Spirit Airlines Boarding Zones & Process

When most people hear Spirit Airlines, they tend to cringe. Spirit is put in the same category as Ryanair, EasyJet, and Air Asia, and rightly so: all of these airlines are known as ultra-low-cost carriers.

That means you won’t get any extras without paying for them. Fares are set as low as they can go, and passengers are charged for anything else they want.

When we say everything, we mean everything: seat selection, carry-on bags, and printing boarding passes are just a few of the extra fees you will find when booking with Spirit Airlines. You won’t even get a free drink during your flight!

The most important thing you can do to improve your experience when flying any low-cost airline is to understand the policies and fees before you book. That way, you know what to expect and don’t end up frustrated with unexpected costs and confusion.

When it comes to preparation for your flight, knowing how the Spirit Airlines boarding process works is a great place to start.

By understanding boarding, you’ll get your trip started right and have less to worry about when it’s time to fly. Let’s take a look at how Spirit Airlines boards its planes so you’ll know just what to do.

Table of Contents

Spirit Airlines Boarding Zones
How To Build Up Your Free Spirit Points Balance
Final Thoughts

Spirit Airlines Boarding Zones

Spirit Airlines uses a boarding process that is similar to other low-cost airlines like Frontier: 4 numbered zones, along with pre-boarding and family boarding, make a process that is fairly easy to follow.

When flying with an ultra-low-cost carrier, you need to remember that many of their passengers will be newer to air travel. They may not be as experienced with any type of aircraft boarding, and you’ll need to have patience when things don’t go as smoothly as they should.

The more people who understand how the boarding process works, the quicker the airplane will be loaded! So let’s go over exactly how Spirit Airlines does things.

Here are the details of which passengers are eligible to board with each of Spirit’s boarding zones:

Pre-Boarding

Passengers with disabilities
Passengers who need special assistance

Zone 1

Passengers who purchased a carry-on bag

Zone 2

Passengers who purchased Shortcut Boarding
Passengers who have Silver or Gold status with Free Spirit
Cardholders of the Free Spirit® Travel More World Elite Mastercard® and the Free Spirit® Travel Mastercard®

Family Boarding

Families with children ages 3 and under

Zone 3

General boarding
Usually the back half of the plane

Zone 4

General boarding
Usually the front half of the plane

Boarding Notes

Even if you didn’t pay to choose a seat ahead of time, you will be assigned a seat when you check in for your flight. Once the seat is assigned, you will be placed into one of the available boarding zones, which will be shown on your boarding pass.

With Spirit Airlines, it is especially important to check in for your flight and get your boarding pass before you get to the airport.

Once you arrive at the airport, Spirit actually charges you to print a boarding pass. It will cost you $2 to print your boarding pass at one of its kiosks, or a somewhat ridiculous $10 if you need to have an agent print your boarding pass for you!

Hot Tip: You can easily avoid the boarding pass printing fees by checking in and printing your boarding pass at home before your flight. Even if you forget to do that, you can always use the free Spirit app (iOS, Android) to get an electronic boarding pass on your smartphone.

How To Build Up Your Free Spirit Points Balance

Our goal at Upgraded Points is to get you in the air without using too much of your hard-earned cash. As you would expect, the best way to do that is with points and miles.

The Free Spirit loyalty program definitely isn’t known as one of the strongest loyalty programs out there, but if you regularly find yourself choosing Spirit for your paid flights, you might as well join and earn some points.

In addition to flying, there are lots of other ways to earn Free Spirit points.

If you’re looking for the easiest way to earn, the Free Spirit World Elite card is probably the way to go. It earns 3 points per dollar spent with Spirit, has a few useful benefits, and the annual fee is waived the first year.

By putting a good chunk of your spending on the Free Spirit World Elite card, you will be ready to take your first Spirit Airlines award flight in no time.

Spirit Airlines award flight redemptions actually start at a pretty low level, starting at just 2,500 points one-way.

Also, don’t miss our post on the best ways to redeem Free Spirit points for max value.

Bottom Line: The key thing to remember about the Free Spirit program is that your points will expire in just 12 months if you don’t have any new earnings on your account (no matter how they’re earned). If you have either credit card, a simple recurring monthly bill can solve this problem — but if you don’t have either card, you really need to watch your points and use them within 12 months.

Final Thoughts

Spirit is the airline people love to hate. It charges low fares and then adds on costs for everything else you need, including printing boarding passes at the airport and beverages on board. But it’s really not much different from other ultra-low-cost carriers around the world.

