Spirit Personal Item size, Baggage Fees, Weight
Today, there are many airlines that fly around the world. Though there are many options, they all have different sets of rules especially when it comes baggage size, fees and policy. But before we learn about Spirit airlines baggage fees, let us learn more about them.
About Spirit Airlines
Spirit or Spirit Airlines Inc. is a USA-based airline. The company headquarters are in Miramar, Florida, in the Miami metropolitan area and it is an ultra-low-cost carrier. The company operations run in the USA, Latin America, and the Caribbean area. Spirit was founded in 1983 and back then it was named Charter One Airlines. The company’s operations started in 1990 and in May 1992 it got its present-day name, Spirit Airlines. The company has 193 carriers flying to 83 destinations with its bases set up in Atlanta, Atlantic City, Chicago–O’Hare, Dallas/Fort Worth, Detroit, Fort Lauderdale, Houston–Bush, Las Vegas, Miami, and Orlando. By 2020 the company had close to 9,000 employees on its payroll and they were making around 3 billion dollars in revenue in 2018. In July 2022 JetBlue offered to acquire the company for 3.8 billion dollars, an offer which Spirit happily agreed to in October with only government regulator approval pending as of now. By 2020 the company had already established itself as the 8th largest passenger carrier in the US and the largest one in terms of being an ultra-low-cost carrier in the whole of North America. You can get the special Spirit card by applying for one on their website or you could be a part of their special Frequent Flyer program. Apart from all this, you can also book a vacation package, car, hotel room, or cruise from their website and that is not where it ends as there is much more on offer by this airline than just being an airplane company. Now that we know about the airlines it is the right time to head into the details giving us an insight into the nitty gritty stuff like Spirit personal item size that is allowed on the plane and more.
Spirit Personal Item size
Assuming most of us have traveled on airplanes before, we all know that there are certain weight limits given to us that are acceptable to carry and don’t incur any charges. Usually, for domestic trips, the weight limit permissible per person is lesser than what is allowed on an international trip. However, if this weight limit is breached you are then charged extra for luggage and this is also what Spirit airlines do to keep their ticket prices low as they instead charge you for carry-on or checked bags. The airlines have special rules and regulations in place for a military person and their family when it comes to baggage, however, for the standard common man the numbers you need to keep in mind and abide by are as follows. Your ticket allows you to have one personal bag on you for free but if you need to have another personal bag then that is to be paid for. Spirit personal item size is fixed at dimensions of 18×14×8 inches or 45×35×20 centimeters and this includes your handles and wheels as well. It’s not just your second personal bag that carries a charge, if you even want to have a checked or carry-on bag then you are going to have to pay for it. There are measurements available for them as well that need to be followed. A carry-on bag needs to fit the dimensions 22×18×10 inches or 56×46×24 centimeters with the handle and wheel being included in it too. And if the carry-on bag cannot be accommodated nicely on the flight then it may have to be treated as a checked bag. A checked bag needs to be equal to or less than 62 linear inches which comes to 158 centimeters in length + breadth + height with the handle and wheel included in the calculation. Also, the weight of the bag cannot be more than 40 lbs or 18.1 kilograms, if it is weighing more or exceeds these dimensions then it is said to be oversized or overweight and comes with a corresponding charge. And in case the bag weight crosses the 100 lbs or 45 kg mark or is more than 80 linear inches then it can’t be accepted at all. That’s not it, if you are traveling to or from international airports then these rules, regulations, and dimensions might change for you a bit. Lima, Peru, Columbia, and Ecuador have special restrictions in place throughout the year. Also, these four places and all other destinations where these flights serve have additional restrictions in place from 1st December to 10 January and this may affect the standard Spirit personal item size as well as other items sizes and weights. Let us now go over Spirit airlines baggage fees. Also Read: What does VeriFLY cover? What is included?
