Spirit Airline Check-In Question - FLL/CTG

briarblue says on Aug 24, 2008, 10:06:

The dreaded check-in desk (no online, curbside or kiosk check-in on the international Spirit fligts). The line to check-in on international flights at FLL with Spirit has taken a couple of hours each time. I was told the line during mid-week isn't as bad as I've experienced in flying on the weekend. At CTG, they will not let you get in line if it is after 12:00 p.m., even if the flight is running late. My experience with the Spirit FLL - CTG flights is that one shouldn't push the limits in arriving well in advance. Probably best to observe the "three hours in advance" comment that you read on your E-ticket.

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toneloc24 says on Aug 24, 2008, 10:37:

Thanks for responding.

But, CAN you check-in online or at kiosks for international fights, as can be done at other airports for destinations which have no visa requirements? Again, no bags to check-in. I'll even spend the extra $$$ to reserve my seat assignment.

For instance, in ATL, using Delta, I can check-in online or at a kiosk for a trip to Bogota or Lima, eliminating the need to stand in any check-in line. I've never flown through FLL airport, hence my questions.

"PBH is dead!!!!"

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harvardexec says on Aug 24, 2008, 13:26:

No, there is no kiosk or web check in for Spirit at FLL, so plan on standing in line. And, as Briarblue said, get there AT LEAST 3 hours in advance.

Ignorance is Bliss.

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toneloc24 says on Aug 24, 2008, 14:40:

Okay cool. That's completely contradictory to what Spirit Airlines JUST told me by phone. I'll take your word over theirs. Thanks.

I'll try to contact someone for Spirit here in Atlanta at the airport to ask the question of whether I can check in for the flight that morning or the night before, in Atlanta. Spirit just seems pretty backwards in this international travel thing.

I would only have 90 minutes in FLL between connections to catch my flight. So, checking my options. As stated, I have no bags to check-in, and I have my seat assignments. Just would simply need to check-in and print boarding passes. This is 2008, right? LOL!!! Should be so simple, but I'm doubting it.

Thanks again. I'll post my experience through this.

"PBH is dead!!!!"

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Saltador says on Aug 24, 2008, 16:46:

toneloc,
FLL is pretty small. 90 minutes between flights is an eternity there. When I do that route, I fly in from Chicago 30 minutes before the next leg takes off. But the thing is, the plane leaves from the same area it drops me off, so all I have to do is walk out of the plane into the waiting area for my next flight. 30 minutes is plenty of time in this situation. And in my experience, Spirit actually moves you through a check in line WAY faster than Avianca or American, so don't sweat it, you'll be fine...

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Brians says on Aug 25, 2008, 08:11:

Key is getting a boarding pass and I assume you are not flying Spirit to Ft. Lauderdale. This is a bit scary as I passed through Ft. lauderdale back from Colombia this weekend and what a shit show that airport is!! 5 Immigration Officers and 2 Customs officers. I think maybe three flights arrived at same time. So all in all took me about and hour to get my bag and pass through. I had to re-check at US Airways as I was changing from Avianca. I passed the Spirit counter and is was a madhouse. Now you will not have to go through the immigration issue on the way down but that line looked scarrrrry. They should allow pre-printed boarding passes online if those lines are any indication. I assume if you fly on Spirit the whole way and only connecting through Ft. Lauderdale then then give you boarding passes for both flights at your origin city check-in but if I have to change airlines I would be scared as hell of that line.

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toneloc24 says on Aug 25, 2008, 08:42:

I'm flying from Atlanta down to FLL on Delta Air. I'm currently checking into whether or not I can check in for the FLL-CTG leg in Atlanta, and whether or not they have check-in kiosks there. I'd rather deal with all of this prior to arriving in FLL. I don't check bags in anymore, because they hinder expedience in today's world.

Spirit's customer service leaves a lot to be desired. I think the dude I spoke to was in India (an assumption based on the accent). He wouldn't know what the situation is in FLL. I guess, you get what you pay for.

I'll update this thread with whatever I find out.

"PBH is dead!!!!"

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scumbuster says on Aug 25, 2008, 09:45:

I am going from Pittsburgh to Bogota on Spirit in Oct. I am switching airlines in FLL and only had 45 min down and 1 hour back between flights. From hearing this I am glad I decided to spend 1 night in FLL going each way. I didnt want to take a chance missing my connection.

For future reference, what is the procedure of airlines if you miss a flight due to another airline running late or canceling a flight?

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Brians says on Aug 25, 2008, 10:40:

If you miss your connection it is then up the to airline that caused the connection to be missed to get you to your final destination. With this year's on-time ratings being the worst in airline history (I can personally attest to thre fact in about 15-20 various flights this year I am 50% on-time). If the reason is mechanical they will try to book you on the next flight i.e. Avianca or put you up in a hotel until the next flight they have servicing the destination. So if you can't connect and Spirit only doing that one flight you might be looking at staying overnight. I hate the airline industry anymore. Just have had so many horrible experiences this year I get a knot in my stomach as I drive to the airport.

