Never having flown before, I had to learn rather quickly about buying tickets. When I first looked at flights I was surprised by how expensive they were. Originally I was looking at flights for the July 19th weekend and it seemed that I could get tickets for most airlines around $300. The week of July 4th? Yeah right... try $500.
I did shave a bit of that cost off by selecting to fly back on July 5th instead of the 6th. But I still hesitated... and that hesitation cost me. When I was ready to pull the trigger the costs had gone up quite a bit. Delta, American, US Air.... they were all asking between $700 and $900. For economy! The only standout was Spirit Air. Their price was still hovering around $300. I may always try to select the best thing, but there is just no way I'm going to pay over double for something that I don't know is worth double. So... I entered the realm of Spirit Air Bare Fares.
Here's how I imagined airplane tickets used to work: You bought a ticket and it included a checked bag, a carry on bag, drinks, snacks, and if the flight was long enough; a meal. You selected your seat and paid a bit more if you wanted a window seat (maybe it was more for the aisle seat?). Sadly I never flew during those easy to navigate times.
Spirit is one of the companies that have changed air travel. As they more or less put it on their website, Spirit Air's fee gets you your ass in their seat... and that's it. If you want to bring more than a purse or a small backpack, you pay more. If you want anything to eat or drink, you pay more. If you want to select your seat, you pay more. If you want a pillow or blanket, you pay more. There's no first class or even business class... just economy. And from what I understand they can pack more people into a plane that any other airliner. That means that the seats are cramped. WAY cramped.
Now, I'm a big guy and I don't like the idea of being cramped. In fact it's entirely plausible that if I'm cramped for too long while surrounded by a bunch of people that I would just simply freak out.
So... I knew I'd be paying more to take a bag and I knew I'd be selecting a seat. I tried to book the flight through expedia, priceline, and a friend's corporate perk program (all about the same starting price), but none of them gave me any option for seating before putting in my payment. Instead of risking it, I went directly to Spirit's site and tried to book the flight from there.
First, booking from Spirit's site was cheaper than any of the other options. Sure, it was only a $10 difference, but that's ten bucks in my pocket instead of Spirit's. Next came the options. From what I've read, it's better to carry on your bag instead of checking it. Checking your bag means waiting in a long line to hand it off (even at the quick drop locations). Checking your bag means waiting afterwards for your bag to flow down some conveyor belt like milk at the grocery store. Checking your bag means opening yourself to the possibility of it being lost or even damaged. So I went with the carry on option.
Carrying on a bag (that doesn't fit under the seat in front of you) costs $35. Each way. So that's another $70. Next option was seating. Just like selecting a car, I want to ensure I have enough leg room. And just like selecting a car, you never really know what you get until your butt hits the cheap leather. Everything I heard about Spirits seats is that they are severely lacking in leg room. One bloggers post ranted on and on about how there just wasn't enough leg room and he was only six foot. I have a few extra inches and a knee that will go numb if it can't stretch out.
So at the minimum I wanted to select an aisle seat. That would give me room to extend a leg if need be. Better yet, as I continued to read and learn) I could select a seat near the emergency exits as they have a bit more leg room. I immediately latched onto that option as I could get a window seat in addition to not having my legs revolt and fall off.
Of course Spirit knows what people want and price their seats accordingly. To select any particular seat it costs an additional $18. Selecting the exit row (and a couple other rows that give extra leg room) costs $25. But while looking at the seating chart, I noted the 'Big Front Seat'.
Where most rows have three seats (and there is NO way I'm sitting in that tiny middle seat!), the 'Big Front Seats' have only two per row. Evidently they also include an extra six to eight inches of glorious leg room. But all that 'luxury' comes at a cost of $65. As this is my first flight and I really don't want to have leg cramps or other issues when my air virginity is stolen away, I figured this is a worthy additional cost. And if things work out well enough, I can even 'try out' one of the regular seats to see if I could fit into them and forego the extra cost on my next flight (remember, I'm flying down in early August too!).
So at the end of the day with my bags and extra leg room, I'm paying $527.98 to fly down to Dallas and back. That seems like a lot, but only until I look at the $945 American is asking. And that $945 doesn't include selecting a seat or my luggage. I'm not sure I'd have to pay anything for those privileges, but even if I didn't it's a $400 freaking difference!