Spirit Airlines Baggage fees
The baggage fee is different for different airlines and it does not stop there it is even different for varying baggage sizes. When dealing with Spirit Airlines you might see yourself paying 37 dollars extra for baggage items if you report it while buying flight tickets. The figure goes to 45 dollars extra if you report it while online check-in. The same amount goes up to 55 dollars or even 65 dollars if you report it at the airport or the gate respectively. The carry-on bag is limited by dimension but there is no such weight restriction in place for it as is for a checked bag. Spirit airlines baggage fee for a carry-on bag is 31 dollars during booking, it costs 40 dollars during booking if you sign up for the Spirit Saver$ club program, 41 dollars before online check-in, and 50 dollars before online check-in if you are part of the $9 fare club. Similarly, a checked bag costs 26 dollars, 35 dollars, 36 dollars, or 45 dollars depending on if it was reported while booking, booking while being part of the Spirit Saver$ club program, during online check-in or online check-in while being a part of the Spirit Saver$ club program. If you plan to have a second checked bag then the figures go up to 36 dollars, 45 dollars, 46 dollars, and 55 dollars respectively. And for three to five check bags the figures read as 81 dollars, 90 dollars, 91 dollars, and 100 dollars. However, the number of checked bags that you are allowed depends on your destination and not on the fact that you are ready to pay as much as it takes for each bag. There are also charges for your bags not following the weight or dimension rule and that means that if your bag is between 18 and 23 kilograms then you pay an extra 35 dollars for it. If the bag weighs between 23 and 32 kilograms then you pay 60 dollars for it. If the bag weighs between 32 to 45 kilograms then you pay 100 dollars for it. For a bag that is 158 to 203 centimeters in dimension, you pay 100 dollars while a bag more than 203 centimeters brings a charge of 150 dollars. While we know Spirit personal item size and dimensions and weight for carry-on and checked bags there are also special items that are charged differently. If you want to take your bicycle with you then you pay 75 dollars for each trip, that is, going and coming back. One bag is allowed 2 surfboards and each such bag carries a 100 dollars fee. Golf clubs are measured as per checked bags and in case they are overweight then they will command a similar excess charge as mentioned above. Skis and snowboards are also measured as per checked bags and command similar excess charges if found breaching the given measurements. Now you know about Spirit airlines baggage fees.
Spirit Airlines Baggage Policy
As per the Spirit Airlines Baggage policy, you won’t be allowed to carry more than a personal bag in the airplane without paying for it. This is because the airlines try to keep the tickets very cheap so that they can offer you ultra-low-cost tickets and to compensate for that they charge baggage fees be it a carry-on or a checked bag or even a second personal bag and the prices and weight/dimension restrictions for all of these have been mentioned above. Your ticket just gets you the right to carry a personal bag with you on the flight and you can also carry a breast pump or formula food as they don’t count toward your carry-on allowance. Strollers are checked and you can find them at the gate again after exiting the aircraft. Also, the pricing for baggage is only going to increase as you get closer to the gate with them being the cheapest while making a booking and that is when you should check for Spirit personal item size as well as all the other bag weights and dimensions and pay well in advance. The route you are traveling on plays an important part in deciding your baggage fees and therefore the company recommends you use the baggage calculator tool provided by them so that you can accurately predict the charges that you might have to pay for your baggage when making a booking with them. The date of travel and whether or not you are a member of the Spirit Saver$ club also play an important part in dictating the charge that you end up paying for your baggage. Oversized or overweight bags bring extra charges upon you and so it is better to use the calculator tool in advance to be prepared for such situations in advance. You can also pay in advance through the app or website to make sure you save some money by paying the owed sum as early as possible. If you are an active military man then you are allowed one free carry-on bag and two checked bags along with a personal item. But this is limited to you only and not to your family members. So we now know about the airlines, Spirit personal item size, and dimensions that are acceptable on the flight. This leaves us with just a couple more things to deal with.
