Is it time to reconsider Spirit Airlines and its Free Spirit program?

If you're chatting with a group of travelers and Spirit Airlines comes up, someone will likely recount a story from a past Spirit flight. And at least in my experience, the story usually involves a delay, cancellation or other negative memory.

Of course, we're more likely to remember and recount negative experiences. And I, too, have a negative Spirit Airlines experience to share. The last time I flew Spirit Airlines — in 2021 for a story about how I visited Disney World on a budget — I faced massive lines at the Spirit check-in counter in Orlando and a poorly communicated delay.

But Spirit now has a relatively new fleet and a strong on-time performance and believes it's offering one of the best values in the sky. My husband and I casually chatted with an optimistic Spirit Airlines staffer at the Business Traveler Awards in Miami just days after Spirit filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. This staffer's optimism and excitement about the future of Spirit led to us visiting the Spirit headquarters in Dania Beach, Florida, a few weeks later for an interview with Rana Ghosh, senior vice president and chief transformation officer for Spirit Airlines.

This discussion, and what I learned about the airline's current state and its Free Spirit program while preparing for the interview, led me to wonder — especially with the current Spirit status match challenge — whether it's time to reconsider Spirit Airlines and its Free Spirit program. Here's what I'm thinking.

New fare types and an easier booking path

Spirit introduced its Big Front Seat in 2007 as a rebrand from Spirit Plus. So, Spirit flyers have long had the opportunity to buy a wider seat with more pitch. But Spirit recently introduced new fares, including Go Comfy fares that guarantee a blocked middle seat.

A blocked middle seat sounds appealing and will make your flight more comfortable. But it's important to remember that Go Comfy seats don't have any additional pitch. Based on Aerolopa data, Go Comfy seats only have 28 inches of pitch. That's 9 inches less than the 37 inches typically afforded to Big Front Seats and 7 inches less than the 35 inches offered in most Spirit exit-row seats.

Ghosh noted that the Go Comfy seating is similar to what many European carriers offer in business class on short-haul flights. He highlighted how it was a relatively easy product for Spirit to create and said Spirit is happy with its performance so far.

Now that Spirit has four distinct fare classes — including the premium options of Go Comfy and Go Big — Ghosh highlighted the airline's products that can appeal to each type of traveler and for each specific trip. He also noted that travelers will soon start to see the premium Go Comfy and Go Big fares showing as premium fare types through online travel agencies, so travelers can better compare these products to what other airlines offer.

Finally, it's worth noting that the booking path is much easier now than it was a few years ago. Especially if you select a Go Comfy or Go Big fare, you won't see many opportunities to add more costs. However, if you select a Go or Go Savvy fare, Ghosh said much of the booking process, where you get the opportunity to add items, is there to inform consumers of what they won't be getting with their fare and how much it will cost to add additional services.

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Rates are sometimes surprisingly low

Whether you book with cash or Free Spirit points, rates are surprisingly low for some dates and routes I searched. This holds even if you want to book Go Comfy or Go Big. For example, I could pay $33 for a Go fare, $62 for a Go Savvy fare, $78 for a Go Comfy fare or $98 for a Go Big fare for a sample nonstop flight from Atlanta to Orlando in February.

Or, I could redeem 2,500 points for a Go fare on this flight. If I wanted to book Go Savvy, Go Comfy or Go Big, I could pay just $29, $45 or $65 more. These pay-ups are equal to the price differences in the paid fares.

The $62 — or 2,500 points plus $29 — Go Savvy fare would get me a personal item, seat selection and a checked or carry-on bag, which is all I need. But, with a buy-up cost of $16 for a Go Comfy fare that guarantees me a blocked middle seat or $36 for a Big Front Seat, I'd be tempted to book one of these elevated fares to guarantee more space.

Even on more expensive routes, the buy-up cost between Go Savvy and Go Comfy or Go Big isn't bad. For example, on this flight between Atlanta and Orlando in March — a time with more demand — the cost difference between Go Savvy and Go Comfy is $46, while the difference between Go Savvy and Go Big is $71.