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briarblue says on Aug 26, 2008, 13:51:

Toneloc, my above comments assumed your flight initiated from FLL. Since I live an 1 1/2 from FLL, I just drive over, park and get in line to check-in. For me, on both ends (FLL and CTG) the longest amount of time (around 2 hours at FLL) is spent waiting in line to get a boarding pass. Once I've received a boarding pass, the rest of the process hasn't taken that long, especially at FLL.

So you are correct, the key for you will be getting your Spirit boarding pass in Atlanta or a way without having to go through the Spirit check-in counter like the rest of us.

Also, you are correct that the Spirit person you spoke to was India. I've had to deal with customer service before and while they speak good English, the accent is difficult to understand. I've had the best luck with asking to speak with the Supervisor, who will be in India as well, but won't give you what seems like a canned answer. Seems like there was a 954 area code (Fort Lauderdale) number in a post here on PBH for Spirit. Might want to do a search here on PBH or the web to see if you can locate a local number and get through to someone who is actually in Fort Lauderdale.

Good luck.

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toneloc24 says on Aug 27, 2008, 09:00:

Quick update.

I had a buddy who works in the ATL airport, where there is a Spirit counter, walk over and ask about check-in options.

According to the Spirit ground staff in Atlanta, I can check-in in Atlanta, either online or in person, and get my boarding pass in Atlanta. I'll try to check in online, then picking up the boarding passes in person at the check-in desk in ATL. Also, no check-in kiosks in ATL.

"PBH is dead!!!!"

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toneloc24 says on Sep 4, 2008, 14:39:

So, here's my trip report on Spirit Airlines.

It's not for everyone. The price is right, but I probably will not use them again. Allow me to explain.

I checked in for my Ft. Lauderdale (FLL) to Cartagena (CTG) leg at the Spirit check-in desk in Atlanta. One of their two check-in kiosks was broken, so the line was longer than needed to be in ATL. It didn't help that there were only 3 check-in people servicing several flights.

In the end, I found out, the kiosks would not have helped me. The Spirit kiosks do not read passports. Online check-in is also unavailable for international travelers of Spirit. Therefore, international flyers MUST check-in at their limited check-in desk, which is slow due to the pay baggage issues. Anyway, I was able to check-in in Atlanta and received my boarding pass there as well. This helped me tremendously when I arrived in FLL, since I could proceed right to security upon arrival. The check-in line in FLL 90 minutes from departure was tremendous.

My Delta flight down from ATL-FLL left on-time and arrived 10 minutes early. I only had a scheduled 90 minutes between flights. So, the earlier check-in was great. I arrived at FLL, and immediately took a free airport shuttle over from Terminal 2 to Terminal 4, which is the international terminal. Security took about 30 mins to clear, due to me getting in the 2nd line, not realizing that they were putting people thru the explosives testing booth.

Boarded flight. Not really hungry, since I'd since eaten breakfast. Would've stopped for a sandwich, but the line to the only restaurant back there was very long. I had planned for this and had snacks with me, until I made it to CTG. Like an idiot, I should've have realized how low-cost Spirit REALLY is, and bought a bottle of water or something prior. I was only on a 3 hour flight. I could not imagine a 6 hour flight with them, to Lima.

Once you get in the air, there's no flight attendant service. They are bartenders. Customer service? Yeah right. I asked for a cup of water to take some vitamins? Response: "You can buy a bottle of water for $3. Credit card only." No lie. She then proceeded to pull out a menu with prices, which I will scan and post at another time. Water and sodas are $3. Alcoholic drinks are $5. They have package deals for you to get an alcoholic drink and mixer. I passed.

Then, the seats were pretty uncomfortable. I'm not the tallest dude, but why were my knees pressed right up against the back of the seat in front of me? Luckily, the dude in the middle seat moved to another row, and we could breathe a bit. However, even so, the seats on the plane did not recline. At all, in any of the rows, as we found out when deplaning.

Returning from CTG, I arrived at the airport 2 hours prior to the departure time, and it took 1 hour and 45 mins to make it to the plane. No Spirit employees were available to service the line, so we had to ask any airport employee for information. No information was available on the tourist exemption tax location. Found out after waiting in line for approx. 30 mins that their was a guy in front of the lines who handles that for you. So, no need to go to another part of the airport. It's a part of your check-in line process. Took another 30 mins to actually get checked in.

Since I had an hour left, I went and found somewhere that sold sandwiches and grabbed one for the trip along with a Gatorade. Went and exchanged pesos back to dollars. Then headed for security. That alone consisted of a 30 min wait after a long line and 2 full security searches of my bags. Boarded the plane 15 mins prior to departure, and only after arguing with a security guard about my Gatorade. I ended up having to exchange it for another one from the lady who was conveniently selling snacks and drinks right after the 2nd security check.

Got on the plane, and wouldn't you know. No customer service. Overhead bins are full? Fend for yourself. Not a single flight attendent would even assist in finding one, even after asking for assistance. People sitting in the wrong row??? Deal with it yourself. So, I did...for the last time. One time too many.

Not the greatest experience, and I wouldn't recommend them to anyone. As I found out, you get what you pay for. Your experience may vary. This was mine, and in no way was I asking for anything over the top. Just a little comon courtesy.

For me, it's back to Delta and Avianca.

"PBH is dead!!!!"

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