OK... so I have my ticket, now I need to plan. Again, this is my first time flying so I start to read up on getting from my house to my seat (and back). The first obstacle is getting from home to the airport. If I were in a major city there would be plenty of options... driving myself, getting a ride from someone, a taxi, perhaps even a train (yeah, I'm looking at you Chicago you sexy beast!). Sadly, I'm NOT in a major city. The airport is a good hour's drive from my town, so a taxi or even shuttle service is out. That leaves me with driving myself or getting a ride.
At the time I was planning, I wan't sure I'd have Fiona back so there were three options. With Fiona I could drive myself and pay for parking. Parking at the airport's long term lot costs about $11 a day, so that's at least $44 (I figured it would probably end up being more like $50 or $60). If I didn't have Fiona I'd also be paying for the rental at $30 a day. That just seems silly, so I quickly dropped that option. As Fiona was a question mark, I made plans for a ride. My mom could drive me there without issue as my flight takes off in the evening. The ride back would have to involve my brother as my flight doesn't land until 11:30pm on Saturday. He's a night owl, so the late hour wouldn't bother him. I politely asked both parties if they'd be willing to lend a hand (and a car) and they agreed.
Since I DID get Fiona back I reconsidered just driving myself. I DO enjoy driving... but the more I thought about it, the more it just made sense to get the rides. I wouldn't have to worry about finding a spot, paying for a spot (that cost really averages out as I'll be buying tanks of gas for Mom and my brother), or driving back after a flight. Remember, it's my first time flying and I have no idea what type of 'mood' I'll be in upon landing. Driving angry is never a good idea.
On the Dallas end my friend readily agreed to pick me up and drop me back off when I leave. So with getting to and from the airport(s) planned, I now have to work my way through the airport and consider the flight itself. I have a very 'basic' idea of where to go in the airport. At the least, I figure they'll have signage and people to ask. One thing that concerns me is going through the security checkpoint. So I read up on that.
Some basic things I learned;
- I'll need to have my boarding pass and identification out and ready to be viewed.
- From what I've read, my drivers licence will be sufficient identification.
- I'll have to remove my shoes. No problem as I wear loafers anyway.
- I'll have to pack up all my liquids in 3 oz bottles and have them in a quart size baggy
- My cologne, hair paste, and deodorant are the only things I'll have to worry about and they are already all under 3 oz.
- I MAY have to remove my kindle and have it scanned separately. Laptops universally have to be scanned separately, but there's some differentiation on tablets.
- I'll have to remove my belt and have my pockets empty.
That leaves my kindle to consider. I'm of course interested in some in flight entertainment and Spirit makes it clear that beyond people watching, they don't provide anything. My phone is a good source of entertainment, but it also chews through battery like a cop does donuts. My kindle is perfect. I can read it on the flight, at my friends house, AND on the return flight and not worry about the battery ('ll have it fully charged before I leave). That way I can save my phone for pictures and texting/data/voice when I land.
But where do I keep the kindle? I know when I get on the plane, I'll have to put my bag in the overhead storage area... will I have time to retrieve it (without being 'That Guy' blocking the aisle?). So... I bought a little carrying case for the Kindle. It's not something that I've needed in the three or so years of owning it, but it feels like a good option for this flight. I can even use the case to hold my boarding pass and ID so that's ready to go when we board.
There's obviously variables that are going to come up and bite me in the ass. Yes, I know which exit the airport is on.. but where will I get dropped off? Where will I be picked up? Once I pass through security and find my gate... what then? Do I sit and wait? Do I 'check in'? Do I have to keep an ear open to listen for my seat? My zone? My area? Can I bring a bottle of water (more likely Mountain Dew) onto the flight if I buy it after going through security? That HAS to be better than paying $3 for a can of coke. When I land, where the hell do I go? I have a basic idea of the layout of Detroit Metro Airport... but I have no clue what Dallas Fort Worth is like.
So.. this will continue to be an adventure. I'll probably update this post when I get back if I don't make an entirely new post about the trip itself.
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