Related: Maximize your airfare: The best credit cards for booking flights

More flexibility with no change or cancellation fees

Spirit quietly improved its change and cancellation policies in May 2024. These changes make me much more likely to book a flight with Spirit.

If you cancel a reservation for a Spirit flight seven or more days away within 24 hours of booking, you can receive a full refund in your original form of payment. Otherwise, you can receive a reservation credit for the value of the reservation if you cancel at least one hour before the flight's scheduled departure.

When booking on the Spirit website, you can use reservation credits to pay for fares, bags, seats, fees and taxes. Any guest linked to the original reservation can use the credits. And you don't have to use the entire reservation credit on a single reservation, as you can use any remainder on subsequent reservations. Reservation credits issued after May 20, 2024, are valid for one year, but reservation credits issued due to a flight cancellation or schedule change are valid for five years.

You can also change your flight online up to one hour before its scheduled departure. However, when making changes, you must pay any difference between your originally booked fare and the new fare.

These change and cancellation policies are surprisingly consumer friendly, especially when compared to the basic economy policies of most major U.S. airlines. I like to keep my options open, so I rarely book a fare that isn't freely cancellable.

Related: How to refund a nonrefundable airline ticket

Spirit's route map might work well for you

If you're based in, or frequently travel to, Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL), Orlando International Airport (MCO) or Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (DTW), you may find Spirit Airlines frequently offers nonstop service to domestic and regional destinations you want to visit.

Additionally, Spirit operates many flights to and from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL), O'Hare International Airport (ORD), Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW), George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH), Harry Reid International Airport (LAS), Miami International Airport (MIA) and Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR). So, if you frequently fly to or from these airports, Spirit is also worth considering.

But even if you don't plan to fly Spirit frequently, the airline could be worth trying if it offers a compelling flight option at a reasonable rate. As I've grown older, I've started to prefer booking nonstop flights when they're available. And especially given Spirit's friendly cancellation policies and new fare types, I'm more inclined than ever to give Spirit another chance.

Related: Spirit Airlines cuts 24 routes, adds 7 others in latest network shake-up

You can try Spirit with the current status match challenge

One awkward topic that came up while talking with Ghosh was the negative experiences many travelers have previously had with Spirit. He and the airline know they have to invest in educating the traveling public on what Spirit offers now in terms of products, service and quality. Plus, they have to build brand sentiment back up, especially among travelers who have previously had a negative experience with the airline.

The airline is trying to accomplish both goals via its current status match challenge. This status match challenge is only for elite members of other domestic airlines, as Spirit is most interested in encouraging these travelers to try its current service and products.

Through this status match challenge, eligible travelers can get 90 days of Free Spirit Silver or Gold status and a chance to extend their status through the end of 2025 if they earn a specific number of Spirit qualification points during the 90 days via flights or spending on the Free Spirit® Travel More World Elite Mastercard®.

The information for the Free Spirit Travel More Mastercard has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

One negative if you don't usually travel alone is that Free Spirit elite benefits are only for the status holder. While other airlines usually let benefits extend to at least one travel companion, this isn't the case with Spirit.

In addition, many benefits of Free Spirit Gold status aren't very useful if you purchase more than a Go fare. That said, you may have little reason to book a higher fare class if you have Free Spirit Gold status. After all, Free Spirit Gold members can select exit-row seating at booking and enjoy priority check-in, a first free checked bag, a free carry-on bag and a free snack and drink onboard.

Related: Key tools and tips to find the cheapest airfare

Bottom line

TPG's Summer Hull and Zach Griff have tried Spirit Airlines in recent years and shared their experiences. Summer was happy she canceled her first-class ticket home for a Spirit Airlines flight, while Zach shared his thoughts about flying in a Spirit Big Front Seat.

Especially as some travelers purposefully decide to be free agents, I expect more travelers will find Spirit's new fare classes appealing. Booking a Go Comfy seat with a guaranteed blocked middle seat or a Go Big seat with more width and pitch for only a modest upcharge will appeal to some travelers — especially if Spirit offers a nonstop flight on the route they want to fly.