The first Spirit secret

Make sure that Spirit is the right carrier for you.

Spirit will generally get you from point A to point B.

Spirit will not provide free refreshments, even water. Spirit will not allow you to choose your seat. Spirit will not clean the seats between flights. Spirit will charge you extra for the "privilege" of tugging some baggage along with you. Spirit will charge you punitively for doing things at the airport the day of your flight, including printing your ticket, or checking a bag that you previously did not let Spirit know about. Spirit will charge you for trying to cram your oversized duffel into the tiny "personal item" category (16"x14"x12"). Spirit will not provide you with legroom. Spirit's bathroom will be maintained by passengers (read: it will not be clean). Spirit's advertising will be cheeky and in your face, and you might be offended. Spirit might cancel a flight and wait two hours to tell anyone. Spirit might cancel a flight arbitrarily and come up with an excuse. Spirit might kick a kid off an overbooked flight and not comp them a room at a local hotel. Spirit might prevent you from boarding for an entire day as a "security risk" because you spent three hours being interrogated by the FBI in a private room; even though the FBI cleared you, Spirit may feel that you'll pose less of a threat to their aircraft after 24 hours. Spirit will try to hard sell you on the $9 fare club. Spirit will try to sell you travel insurance. A customer service rep will hang up on you. If you do not pay to select seats in advance, Spirit will split up your family for seats purchased on the same itinerary, even if you're going to Disneyworld (though there is no evidence that this is done maliciously).

Google around, and you'll find thousands of horror stories about Spirit. Basically, though, most of these experiences are the result of assumptions. People have an expectation of their airline that's been set by mainline carriers such as Delta, United, and American. These airlines offer a superior experience. However, Spirit offers a unique value proposition:  If a flyer is willing to accept the risks and forego the amenities (like free water) of the mainline carriers, then Spirit will provide that flyer with fast air transportation at a lower cost. It's the Spirit tradeoff, and it's the Spirit value.

Fly free!
~Free Spirit Travel