This is the second part of my analysis of airlines when traveling with children and all information was accurate at the time of posting. For information on Southwest, JetBlue and United, see Part 1 of the series.
Spirit
Baggage: Spirit charges for all baggage, even larger carry-ons. Prices vary depending on your ticket type and when you pay for your baggage (when you buy your ticket, before check in, at the airport, etc.)
Car Seats: Spirit was very easy with car seats. Our flight we had a rear facing seat for Doodle and a forward facing seat for Sugarplum. Sugarplum’s seat was not a problem to install however the pitch between the seats was too small to safely rear face Doodle and while I could have demanded to be moved to a seat where it fit, with 5 of us I just decided to forward face him since he technically meets the requirements to forward face in the seat (though he would have been much safer rear facing and had the flight not been completely booked I probably would have asked to be moved.)
Seating: Spirit assigns seats when you check in however if you’d like to pick your seat, that is an option for an additional fee. We chose to pay the small fee in order to ensure we were all seated together and had the window seats we needed and also to prevent being put all the way in the back of the plane (we ended up midplane even with booking only a few weeks ahead of our flight).
Boarding: Spirit boards in zones like many of the bigger airlines. They allow families to board early though in order to get everything settled on board and ready for the flight.
Entertainment: Spirit does not offer any on board entertainment.
Snacks: All snacks and beverages are available for a fee.
Overall Family Friendliness: I didn’t mind Spirit. It reminded me a lot of our RyanAir days, traveling around Europe. While you don’t get a lot of frills and the fees can add up, if you know what you’re getting in to and know what to expect, it’s perfectly fine and their low fares to begin with, we found, offsets the extra fees and we still came out ahead for the trip versus flying another airline.
AirTran
Baggage: AirTran was recently acquired by Southwest and follows the same baggage policies as Southwest. 2 carry ons per person fly free (one personal item and one larger); 2 checked bags per person fly free (which includes any baby equipment, strollers can be checked for free at the gate).
Car Seats: We had a similar problem with car seats on AirTran as we had with Spirit, while the girls’ seats fit fine, Doodle’s (very small) rear facing seat did not fit rear facing and at only 4 months old at the time, forward facing was not an option. I was ready to fight and argue with the flight crew when I realized it didn’t fit but before I could say more than “his seat won’t fit…” the flight attendant asked the people in the row in front of me (a “extra leg room” row) if they would mind switching with us and offered them free drinks!
Seating: When we flew AirTran (it was actually the second leg of a Southwest ticket), it was shortly after the merger and they were still assigning seats to all passengers. We were seated together (2 in front and 3 behind) as we preferred until Doodle and I were reseated one row up. However, I believe AirTran now follows the same boarding procedures as Southwest.
Boarding: Families boarded after the frequent flier passengers but as above, I believe now AirTran follows the same boarding policies as Southwest.
Entertainment: There was no on board entertainment when we flew AirTran.
Snacks: Snacks and beverages are now free on all AirTran flights.
Overall Family Friendliness: Overall our trip on AirTran was fine. Now that Southwest and AirTran are fully integrated, I expect the experiences to be very similar though the aircraft may still be slightly different between the two carriers.
Delta
Baggage: Delta allows the standard one carry on bag and one small personal item per person. They charge for all checked bags unless you fly Business or First class or internationally. Domestically, bag fees start at $25 for the first bag. Delta allows strollers and car seats to be checked for free (though car seats should never be checked as they could be lost or damaged). They also allow a booster, car seat or bassinet to be brought on board for free and not part of the passenger’s baggage allowance.
Car Seats: Delta allows and encourages the use of car seats on board. They allow you to bring your car seat on board for your unticketed infant to use if the flight is not full but this usually only works if there is a seat open near or next to the one you are assigned (it is always best to buy a ticket for your infant to ensure they can use their car seat on the plane). Delta also offers baby bassinets on some of their international flights if you have a lap baby but, again, a car seat in your child’s own seat is always the safest way to go!
Seating: Delta uses a standard assigned seat process. We’ve never had a problem getting placed together as a family and usually end up towards the back of the plane.
Boarding: Delta often pre-boards families after the first class and frequent fliers though the ages and exact timing of family boarding can vary by flight.
Entertainment: Delta offers individual TVs at each seating location with the option to purchase movies and shows or you can opt to watch whatever is scheduled for your flight, free of charge. WiFi is also available on board some planes for an additional fee.
Snacks: Delta offers free standard beverages and small snacks on their domestic flights.
Overall Family Friendliness: The last time we flew Delta was quite awhile ago but we were fine with the service. They are not usually on the top of our travel list due to their fares being higher and lack of direct flights to the places we want to go but aside from one horrific international experience when we moved back to Florida, we’ve always been fine with Delta’s service and aircraft.
Don’t miss Part 1 of my Family Friendly Airlines reviews.
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We are flying on Spirit in May with a not quite 1yr old and 3 yr old both ticketed passengers with carseats. I’m having a minor panic attack over their seats fitting. What car seats did you use?
My son was rear-facing in a Combi Cocorro and it didn’t fit, we ended up having to forward face him (I didn’t feel like fighting to get reseated, he was 18 months at the time and met the height/weight requirements of the seat to forward face). My daughter forward faced in a Safety 1st OnSide Air. Both seats were fine forward facing. Closer to your flight time, visit SeatGuru.com and you can see what the seat width and pitch (front to back space between seats) is for your specific aircraft. Good luck and be sure to check out my other posts on tips for easy flying with kids: