The Details

• Flight: NK564
• Aircraft: A321
• Class: Big Front Seat
• Seat: 1A
• Route: San Diego International (SAN)-Chicago O’Hare International (ORD)
• Distance: 1,832 miles
• Duration: 3hrs 26min
• Departure: 4:41PM (delayed 2hrs 39min)
• Arrival: 10:06PM

The Preflight

Spirit Airlines departs from T1 at San Diego International Airport. T1 is the old part of SAN which is where most of the low cost carriers at based at including Southwest.

Our flight was supposed to depart at 2PM local time but the inbound flight from Chicago was delayed. We ended up departing two hours and 40 minutes late. Our bird N680NK, an A321, was delivered brand new to Spirit in November 2017.

Boarding began with those passengers who had purchased priority boarding or the Big Front Seat.

The Flight

Spirit Airlines features eight Big Front Seats aboard their A321s in two rows of 2-2. Each seat has 36″ of pitch and are 18.5″ wide. The seats are pre-reclined and do not recline any further. I was seated in 1A the bulkhead row. In the bulkhead was a small literature pocket

Besides a bi-fold tray table and shared drink table there were no other features in the seat. The seat itself was fairly well-padded and there was a comfortable headrest.

After a brief taxi to the runway we blasted off for Chicago O’Hare. There were some great views of North Island Naval Air Station and downtown San Diego.

Also some views of Naval Base San Diego and the ships of the Pacific Fleet.

Being a low cost carrier, Spirit Airlines does not offer any complimentary inflight service. Flight Attendants did pass through the cabin taking orders from their buy-on-board menu. I decided to try the infamous BuzzBallz mixed drinks. For $17, I got two BuzzBallz and one large snack (M&Ms).

We were treated to a gorgeous sunset while crossing over the middle of the country.

The rest of the flight was uneventful and we touched down around 10PM local time; three hours after our scheduled arrival time. We taxied for about twenty minutes before pulling into a gate in Terminal 3 at O’Hare. Thanks for the ride!

Overall, Spirit Airlines offered a very competitive seat for a fraction of the cost compared to the traditional full service carriers. Despite the three hour long delay, I had an enjoyable flight. I love the Big Front Seat and it represents an excellent deal.