I just flew business class on Spirit — here is what it was like

Veronika Bondarenko tested Spirit's new Go Big and Go Comfy fare classes.

Oct 9, 2024 - 04:30

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I just flew business class on Spirit — here is what it was like

At the end of July, Spirit Airlines (SAVE) surprised longtime travelers by announcing that it became putting off the usual low-cost airline model of offering a base fare and then having customers pay for extras almost like baggage or priority seating in favor of 4 separate fare classes.

The elemental "Go" fare is the bare-bones seat with best a small personal item like a backpack or a purse included, while the pinnacle "Go Big" fare comes as on the point of business class as a low-cost carrier can. Travelers who buy the kind of ticket get a carry-on item and checked bag, a giant armchair-style seat with extra legroom on the front of the plane, priority check-in and boarding, free Wi-Fi and flight attendants who come around with a choice of snacks and drinks.

Related: I just flew Spirit for the first time ever — here’s what it became like

While the airline has recently been contained within the news over what kind of future it has after the blocked merger with JetBlue Airways (JBLU) , that's likewise now not going bankrupt each time contained within the immediate future. I had a chance to check the brand new fare classes on flights between New York's LaGuardia Airport and O'Hare International Airport in Chicago. I flew Go Big and returned in Go Comfy within the event it's essential compare both and review both.

This photo captures the front of a Spirit plane ahead of kind of a lot of the passengers had boarded.
Veronika Bondarenko

Go Big vs. Go Comfy? I had a chance to compare

As someone who almost never flies the rest except economy for my personal travels, the diversities in Go Big became apparent even ahead of, but indubitably as soon as, you arrive to the airport.

A checked bag on a domestic flight in economy is regularly an "extra" that should either be purchased or earned as a perk through status, while boarding first and sitting on the front of the plane lets you take care of away from the bottleneck of people putting their bags into overhead compartments.

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Because the "all perks" fare class, Go Big has all those things, alongside leather armchair-style chairs and flight attendants who come by with a basket of complimentary snacks to come to a decision from and free soft and alcoholic drinks like wine, beer or cocktails which would be made with common spirits. There's likewise free Wi-Fi which that you may in point of fact maybe, in all other fare classes, buy for what on my flight became $12.99 for a lower speed and $15.99 for a stronger one.

None of these items may "matter" enough to make someone who is looking to lower your expenses go with essentially probably the costliest ticket option but they indubitably make flying more pleasant and would maybe take the brink off what's for nearly all people an an increasing selection of stressful experience. Flight attendant Alex of the Orlando crew became specifically warm and attentive to all the passengers seated in my zone.

The Go Big fare class offers a free alcoholic drink while the Go Comfy one doesn't.
Veronika Bondarenko

Flying contained within the Go Comfy fare class will get you a free Diet Coke or other soft drink and a smaller tray table.
Veronika Bondarenko

The perks consist of larger seats, alcohol vs. soft drinks and boarding ahead of the bottleneck

After spending two days exploring Chicago (I once wrote about how much I admire the city for the total lot from its architecture to its museum and food scenes), it became time to return to NYC.

Go Comfy, or the second-highest fare class offered by Spirit, has kind of a lot of the same "non-negotiables" and fewer of the extras: You continue to get an included carry-on bag and a checked bag, have an assigned seat closer to but now not on the very front of the plane and board in zone two ahead of the vast majority of the opposite passengers.

You sit down in a typical Spirit plane seat but are guaranteed to have an empty middle seat next to you whether you % an aisle or window seat. You get a snack chosen by the airline (in my case, a chocolate chip cookie) and choice of coffee, tea or soft drink but no alcohol.

The opposite felt difference from Go Big became, for me, the tiny Spirit tray table that low-cost airlines use to cut down the airline's weight but that passengers traveling in Go Big steer clear of. It be likewise important to note that, regardless of which class you make a variety, you wouldn't be ready to charge your devices on the plane as Spirit aircraft shouldn't have chargers for the same reasons of weight loss. It truly is specifically important to note when taking a longer flight to among the many carrier's destinations in Mexico and the Caribbean.

Veronika Bondarenko flew back to New York in Go Comfy.
Veronika Bondarenko

This sunset became captured on the flight back to New York.
Veronika Bondarenko

Which fare class to make a variety? Some thoughts from this travel writer

So which fare class ought to you % on Spirit flights you're ready to soak up your future? Go Comfy became true to its name in being comfy, but when perks are important you definitely should go with Big.

It be likewise worth noting that, when booking beforehand, the diversities in price are now not that large. The same time out from LGA to ORD booked for a weekend on the end of October currently comes up on the Spirit web page online as $87 for Go (essentially probably the most simple fare class), $122 for Go Economy, $137 for Go Comfy and $157 for Go Big in one direction.

The low-cost airline model relies on attracting travelers with that low base fare, but within the event you're buying the $122 fare and then giving in to in-the-moment temptation to get the in-flight Wi-Fi and a small bottle of Prosecco, you've you might have got already paid greater than it'd have cost you to get that higher fare class.

And in that higher fare class, you wouldn't worry about things like fitting all of one's things into one bag and whether one in every of the people moving down the road at some point of boarding will sit down next to you or that you may in point of fact maybe success out on the extra space (all economy travelers have felt that anxiety in due course).

But for folk who just want to get to one's destination on the lowest price that you should be in a position to contemplate and would maybe travel light while also now not giving in to temptation to make in-flight purchases, there would be still the fundamental no-frills option.