Review - Spirit Airlines Big Front Seat A320 Newark to Miami
NK3120 EWR-MIA
June 11th, 2023
Check-in:
Earlier this year Spirit was running a status match promotion for elite members of other airlines, so I figured meh why not. Based on my Executive Platinum status with American Airlines, I was given Spirit’s top tier Gold status.
Over the weekend I finally had the chance to try it out, and I reckon it would be top tier entertainment for both my friends and the blog. Bravo can never. To prove my point, this is what my friend responded after finding out I was flying Spirit.
Boarding:
After self-tagging my luggage and dropping it off at baggage check, which by the way, I’ve flown 800k miles in my life and then some, and I think this might be the first time that I had to stick a label on a suitcase myself. Not that there’s anything wrong with it, but I don’t think the process necessarily saves any time or staffing? After I tagged it, I still had to go to a counter to drop it off, which required ID verification.
The boarding area was, not quite a pandemonium but also not far off. More to do with the dilapidated Newark Terminal B though. While at the gate, the agent made an announcement upselling the remaining exit row seats for $12! Deal of the century!
Spirit Airlines Gate Advertisement at EWR
Spirit Airlines Boarding Gate at EWR
Boarding:
Boarding commenced with pre-boarding for those needing extra time, followed by passengers in zone 1. It was somewhat of a challenge to navigate through the confused crowd that congregated at the gate.
The cabin onboard was recently refurbished but poorly cleaned, if cleaned at all. The console next to my seat had liquid stains and crumbs all over. The seat surface felt rather sticky. The seat itself might appear similar to first class seats on legacy carriers, but I’m skeptical of the legroom. Per Spirit standard, even the big front seats did not recline.
Spirit Airlines A320 Cabin
Spirit Airlines A320 Big Front Seat
Spirit Airlines A320 Big Front Seat
Spirit Airlines A320 Big Front Seat
Spirit Airlines A320 Big Front Seat
Inflight:
Everything on Spirit was for purchase. They did a decent job integrating the menu onto the mobile app. The menu reads as follows:
Service promptly started once we reached cruising altitude. I ordered a bottle of water and cup noodles, which I realized I’d never had before. To use the Gold benefits, I just showed the flight attendant my boarding pass.
Spirit Airlines Snacks EWR-MIA
Wifi was available and came at a price of $9.99 for browsing and $11.99 for streaming. The service was provided by Thales, and the speeds were good.
On Arrival:
I feel like, dare I say, it wasn’t that bad? Domestic travel is so undignified nowadays on full service carriers, I didn’t feel that drastic of a difference when on Spirit. Granted I upgraded to a big front seat and had the benefits of a Gold member, which helped take out many of the stings of flying a low-cost airline. Would I fly in the 29-inch regular middle seat on Spirit and pay for a carry-on? Probably not. But as long as this Gold status lasts, I don’t see myself going out of my way to avoid it.