Sure, flying with Spirit isn’t the same as the legacy U.S. carriers like American, United, and Delta — but choosing Spirit can really save you a lot of money. The flight experience typically isn’t that bad either, as long as you know what to expect.

By learning about its boarding procedure ahead of time, you are already a step ahead of the other passengers. You’ll be ready to go when you get to the airport, and might even be able to help some other customers understand what’s going on (and if you’ve got other questions relating to Spirit Airlines, check out our Spirit FAQ guide).

Flying on Spirit Airlines isn’t for everyone, but if you are looking for a cheap way to get from point A to point B and you don’t mind giving up some of the comforts of traditional airlines, Spirit is really a great option that you should look at.

Now that you know how to board, maybe we will see you at the gate!

The information regarding the Free Spirit® Travel More World Elite Mastercard® was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.
The information regarding the Free Spirit® Travel Mastercard® was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.

Featured Image Credit: Markus Mainka via Shutterstock

Frequently asked questions

Are Spirit flights assigned seating?

Yes, Spirit Airlines uses assigned seating for all of its flights. If you want to choose your seat, you can pay a fee ahead of time to pick the one you want. Fees vary depending on where on the plane the seat is, with exit rows and other premium seat locations costing more. Passengers who choose not to pay to choose their seat will have a seat randomly assigned to them at check-in.

How many boarding zones are there on Spirit?

Spirit Airlines uses 4 boarding zones for loading its flights. In addition to those 4 numbered zones, Spirit offers pre-boarding to passengers in need of extra assistance and family boarding to families traveling with children 3 and under.

Who is in Zone 1 on Spirit?

Boarding Zone 1 on Spirit Airlines includes all passengers who have purchased a carry-on bag for the flight. These passengers are allowed to board in the first zone so that all overhead bags will be stowed before the remainder of the plane boards, thus speeding up the overall process.

Who is in Zone 2 on Spirit?

Boarding Zone 2 on Spirit Airlines includes passengers who purchased Shortcut Boarding, passengers who have Gold or Silver status with Spirit, and cardholders of the Free Spirit World Elite card or Free Spirit card.

Who is in Zone 3 on Spirit?

Boarding Zone 3 on Spirit Airlines is the first of its general boarding zones and usually includes passengers seated in the back half of the plane.

Who is in Zone 4 on Spirit?

Boarding Zone 4 on Spirit Airlines is the second and last of its general boarding zones and usually includes passengers seated in the front half of the plane.

Who is allowed to pre-board on Spirit?

On Spirit Airlines, passengers with disabilities and passengers who need special assistance are eligible for pre-boarding. If you would like to take advantage of pre-boarding, you should see a gate agent before the boarding process begins.

When can families board on Spirit?

When flying on Spirit Airlines, families traveling with children who are age 3 or under are allowed to board between Boarding Zone 2 and Boarding Zone 3. Families will be able to board after elite members, credit card holders, and those who have paid for priority boarding, but before general boarding begins.

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About Jeff Brownson

Since discovering miles and points in 2010, Jeff has traveled to over 35 countries, flying in first class, business class, and sometimes even in coach. Whether he’s staying in a hostel dorm, or in a luxury suite at a 5 star hotel, Jeff is constantly looking for the best deal to make travel as close to free as possible.

Disclaimer: Any comments listed below are not from the bank advertiser, nor have they been reviewed or approved by them. No responsibility will be taken by the bank advertiser for these comments.

