# $5 extra for a Middle seat???



## x3 skier (Jul 1, 2008)

Now here's a REAL pip. Spirit airlines is planning to charge extra for a preassigned seat including $5 to have the luxury of sitting in a middle seat. $10 for an aisle and $15 for a window. I suppose if a family is traveling together and wants to sit together, it might be worth it but this is one of the more silly add ons.

http://www.smartertravel.com/blogs/...o-charge-for-seat-assignments.html?id=2620948

This smacks of a CTD (Circling the Drain) situation.

Cheers


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## Liz Wolf-Spada (Jul 1, 2008)

This is ridiculous. 
Liz


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## Flo (Jul 1, 2008)

This airline has been our way of going from Myrtle Beach to NY as often as we want to visit family and for them to visit us. Driving is a 12 hour trip which has been a great alternative, but with gas prices going up up up, we are really feeling stressed out. They will be seeing us less, which is very hard on all of us.


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## Dori (Jul 1, 2008)

Well, sir, Mr. Spirit, sir, since I have already paid once for the ticket, I'll just stand thank you!  

Yeesh, what nickel and dime squeeze will they pull next?  Charges for the lavatory?

Dori


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## Twinkstarr (Jul 1, 2008)

Hey, Spirit has to pay for their new route, FLL to Bogota, Columbia someway.


I've look at them when booking our Orlando trips and always end up with NWA,AT or SWA.


PS they also charge for lap babies, I think $25 each way.


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## Transit (Jul 1, 2008)

I grabbed one of those ocho 8 dollar sale fares RT to NY and was worried a little by the pre-selected seating .Were only taking carryons so the fare with taxes came to 140.40 for the 3 of us.I did not pre-book my seats but when we printed our on-line boarding passes today they automaticly gave us 3 seats together.


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## Twinkstarr (Jul 1, 2008)

Transit said:


> I grabbed one of those ocho 8 dollar sale fares RT to NY and was worried a little by the pre-selected seating .Were only taking carryons so the fare with taxes came to 140.40 for the 3 of us.I did not pre-book my seats but when we printed our on-line boarding passes today they automaticly gave us 3 seats together.



I've never been able to grab one of those ocho sale seats. 

Rumor has it they are planning on pulling out of DTW end of this year or 2009.


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## mishugana (Jul 1, 2008)

Twinkstarr said:


> I've never been able to grab one of those ocho sale seats.
> 
> Rumor has it they are planning on pulling out of DTW end of this year or 2009.



isn't DTW their big hub


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## Twinkstarr (Jul 1, 2008)

mishugana said:


> isn't DTW their big hub



Ft. Lauderdale seems to be the big hub now. 

My old account manager from Ernst & Young got his partnership by "finding" Spirit.


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## pointsjunkie (Jul 1, 2008)

i was able to snag a $7 ticket so with taxes the roundtrip came to $35. the taxi to the airport costs more  and my parking was $31. so i splurged and paid $10 for an aisle seat. there was a little leg room going down to FLL but there was none on the way back. going they only had 2 rows of the big seats and coming home they had 3 rows so there went the leg room. so i stood most of the trip and gave a seminar on airmiles to fellow passengers. still not sure i would fly them again. the seats were very uncomfortable even at that price.


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## Twinkstarr (Jul 1, 2008)

pointsjunkie said:


> i was able to snag a $7 ticket so with taxes the roundtrip came to $35. the taxi to the airport costs more  and my parking was $31. so i splurged and paid $10 for an aisle seat. there was a little leg room going down to FLL but there was none on the way back. going they only had 2 rows of the big seats and coming home they had 3 rows so there went the leg room. so i stood most of the trip and gave a seminar on airmiles to fellow passengers. still not sure i would fly them again. the seats were very uncomfortable even at that price.



Did you fly the "regular" seats or the "Big Comfy" or whatever Spirit calls their business class?


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## Carolinian (Jul 2, 2008)

Charging to pick your seats is a common LCC practice.  Air Berlin has long had an extra fee to choose an assigned seat.  Otherwise, you take pot luck at what empty seat you can grab.  FlyBE does the same.  EasyJet and some others charge an extra fee to be in the first group out of the doorway onto the bus that takes you to the aircraft on the tarmac, although sometimes the other bus acutally gets to the plane first and paying to be in that group turns out for naught.  It does improve your chances at the best choice of which seat (all unassigned) to grab but doesn't guarantee it.

