Spirit introduces extra-legroom seats, free upgrades in latest change

Gone are the days of Spirit Airlines being the quintessential ultra-low-cost carrier.

As the Dania Beach, Florida-based carrier emerges from bankruptcy, Spirit has upended its commercial strategy, which used to revolve around charging hefty fees. Nowadays, the carrier's fares and packages look more like a traditional airline — and Spirit just announced a few more updates that will change the way you book and fly with the carrier.

Here's everything you need to know.

Spirit introduces extra-legroom seats

Spirit will introduce a new extra-legroom seating section across its fleet. The new seats, which will offer 32 inches of pitch, will begin rolling out in June. The airline plans to install these seats across more than two-thirds of its fleet by July.

The retrofits will be fully completed next year, when the airline embarks on a larger cabin enhancement program across existing Airbus jets featuring the now-outdated Acro Series 3 seat.

Spirit's extra-legroom seating will span seven rows in a 3-3 configuration, and it'll be located just behind the Big Front Seats.

These days, Spirit no longer sells seat assignments on their own; you need to purchase one of the airline's four bundles that include different types of seat assignments. The extra-legroom seats will be included in the Go Comfy fare bundle, which also includes a carry-on bag, no change or cancel fees, priority boarding, some snacks and drinks, and more. These seats will be available for booking starting on May 15, for travel starting on July 9

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Eagle-eyed aviation observers will note that when Spirit launched Go Comfy last summer, this bundle included guaranteed middle seat blocking, something that European airlines do in short-haul business class.

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This innovation hadn't really taken hold in the U.S. until Spirit (and Frontier) started offering it, but based on Spirit's latest pivot, it seems like the experiment might've been a failure. After all, the airline is abandoning the blocked middle seat concept less than a year after it was introduced.

Turns out, the economics don't really support middle seat blocking, explained Rana Ghosh, Spirit's chief commercial officer, in an interview with TPG.

"The biggest issue as you can imagine is that in order to expand on that middle blocking product, it means that we just have to keep removing more seats in terms of available seats, and so the economics on it get pretty funky if we're trying to expand that from the existing 12 seats to something much bigger than that, then it means that you're blocking out multiple seats as you go further down to the rows," explained Ghosh.

One aspect of the Spirit experience that does seem to be working is the Big Front Seat, which is essentially a domestic first-class recliner at a more affordable price point than purchasing a premium-cabin fare on a network carrier.

Ghosh said that Spirit might be open to expanding the footprint of the Big Front Seat cabin "if we continue to see the demand profile for these premium products continue to improve and increase."

Spirit introduces free upgrades

Yes, you read that right.

Spirit Airlines will begin offering free upgrades starting in June. The airline will offer Free Spirit status members and cobranded credit card holders the ability to enjoy complimentary upgrades to Big Front Seats and Comfy seats, based on availability.

The airline will prioritize upgrades based on the following criteria:

• Free Spirit Gold members
• Free Spirit Silver members
• Free Spirit credit card holders

Upgrade benefits will extend to one companion traveling on the same reservation as an eligible elite or cobranded cardholder.

Note that upgrades will only be available at boarding at the moment. That's likely to be a big pain point for a traveler used to a traditional airline loyalty program's upgrade model, such as United MileagePlus. Eligible United elite members can select extra-legroom seats for free at booking for themselves and up to eight companions.

It seems that Spirit is in such a rush to transform its go-to-market strategy that this new upgrade feature is only half-baked right now. After all, Ghosh told me to "stay tuned."

He admitted that "we're in active discussion around what upgrades should look like as we go forward."

Spirit unveils more loyalty changes

Spirit is also making several other changes to its loyalty program.

The first is that it will offer points redemptions for all four travel options. The airline says that it will add more redemption options in the coming months.

Furthermore, the airline will debut a free checked bag benefit for its cobranded credit card holders. More details are expected to be introduced later this year, but for now, the airline is teasing two free checked bags for Free Spirit Travel More Mastercard holders.

Finally, Spirit will launch a points-earning debit card this fall. The card will include Group 2 priority boarding and a 25% rebate on inflight purchases. More details are expected to be announced in the coming months, but it's rare for airlines to offer points-earning debit cards. This will definitely be a space to follow.

Related reading:

• The best airline credit cards
• What exactly are airline miles, anyway?
• 6 real-life strategies you can use when your flight is canceled or delayed
• Maximize your airfare: The best credit cards for booking flights
• The best credit cards to reach elite status
• What are points and miles worth? TPG's monthly valuations