20 comments

Javier February 22, 2020
I’m flying with my two boys ages 8 and 10. I understand seating is assigned randomly. But my question is will we be assigned randomly to a group of seats next to each other, or will we be assigned randomly individually and thus not be expected to sit next to each other?
Reply
- Catherine Luther February 23, 2020
  Hi Javier,
  Spirit says ” we can’t guarantee that you’ll get to sit with your friends or family” so there is a chance you could be seated away from each other with seat selection.
  Reply
Dayne October 1, 2020
My question is, can I still board if my new license hasn’t come in the mail yet and my current license has a void stamp on it and the paper stapled to it is expired as well?
Reply
- Jarrod West October 5, 2020
  Hi Dayne,
  According to the TSA, they are accepting expired IDs for a year past their expiration date.
  Reply
Leslie E Thomas October 5, 2020
I have the spirit app on my phone. If I check in with that will my boarding pass be there and I don’t need a print out?
Reply
- Jarrod West October 6, 2020
  Hi Leslie,
  Yes, you can use the mobile boarding pass from the app instead of printing it out.
  Reply
diane May 4, 2021
I’ll be travelling with 2 toddlers, can they sit in their car seats?
Reply
- Jarrod West May 4, 2021
  Hi Diane,
  Yes, Spirt Airlines will check one car seat per child for you at no additional cost.
  Reply
Drew May 11, 2021
Is spirit airlines still accepting expired IDs?
Reply
- Jarrod West May 11, 2021
  Hi Drew,
  You’ll want to contact Spirit Airlines directly at 1-(855)-728-3555 regarding that.
  Reply
Brandi May 21, 2021
Do I need to show anything for flying with my 7 year old daughter and my 8 year old niece besides their tickets/boarding passes??
Reply
- Jarrod West May 24, 2021
  Hi Brandi,
  No, you should not need to show any other information as long as you are on a domestic flight. Otherwise, they will need to have a passport.
  Reply
  - Katherine October 13, 2021
    I will be traveling with my husband to Baltimore soon. I would like to know if I pay extra to board in zone 1, will I have to pay for a carry on as well? Or is that included with the seat? I was told when flying back home to FL from NJ yesterday that anything past zone 1 there will be an extra charge for a carry on.
    Reply
    - Jarrod West October 19, 2021
      Hi Katherine,
      If you pay for a carry-on bag you automatically get Zone 1 boarding. But if you just purchase early boarding Spirt does not give you a carry-on bag for free. Safe travels!
      Reply
Michelle January 15, 2022
I love-hate Spirit airlines! Flying Spirit is like getting ready for a test, you are expected to know everything and pass with FLYING colors. However if one directly purchased a pass for priority boarding and had to board later potentially losing overhead space+… sounds like a scam to me (intentional or not). I wonder if other airlines were doing the same. *The trick for app issues is SCREENSHOTS + Manager, I got my carry-on price adjusted from 75 to 35 overseas.
Reply
Cat shaw February 16, 2022
Hi Jarrod,
I paid for aisle seats for my husband and I. My husband is disabled, needs the extra space afforded by the aisle seat and he also uses a mobility scooter. He has medical equipment that is neccessary to keep with him at all times. We confirmed days ahead of our flight that there were notes on file regarding our special needs, we confirmed at check in with the Spirit Airlines ticket agent and we were given our boarding passes with the seats we purchased. The flight was delayed by over 3 hours. The gate agent confirmed and tagged our mobility scooter and then reprinted our boarding passes and allowed us to preboard.
Much to our shock after getting ourselves situated, someone else claimed the seats we were in. Upon pulling out the reprinted boarding passes, the gate agent reassigned our seats forcing us to sit in a window and middle seat. We felt that my husband’s impairment played a factor in moving us and because the flight was full and already delayed we had no choice but to sit in the inferior seats. When we asked her why she moved us? She said a man wanted to sit with his family!!! Outrageous! He should have bought his seat like we did! We feel discriminated against, we weren’t offered a refund and now, the only way to file a complaint is via email and it could be 30 to 60 days to hear from them! I am so upset and I feel there should be a refund for the seats as well as the aggravation of being crammed into seats that made the flight practically intolerable! Do you have any idea how to get someone to address our complaint sooner than the timeline Spirit has made as company policy?
Reply
- Jarrod West February 22, 2022
  Hi Cat,
  I’m very sorry that you had to deal with this frustrating experience. Unfortunately, I’m afraid I don’t have a way to guarantee that Spirit will address your complaint sooner. If you have a Twitter, one possible option is to send them a Direct Message as that can often be much quicker than waiting for an email reply. Best of luck!
  Reply
Olivia Jastrzembski March 25, 2022
I am boarding the plane with a disability and did not pick up my seat. Where will Spirit place me on the plane when picking a seat for me?
Reply
- Jarrod West March 31, 2022
  Hi Olivia,
  I can’t say for certain where they will place, as seating assignments are usually random.
  Reply
Mr J M March 7, 2023
I noticed a difference in boarding between Seattle-Tacoma and Harry Reid in Las Vegas. The Spirit group in SeaTac called for both active & retired military to board early. The group in Las Vegas only called for active duty to board early. The all-around respect by the former was much appreciated, though recognition of military is a commendable gesture, in any case. ☆
Reply

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Spirit Airlines Boarding Zones & Process – Everything You Need To Know