

Spirit Airlines simplifies fare classes with just two options: regular economy and "Big Front Seats," . That's literally their name 😆. The big front seats offer, you guessed it... more space, however they lack the luxury of first or business class amenities so we image that is why Spirit calls them "Big Front Seats" to save the anger of those passengers who upgraded to the "Big Front Seats" for as little as $12.

However, be warned that even these seats can be notably just as firm and my opinion only worth it if you are really tall, or really wide as they are no more soft than their cheaper counter parts.

Are Passengers Really As Bad As You Hear?

Without meaning to offend — and recognizing that nothing is ever a complete monolith — it’s worth acknowledging that Spirit Airlines’ ultra-low fares often attract a younger demographic and travelers from a wider range of socioeconomic backgrounds.

I’ll tread lightly here, but it’s an important point to cover. Let me put it this way with a couple of analogies:

• If you book a Motel 6 for $40 per night versus a Hilton at $150+ per night, you already know the amenities are going to be vastly different. But it’s not just the thread count on the sheets — the environment, atmosphere, and even guest behavior can also feel drastically different.
• Or think about neighborhoods: a community where average rents are $600–$800 is going to look and feel different than one 10 miles away where the average rent is $2,000+. Which neighborhood is more likely to have higher noise complaints, or see a higher rate of petty crime?

I feel like in today’s climate you have to walk on eggshells when talking about things like this. But at Jetsetter Alerts, we promise to always give it to you straight. Our goal isn’t just to help you find the most affordable vacations — it’s also to help you avoid the negative, unwanted surprises that can ruin a trip.

Without saying much more, I think that gives you some perspective on why there are so many viral videos of Spirit Airlines passengers caught in physical and verbal altercations.

Is Spirit Airlines Safe To Fly On?

Well, that depends on what you mean by “safe.” Spirit actually has an excellent safety rating, and they’ve never had a fatal crash — so from an aviation standpoint, yes, you're not going to crash into a burning pile of yellow debris, but you might still hit the ground really hard!

Because the real question is: “Can you throw hands?” If not, you might end up on the ground of that plane, and needing medical attention like so many others have. Because this type of safety is another story.

There are so many fight videos from Spirit flights going viral online, you’d think Dana White was hosting UFC Fight Night at 35,000 feet as part of some genius Spirit–UFC marketing scheme. Spoiler: he’s not.

There really isn’t another airline with an endless stream of viral videos on social media and YouTube showing passengers acting out. But if you’re one of those people who loves to people-watch… well, there’s truly no other in-flight experience quite like it. And that’s a promise.

Will I Personally Fly With Spirit Airlines?

Yes — but only under certain conditions.

I’m a taller guy (6'3", 205 lbs), so comfort isn’t really my biggest concern, and I’m not worried about safety either. Regardless of whether I’m on a premium airline or a budget carrier, I always bring my own snacks and entertainment so I don’t get hit with the 300–500% markup on in-flight purchases. An empty water bottle, a bag of chips, and a sandwich or salad in my carry-on go a long way.

For Spirit Airlines to make sense for me, two boxes need to be checked:

• It has to save me at least $100 compared to a premium carrier.
• The flight must be two hours or less, with no connections.

If both conditions are met, I’ll book Spirit without hesitation. That said, I always take a few extra steps — like packing all my essentials — to make sure the flight stays as painless as possible.

How's Spirit Airlines In-Flight Experience?

Well, that's all going to depend on how many passengers are high on drugs!

Many of us have kids, and we all know those moments when they act out — especially when they’re little. But let’s be honest: being stuck on a plane with someone else’s screaming child while the parents struggle (or don’t even try) to soothe them is rough.

Personally, if it were my child crying nonstop, I’d be mortified and doing everything I could to calm them down. But some parents just seem to shrug it off, as if everyone else on the plane is supposed to deal with it. And don’t even get me started on the occasional dirty diaper left unattended — despite there being a perfectly good bathroom just a few rows away.

It’s not fun for anyone, and when you’re trapped at 35,000 feet, even a short flight can feel endless. Just thought I’d say what a lot of us are probably already thinking!

Recommendation If You Fly Spirit Airlines

Always bring noise-canceling headphones — and not the little earbuds. Get the full, over-ear kind, because earbuds won’t save you if two or three kids start screaming nearby. Seriously: do not forget your headphones.

Also, pack your own entertainment so you can tune out kids whose parents assume everyone else should just deal with it. Budget carriers tend to attract more families trying to save money, so you’ll often see more kids on these flights. A quick Google search for “Spirit Airlines and kids” pulls up Reddit threads where people ask if Spirit will seat families together. The most common reply? Something like:

“If you’re not willing to spend $10 to make sure your kids sit beside you, don’t expect other passengers to give up their seats once you board.”

And that raises a fair point:
If someone won’t spend $10 to guarantee their kids sit with them, do you think they’re going to care much about the noise those kids make?

So, Is Flying Spirit Airlines Really That Bad?

It can be — if you’re not prepared. But if you’ve got noise-canceling headphones, your own snacks, and the flight is under two hours with no connections, you can save a lot of money.

However, if any of these apply to you:

• Money isn’t really an issue
• You struggle with anxiety or PTSD
• You have very limited patience

…then you might want to just pay more and book with a premium carrier.

Either way — don’t forget to charge those headphones.

On a lighter note, one thing I’ll give Spirit: their pilots usually do a solid job of getting you where you’re going on time.

But imagine this: they might have even lost your child, and instead of immediately putting them on a flight to you, they “apologize” by offering to pay for the gas you spent driving to the wrong airport. That’s the kind of customer service you can expect!

Even when the mistake is so serious it could cost them tens of millions in a lawsuit, you can still count on them to do exactly the wrong thing. Which is probably why, as of 2025, they’ve already filed for bankruptcy — twice.

Unaccompanied 6-year-old child put on wrong Spirit Airlines flight | CNN

An unaccompanied 6-year-old child flying on Spirit Airlines to visit his grandmother in Fort Myers, Florida, was instead put on a flight to Orlando.

CNNSarah Dewberry

So, what do you think? Is Spirit Airlines really that bad, and would you fly with them?