Often, it’s good to try new things right? I was feeling very adventurous, so I booked flights to Denver on Spirit and United (Basic Economy) for me and my friends. Hopefully, they don’t get mad at me. 🙂

Wait what, really?!

Yes really! So, I’ve never tried Spirit or United’s Basic Economy, and decided that it would be good to review it. I’ll let you know how it goes, so you don’t have to take this “adventure”!

Spirit:

Things I learned during the booking process:

  • It’s cheaper to buy a bag at booking than after! It’s $30 at booking (which I bought), then it jumps to $40 before/at check-in. (and then $50 at the airport)
  • Reserving seats costs LESS at booking too! I saw some seats at booking for $3 near the back, and after booking then went up to $8! The Big Front Seat was $35 at booking (soooo tempting), and now its $45.

Spirit says they will try to seat you with your group if seats are available, so I’m curious to see if we end up sitting together.

United Basic Economy:

Things I learned during the booking process:

  • They REALLY warn you about what you’re getting yourself into. I even got an additional email after booking stating “IMPORTANT INFO ABOUT YOUR BASIC ECONOMY FARE”.
  • They say you won’t be able to sit with your group, so even if there’s leftover seats, they will intentionally split you up? I’ve seen reports of this. Curious to see how this plays out.

Spirit and United

 

 

Neither comes with a carry on bag, only a personal item. Since a checked bag is starting at $30 for Spirit and United charges $25, they are quite similar. But you do get drinks and snacks on United, whereas it costs money on Spirit. Also, on United there is the option to purchase wifi and stream movies/tv. Sure will be interesting to compare United vs Spirit. Reviews to come in the next month, stay tuned!

Who do you think is better/will be the better experience? Comment below!

Happy travels,

theresorttraveler