Here’s How Much Spirit Airlines’ New ‘Business’ Ticket Costs

Two days ahead of schedule, Spirit Airlines has made sweeping changes to its booking channels. It now offers four thoughtful fare options, including a “business” fare that provides access to the airline’s Big Front Seat.

Log on to Spirit’s website now and you’ll see four new ticket options for flights starting in the coming weeks: Go, Go Savvy, Go Comfy and Go Big.

As TPG announced last month, the new configuration is much more reminiscent of how major airlines market their flights, offering a basic economy ticket at the bottom end and more spacious accommodations, plus “extras” like baggage and seat selection, at the top end.

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To be clear, Spirit isn’t making any major changes to its big yellow planes; the airline is simply overhauling the way it presents and sells fares and ancillary items. Those have always been a big part of its business model.

We tested Spirit’s booking channels from day one of the new fares. Here’s what we found and what you need to know before you book.

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4 new pricing options

As promised, Spirit’s new configuration offers four concrete fare options, which you’ll see as soon as you start booking a flight.

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As you can see, all four tiers are highlighted at the very top of the carrier’s booking page.

The options are:

Go

Think basic economy, or think what Spirit has always offered. This is the cheapest ticket, a stripped-down option with no frills. That means you’ll have to pay extra for everything from seat selection to checked baggage. This type of ticket completely bans regular-sized carry-ons.

Be smart

Think of this as Spirit’s version of a full-fare cabin ticket. You’ll be able to select a standard seat for free when booking and choose to bring either a checked bag or a regular-sized carry-on, but not both. Snacks and drinks are still not included, though.

Go at ease

This ticket allows you to select one of Spirit’s “Comfy” seats, which feature an empty middle seat for a little extra space. Plus, you’ll get one checked bag and one standard-size carry-on bag, plus snacks, drinks and priority boarding.

Think big

This ticket type provides access to Spirit’s large front seat, free Wi-Fi and priority airport security where available.

Related: Spirit Airlines Becomes Latest Low-Cost Airline to Drop Change and Cancellation Fees

Please note that some changes for certain ticket types (such as snacks, drinks and priority boarding) will not come into effect until August 27.

How much are Spirit’s new fares?

As with most airlines, Spirit’s new fares are set dynamically. However, we’ve seen some consistency in the price differences across ticket types.

Although there are many exceptions, we have seen the following trends for one-way flights:

• Go Savvy often costs around $50 more than Go.
• Go Comfy typically costs about $50 or $60 more than Go Savvy.
• Go Big typically costs about $70 or $80 more than Go Comfy (which means about $200 more than Go, in many cases).

Take for example this one-way Labor Day weekend flight from New York’s LaGuardia Airport (LGA) to Orlando International Airport (MCO). These incremental increases follow incremental hikes of $50, $60, and $80 for Go Savvy, Go Comfy, and Go Big, respectively.

Here are the one-way fares in September between Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI) and Fort Lauderdale Hollywood International Airport (FLL). The increases come in increments of $50, $60, and $70 as you move up the fare scale.

Again, this is just a general rule: prices and price increases based on flight tier vary from flight to flight. You’ll often pay more on routes that include a connection, like this Chicago to Austin trip that includes a stopover in Fort Lauderdale.

Booking a Go Big ticket on Spirit Airlines

One of the most notable changes Spirit made as part of its ticket sales overhaul was the introduction of a pseudo-“business” fare that takes advantage of its large front seat.

To book, you’ll need to select the most expensive option: $313 for this one-way flight in September from Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD) to Cancun International Airport (CUN) in Mexico. That’s exactly $200 more than the Go, or basic, offer.

When you select the Go Big rate, you will have the option to choose which of its large front seats you want at no additional cost.

Then the baggage page will show what is included, which is one checked bag and one carry-on bag (as well as one personal item, as with any ticket).

The page also tells you about the extras you’ll get for this all-inclusive ticket, including access to free Wi-Fi and a dedicated security lane (although if you’re a TSA PreCheck member, that’s probably still a good idea).

Spirit’s Go Big against the National First Class

For reference, $313 is well over $100 less than a domestic first class seat on American Airlines or United Airlines that day on the same route; I confirmed this on Google Flights.

However, Spirit’s $242 Go Big fare for a one-way flight in October from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) to Harry Reid Las Vegas International Airport (LAS) actually costs more than a domestic first-class ticket on Delta Air Lines.

Booking a Go Comfy ticket on Spirit Airlines

Let’s say you book the same flight from Chicago to Cancun but prefer Go Comfy instead.

When selecting seats, you will notice the blocked center seat; this allows you to select either window or aisle seating in the few rows where these arrangements are offered.

As with the top-tier fare, I will still have access to one checked bag and one regular-sized carry-on bag.

Booking a Go Savvy ticket on Spirit Airlines

You could call this the most “normal” ticket offered by Spirit.

Seat selection is included, so when you land on this page you will see all open standard seats listed for $0.

When you get to the baggage page, you’ll see that you’re allowed one regular-sized carry-on bag and you can pay $50 for a checked bag.

If you prefer to check a bag, remember that the Go Savvy fare gives you either one for free.

To make this change, simply go back and toggle the applicable option on the first booking page.

This change will be reflected when you return to the baggage page: one free checked bag and the ability to add a regular-sized carry-on bag for $50.

Book a Go ticket on Spirit Airlines

Booking Spirit’s lower-tier fare is quite similar to booking a Spirit flight in the past.

Let’s say you’re flying from Seattle to Las Vegas in October and want to travel without the frills.

Just like you’ve seen on Spirit, seat selection will cost you extra (starting at $18 in this case). If you don’t pay to select a seat, you’ll be randomly assigned a seat at check-in.

Meanwhile, the baggage page says a checked bag costs $50 and a regular-sized carry-on is prohibited.

In conclusion

Spirit Airlines’ new pricing is certainly different than what customers have seen in the past. It offers four concrete packages up front, rather than offering one discounted rate and additional fees for all the “extras” as it has in the past.

However, customers who prefer the a la carte approach can select the Go ticket and then choose what they want to include with their ticket.

It’s worth noting that Frontier Airlines recently made similar changes to its fare structure and added rows with empty middle seats, known as UpFront Plus. Those seats have garnered significant customer interest, the carrier said last week. However, Frontier doesn’t offer a spacious seat comparable to Spirit’s Big Front Seat.

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