I have found the jungle boarding on LCC's to be not that bad.  I have always gotten a window seat, which is my preference, and even have had amazing luck at getting an exit row window seat quite a few times.

I would MUCH rather have an optional plan for assigned seats than I would a $200+ ''fuel surcharge'' on award tickets like the stinkers at Delta are now whacking TATL travellers from Europe with.


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## Icarus (Jul 2, 2008)

Carolinian said:


> I would MUCH rather have an optional plan for assigned seats than I would a $200+ ''fuel surcharge'' on award tickets like the stinkers at Delta are now whacking TATL travellers from Europe with.



:hysterical: 

Amazing how you managed to find a way to mention your favorite US airline in this thread.

-David


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## x3 skier (Jul 2, 2008)

Icarus said:


> :hysterical:
> 
> Amazing how you managed to find a way to mention your favorite US airline in this thread.
> 
> -David



When I started this thread, I made a personal bet with myself that Carolinian would show up in under 10 posts to comment about the Evil Empire somehow. Lost that one but not by much. 

Cheers


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## Carolinian (Jul 2, 2008)

Icarus said:


> :hysterical:
> 
> Amazing how you managed to find a way to mention your favorite US airline in this thread.
> 
> -David



Actually, until a few days ago, it was my second favorite.  It is the only US airline other than NW that I have bought tickets for family on in the last year, and was my second choice airline on my preferences form with my employer's travel office if NW flights were unavailible on priced too high.  DL's policies on fuel surcharges on award, tickets however, bring back the bad memories of when I ditched them as my airline of choice back in the Rob Borden days (see www.saveskymiles.com ).  And, of course I am much less than thrilled about the prospect of them hijacking my Worldperks miles and devaluing them to SkyMiles.

And, of course, one must put new airline policies in perspective.  Spirit's policies are nickle and dime stuff compared to what DL has done, especially to its flyers in Europe, and unlike DL's can be wholly avoided if one chooses by just accepting whatever seats one gets.


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## AwayWeGo (Jul 2, 2008)

*With My Luck . . .*




x3 skier said:


> Spirit airlines is planning to charge extra for a preassigned seat including $5 to have the luxury of sitting in a middle seat.


. . . I'd pay $5 extra & get a middle seat in between Michael Moore on 1 side & Geraldo Rivera on the other. 

Next time I'll take the bus. 

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​


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## Icarus (Jul 2, 2008)

Carolinian said:


> Actually, until a few days ago, it was my second favorite.  It is the only US airline other than NW that I have bought tickets for family on in the last year, and was my second choice airline on my preferences form with my employer's travel office if NW flights were unavailible on priced too high.  DL's policies on fuel surcharges on award, tickets however, bring back the bad memories of when I ditched them as my airline of choice back in the Rob Borden days (see www.saveskymiles.com ).  And, of course I am much less than thrilled about the prospect of them hijacking my Worldperks miles and devaluing them to SkyMiles.
> 
> And, of course, one must put new airline policies in perspective.  Spirit's policies are nickle and dime stuff compared to what DL has done, especially to its flyers in Europe, and unlike DL's can be wholly avoided if one chooses by just accepting whatever seats one gets.



Yes, we know how you feel about Delta and the takeover.  We know that you are considering CO as your new airline of choice. We know you want us to help fight the NW/DL merger.

-David


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## bnoble (Jul 2, 2008)

> Rumor has it they are planning on pulling out of DTW end of this year or 2009.


Interesting.  I hadn't heard that one yet.


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## djs (Jul 2, 2008)

I just wouldn't choose a seat then and would let the computer handle it when I checked in.  About a week ago I booked my sister a flight from BOS to ORD and AA was showing just one seat, a middle one in the back  as being open (this was for a flight leaving the same day).  Rather than take that seat I didn't choose one.  Later in the day I went back in and was able to reserve an isle seat closer to the front.


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## Twinkstarr (Jul 2, 2008)

bnoble said:


> Interesting.  I hadn't heard that one yet.



I had heard it on the DIS transportation board. Also, my sister has some older retired neighbors that travel out of DTW and they heard it from from a couple of airport employees over at the Smith terminal. Spirit allowed the neighbors  to travel on a budget(they frequently got those $8 fares) so they are a bit worried(they think AT and SWA are too pricey).

My guess is the Metro workers are about as reliable as monorail and bus drivers at WDW. :rofl:


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## pointsjunkie (Jul 2, 2008)

i sat in the regular too close for comfort seats.


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