My friend warned me about Spirit Airlines. It is a budget airline and if you want to travel a short distance at cheaper discounted prices, you can come here. I decided that the one time I would be on Spirit Airlines is for a quick flight from LAX to Vegas. It would only take 45 minutes and it will be worth the price. I can deal with the worn out seats, the cramped space, and the additional charges for luggage because I know that it is a discount airline. They will nickel and dime you ($100.00 +) for additional luggage carry on. It is pretty extreme, but I decided to brush it off.
The plane slowly started to take off and we started to see that there were already some problems: the plane was old and couldn't resist turbulence. For the first 15 minutes that the plane was in the air, the entire cabin was shaking around so much that the passengers started to hold on tightly to the walls of the plane. I felt nauseous by how much the plane was dropping up and down and twisting around. It didn't feel safe at all.
The second issue is that most of the flights are delayed. The planes arrive late frequently and it's hard to get to another connecting flight if it is an unreliable airline.
Third issue is the customer service through the phone. I tried calling the 1-800 number for baggage service and information about the airline. There are only four options and you can not speak to a single operator. The phone line hangs up on you after 10 seconds if you don't respond.
Unreliability is one thing. Just because you consider yourself a discount airline doesn't mean you should be making your flights not safe for your passengers. I'm sorry, but that is where I draw the line. No thanks, Spirit, not again.
On another note: Spirit Airlines will call themselves the fasted growing airline in the US. I just hope they look into replacing their airplane engines if they are honestly the fastest growing airline.