Spirit Airlines announced today that is its introducing a new, extra legroom, seats as well as expanded benefits for members of the Free Spirit loyalty program.
Spirit Adds Extra Legroom Seats
Spirit Airlines is adding four extra inches of legroom to sections of its aircraft as the carrier upgrades its Go Comfy product offering that was first announced last year as part of a rebranding. Prior to this announcement, aside from the Big Front Seat, which was rebranded as Go Big, the carrier had standardized seating throughout the plane.
The Go Comfy fare bundle previously included a guaranteed blocked middle seat, one carry-on bag, one checked bag, priority boarding, and a snack and non-alcoholic beverage. Now, guests will get to add more legroom to the list, though it will come at the expense of the blocked middle seat.
The new Go Comfy bundle now includes a carry-on bag, no change or cancel fees, priority boarding, reserved overhead bin space, a snack and non-alcoholic beverage.
Rana Ghosh, Senior Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer at Spirit Airlines, had this to say about the new seating option:
“Spirit’s new premium options offer travelers exceptional value, and we’re creating even more opportunities for Guests to experience them with our new extra-legroom seating option.”
The airline will begin installing the seats, or rather rearranging existing seats, in June 2025 with the majority of the fleet expected to be reconfigured by July 2025. The ultra-low-cost carrier (ULCC) is planning to install seven rows of extra legroom seating on its aircraft for a total of 42 seats.
Extra legroom seats will go on sale May 15, 2025 for travel on or after July 9, 2025.
Spirit Shakes Up Its Free Spirit Loyalty Program
In another change, Spirit is making updates to its Free Spirit loyalty program. This includes upgrades for status members and Free Spirit Travel More Mastercard holders. According to the airline, Free Spirit members can expect the following changes:
- Expanded Redemption Options: Free Spirit members can now redeem miles for all four travel options, including premium options like Go Big and Go Comfy. Additional redemption options are expected in the next few months.
- Complimentary Upgrades: Free Spirit Status members and Free Spirit credit card holders will enjoy complimentary upgrades to a Big Front Seat and Comfy Seat at boarding, based on availability and status level. Benefits will extend to one Guest on the member’s reservation beginning in June.
- New Two Free Checked Bags Benefit for Free Spirit Travel More Mastercard Cardholders: Beginning later in 2025, Spirit and Bank of America will roll-out two free checked bags as a new benefit for Free Spirit Travel More Mastercard Cardholders.
- Earn on Everyday Purchases with the New Free Spirit Debit Card: The new Free Spirit Debit Card, scheduled to launch this Fall, will allow anyone to earn Free Spirit points on their everyday spending and redeem those points for travel on Spirit while receiving Group 2 Priority Boarding and a 25 percent rebate on inflight purchases.
Guests earning Free Spirit Silver or Gold status will continue to enjoy existing benefits like expedited security and seat selection. Gold members will continue to receive free bags, complimentary Wi-Fi, snacks, and drinks (including alcohol).
My Thoughts
Overall, I like the changes that Spirit is making here. While there is no word on whether they plan to remove a row of seats to accommodate the extra legroom section, Go Comfy could be a great option for those that don’t want to pay for the Go Big experience but still value the perks that come with those tickets. While I don’t fly the airline often, I did enjoy my experience in Go Big and would fly them again if the price and schedule was right.
While I’ll likely never fly with Spirit enough to earn status with the airline or get one of the carrier’s cobranded cards, the perks are solid if you fly with the airline on a regular basis.
If you’ve read this blog for any length of time you’ll know that I disagree with many of the choices that the carrier has made both leading up to its bankruptcy and since it emerged from bankruptcy. While profitability continues to be an issue, these changes actually make sense to me and should be well received by the airline’s passengers.
Summary
Spirit Airlines is adding extra legroom seats to its Go Comfy fare bundle. The carrier plans to install a whopping 42 of these seats on its existing aircraft and will likely (hopefully) remove some seats in order to do so.
In addition to the added legroom, the carrier is also making changes to its Free Spirit loyalty program which will provide added benefits for the carrier’s most frequent flyers as it looks to return to profitability.