For better or for worse, it seems that every Spirit Airlines flight I take is predictable…in a raucous way. But there was a sense of community on my last Spirit flight that I just loved.
It’s a good thing I did come home when I did, because on Sunday evening I was forced to fly to Las Vegas for an unplanned meeting. The meeting was scheduled at 5:00PM to take place at 9:00PM, leaving little time to prepare.
I had already looked into leaving LAX on United, but my business partner wisely checked for flights out of Burbank and noticed there was a flight leaving on Spirit Airlines. I should have known…in fact, I even wrote about it. A last-minute ticket on Spirit was still only about $100 (compared to a ridiculous $289 on Southwest) and within moments we checked in and were issued boarding passes. Too bad JetSmarter wasn’t available…
The Party Flight
Fast-forward to the flight. I typically fly United to Las Vegas, which is a rather calm experience. Passengers are well-behaved and quiet and the flight itself does not seem any different than other domestic United flights.
But on Spirit, the party began on the aircraft. The passengers were chatty and loud. It was a different crowd than the square people who fly legacy carriers; it seemed liked every passenger had tattoos and/or body piercings.
Flight attendants, some young, some old, were very chatty and friendly. Like, over-the-top friendly. And the passengers all seemed to be friends. There was talk across the aisles, so much laughing, and just an infectiously cheerful mood even as the volume approached raucous levels.
The guy sitting next to me knew the drill so well. He ordered his CheezIts and BuzzBallz and started flirting with the girls across the aisle from him. The kid sitting behind us heard me speaking about Uber and leaned over to ensure I knew how to find the Uber pick-up at the airport (it’s upstairs in the parking structure). Others were talking about the grasshopper attack.
Everyone was just so friendly. It was like a party flight. And while that would have (and did) drive me crazy on a transcontinental flight, it was actually kind of fun on this short hop to Las Vegas.
> Read More: Fight Breaks Out on My Spirit Airlines Flight
> Read More: Spirit Airlines Big Front Seat Los Angeles to Ft. Lauderdale
CONCLUSION
I won’t go out of my way to ever fly Spirit, but there was something about this flight that I truly appreciated. At least there were no bats.
Is every Spirit flight like this one?
> Read More: Spirit Airlines Announces New Service To Burbank, CA
I’ve never observed anything raucous on a Spirit flight. Sure, passengers are leisure heavy and usually in a good mood, and I’ve been impressed with the friendliness of the FAs, but the flights have been calm and quiet. Nothing unusual compared to other airlines at least. Maybe Dallasites are just a boring bunch…
I mean you were taking a flight that I’m sure served as an inspiration for the show LA to Vegas
I’ve flown Spirit for almost twenty years…..never had luggage lost….only late when the weather was horrible and flight attendants friendly!! Seats are crowded but the price is right. Will continue to fly Spirit!
Matthew – thank you so much for your reviews. I think it’s great that you review economy products (once in a while) alongside premium cabins. It keeps your blog real…and me interested in your insights/opinions.
Thank you for reading Daniel! I don’t take it for granted.
Reminds me of a domestic flight I was on in the late 1990’s in China. There were long delays out of the old Beijing airport, but there happened to be a Spanish tour group also on this flight with me. When they heard of the delay, someone pulled out a guitar and they all started singing, and then another person brought out a bottle of rum and proceeded to share it with everyone in the gate area literally going seat by seat and offering to pour out a cup. Coming from a more buttoned-up introverted part of North America and being a young adult at the time, I had never seen anything like that!
i always visit your site. not trying to be annoying. but….airprot???
“I knew how to find the Uber pick-up at the airprot (it’s upstairs in the parking structure). “
That “airpot” somehow got saved in my dictionary and I cannot figure out (on Mac) how to remove it. It is an auto-correct. So annoying.
“The meeting was scheduled at 5:00PM to take place at 9:00PM, leaving little time to prepare.”
Who the heck schedules a meeting in a different city with only 4 hours’ notice? 😮 Booking the flight, getting to the airport, and check-in/security/etc., and you’re already 1-2 hours in. Add in the flight itself, assuming there’s one that departs exactly when you need it to, and you’re almost out of time.
It was just one of those days.
On a Sunday night, what’s more. I hope it was worthwhile …
Its certainly possible to drive there in 4 hours, especially on a Sunday without weekday LA traffic.
I ended up driving back because all the flights had departed and I wanted to stop at Mad Greek Cafe.
Spirit has built a fairly extensive Las Vegas hub. Lots of options.