Spirit Airlines Baggage Weight
The personal items you carry on the Spirit aircraft don’t carry a weight restriction as long as they fit under the seat in front of you and usually, it is the necessary items that you carry with you there is no denying permission for them. Carry-on bags also luckily don’t come with a weight limit and don’t add to your already existing problems of yours. However, all of it changes with checked bags that come with dimensions as well as weight restrictions. And you need to adhere to both of them or need to be ready to pay a decently excessive price. You are allowed to carry 2 to 5 checked bags depending on your travel allowance, however, each bag comes with its extra fee. Spirit Airlines baggage weight rules state that the checked bag should not be more than 18 kilograms or you need to be ready to splurge some money to be able to get it to the plane. For this reason, it is better to pay sooner to avoid seeing the extra fee increase. You can already see yourself paying between 37 to 65 dollars for a carry-on bag and between 30 to 50 or 40 to 60 or 85 to 100 dollars for a checked bag. To make matters worse you see a 2-dollar charge added to the fees because it is festival season, however, being a member of the Spirit Saver$ club can get you a 9-dollar discount. Also, though the personal item is free to carry, if they don’t meet the Spirit personal item size requirements then you are asked to pay an extra fee for them as well. Medical devices that are important to the traveler are allowed on the flight free of charge and are supposed to fit the personal item dimensions, however, if you pack other stuff with the important medical devices and for that reason, if they breach the mentioned dimensions then you’d need to be ready to pay up extra fee. Also, your luggage can be between 18 to 45 kilograms and you will be charged as per the amounts mentioned above, however, if the bag weighs more than 45 kg then it won’t be allowed on the plane. Also from 1st December to 10th January international flights to and from the US won’t allow you to carry bags that weigh more than 23 kg. With that, we have covered everything from Spirit personal item size to baggage policy, weight requirements, dimensions, fees, and more which leaves us with just one last thing. Also Read: Is TSA Precheck worth it? Application and Benefits
How to Save Money on Spirit Airlines baggage?
When booking a flight with Spirit Airlines you can find yourself in a tough spot as more often than not you end up paying more for baggage than you pay for tickets and so it negates the ultra-low-cost factor that the airline promises to its customers. So here we look at a few ways using which you might be able to save some money on baggage charges.
Elite Program
Airlines usually have an Elite program in place and Spirit Airlines also has one such program in place. Now while its offering may not match its rival’s offerings of other airlines it still gives away a pretty decent offering. With Free Spirit Gold status you are allowed a free checked bag on each of your flights. But to avail of this benefit, you need to be the person holding the elite status as it cannot be shared or transferred. This may not be an ideal offering but it still is something and if you plan on saving some bucks then you might want to try it out.
Boosts and Bundles
It is easy to abide by the Spirit personal item size requirements but carry-on or checked bags more often than not are bound to bring on an extra fee on you and so it is better to buy a boost or a bundle from Spirit Airlines. Boosts and bundles are an offering by Spirit Airlines where you pay a fee and in return, you are given certain benefits like some additional weight allowance or the power to choose your preferred seat on the plane and other such things. This way you save money that you would otherwise be forced to pay for extra baggage and in return, you also get to enjoy a handful of special benefits.
Spirit Savers $ Club
Today, every company in the world tries to offer membership to its customers in hope of bringing in extra money while making them feel special by providing them with some kind of benefits in return. Spirit Savers $ Club is one such program that is run by Spirit Airlines where you can sign up for their membership for 1, 2, or 4 years. You pay 69.95 dollars for a one-year membership and doing so gets you benefits like saving money on tickets, getting to choose your seat, good pricing on add-ons, and more. And if you are someone who frequently flies with Spirit Airlines then you should not even think about it twice and right away sign up for this program as it can help you with Spirit Airlines baggage fees that can sometimes be too much to deal with.
Credit Cards
This is no hidden secret that there are various credit cards out there that help you with various airline-related facilities. You get lounge access, complimentary food, and whatnot with such cards. Many credit cards reimburse you with statement credits for spending on certain items with airline fees being one of them. So you should check the credit cards that offer you such benefits and then select Spirit Airlines as your airline of choice and then use it to pay your baggage charge.
