Spirit Announces Big Guest Experience Changes

Spirit Airlines is making major changes to its guest experience and pricing structure, the latest ultra-low-cost carrier (ULCC) to roll out new premium offerings that can still save travelers money.

In a release issued by Spirit on Tuesday, the airline announced it is introducing restructured fares that will introduce new premium selections. The changes are aimed at transforming its guest experience while also maintaining the airline’s existing budget-friendly options provided to travelers.

Spirit will transition to four new fare classes that it said will deliver a friendlier, more comfortable and budget-friendly travel experience:

• Go Big upgrades travelers to Spirit’s Big Front Seat featuring enhanced comfort at the front of each aircraft with wider, more padded seating, extra legroom and no middle seat. Travelers that select Go Big also get priority check-in and boarding, a complimentary carry-on and personal item, and free high-speed Wi-Fi, snacks and drinks.
• Go Comfy provides travelers a guaranteed empty middle seat, a complimentary checked bag and carry-on, priority boarding and a snack and non-alcoholic beverage.
• Go Savvy offers the choice of either one carry-on bag or one checked bag and standard seat selection during booking.
• Go is Spirit’s most affordable fare bucket: checked bags, standard seat selection, Wi-Fi, and snacks and beverages are available as optional add-on purchases.

Spirit will make all four fare classes available for purchase beginning Aug. 16. Go Big and Go Comfy will be launch on all flights starting Aug. 27.

“We’re unveiling a new era in Spirit’s history and taking low-fare travel to new heights with enhanced options that are unlike anything we’ve offered before,” Spirit President and CEO Ted Christie said in a statement. “We listened to our guests and are excited to deliver what they want: choices for an elevated experience that are affordable and provide unparalleled value.”

Additionally, Spirit will also debut a new priority check-in experience and boarding process, also starting Aug. 27.

Spirit will begin offering priority check-in for Go Big travelers and members of Free Spirit Gold and Free Spirit World Elite Mastercard holders at more than 20 airports nationwide. Spirit’s new dedicated lane promises to speed up the check-in process by providing front-of-the-line access to the first available ticket counter agent.

Spirit will reconfigure its boarding process into five groups for a more efficient boarding process. Priority boarding will be available for Guests who choose the Go Big and Go Comfy options, Free Spirit Gold and Silver members, Free Spirit World Elite Mastercard holders and active-duty U.S. service members plus their spouses and children when traveling together.

ULCCs go premium

Spirit’s changes are the latest in a series of significant strategic adjustments by ULCCs to their in-flight experience and networks to compete with other airlines as demand for premium air travel offerings continues to grow.

Earlier this year, Spirit announced it would eliminate change and cancellation fees for all travelers on any flight, effective immediately. It also upped its checked bag weight allowance to 50 pounds and extended validity of travel vouchers to 12 months.

RELATED: Frontier, Spirit Scrap Change, Cancellation Fees

Rival ULCC Frontier Airlines announced in May the elimination of its change and cancellation fees for reservations within a week of scheduled departure. Frontier also rolled out a new, more transparent fare structure that bundles onboard amenities previously offered as a-la-carte.

Additionally, Frontier also expanded the validity of flight credits from three months to 12 months and re-introduced live phone support for travelers within 24 hours of flight and members of its FrontierMiles frequent flier program.

ULCCs have also transitioned focus from focusing on traditional leisure markets, such as Florida and Las Vegas, in favor of underserved, high-fare markets long associated with business travel –while still pursuing price-conscious travelers such as those visiting friends and relatives.

RELATED: PIT’s Ultra Low-Cost Carriers Expand Into Non-Leisure Markets

This new network focus has led ULCCs to rapidly expand into non-traditional markets from PIT, with Frontier recently starting twice-daily service to Philadelphia and multiple weekly nonstop flights to Atlanta, Dallas-Fort Worth and Raleigh-Durham in May; and Spirit adding three new daily routes at PIT this summer to Boston, Houston-Intercontinental and New York-LaGuardia.

Recent growth has also boosted ULCC capacity at PIT to record levels, with over 250,000 total seats scheduled in July, the highest total by the ULCC segment ever offered at the airport in a single month. Spirit (over 144,000 seats) and Frontier (nearly 49,000 seats) each contributed to that figure with the most monthly seats ever offered by each airline while serving PIT.