Review of Spirit Airlines flight from Orlando to Cartagena in Economy

America's ultra low cost carrier

Hello and welcome to another Flight Report! 

This is FR number 3 of my trip around North/Central America and will cover my flight out of the US to Cartagena, Colombia. Admittedly, this was a last-minute alternative as I was planning to head to Honduras and El Salvador. However, that got canceled due to visa issues - the Honduran embassy in London was overloaded and couldn't process my application in time (even when I sent everything 2 months in advance). 

This flight was paid for using Spirit credit from canceling my flight to San Pedro Sula, Honduras. For those unaware, Spirit declared bankruptcy in November 2024 and cut a large number of routes/staff as a result. I was incredibly hesitant to book with them because of this but they had the only viable option to Honduras from Orlando, so I didn't really have a choice. Luckily, they didn't cancel this flight (or cease operations) so everything worked out in the end. 

As for price, this flight cost me $125 one-way, which was 2/3 of my credits (the rest was used on the return).

I aim to offset all of my CO2 emissions from flights. All emissions are calculated using the ICAO Carbon Emissions Calculator and I will be funding projects approved by The Gold Standard.

Orlando International Airport (MCO)

I got here from Tampa via Flixbus and a taxi. The coach is really the only option for traveling between Tampa and Orlando. There is one Amtrak train a day between the two but it's not as convenient. I would say the Amtrak is definitely the better option as the bus stops in both Tampa and Orlando are very shady (I felt very uncomfortable in both). However, I feel like that's very much the norm for bus stops in the US… 

Anyway, here's Terminal A. Terminals A and B is in one building, with the northern side being Terminal A and the southern side being B. Terminal C is in another place and is used by international airlines as well as JetBlue. 

I love how they're using LED screens as signage! I wonder why airports outside the US haven't thought of that. (Probably cost/electricity usage haha). 

Here's the departure board laid out (very annoyingly) in alphabetical order. It's really just a thing in North America and I hate it (probably because I'm not used to it…)

And here's the check-in area for Spirit. There are a lot of self-check in kiosks however everyone heading abroad (at least to Colombia) had to have their documents checked manually by an agent, which took 20 minutes. 

Let's head through security! I've heard a lot about TSA in the US (most of them being negative comments online, unfortunately) so I went into it not knowing what to expect. It was fine, but I found it a lot more stressful than security in Europe/Asia. Interestingly, they weren't using body scanners and weren't requiring shoes to be removed, which is unusual for the US? At least from what I read online. Overall, the process took around 30 minutes, which isn't too bad.  

The US also designs its airports unlike anywhere else. While most places have a central terminal and branches out for the gates, they like keeping their passengers in the main terminal, where all the shops/duty-free areas are (especially in the UK… which I've complained a lot about). The US just separates passengers immediately after (or even before) security. I don't quite understand it as it means the number of food options/stores in each branch is extremely limited. It also makes it rather cramped, especially during busy times. I've only been to airports in Florida (TPA/MCO/MIA) so I don't know if that's a US-wide design feature or just a quirk of Floridian airports. 

On the train heading out to the 'branch'. Spirit uses Airside 1.  

And here it is. There's a central area, and it branches out further (sub-branches??) for the gates. 

There's a (very busy) mini-food court, but like I said, food options are very limited. 

Another photo of the departures area. 

Let's head to the gate! Our flight will depart from gate 9 today. 

You get some nice views of the apron on both sides… except it's dark so there's nothing to see. 

The gate area is rather crowded as there are flights to Puerto Rico and Mexico as well as domestic destinations like Philly (PHL) and Dallas (DFW). I do like how they've got domestic and international departures right next to each other. 

The Flight

Flight time to Cartagena will be under 3 hours and here's our route: 

Photo of the… tray table?? 

I mean… can this be called a tray table? Ok… let's explore this (I'm bored, alright?). According to the Collins Dictionary, a tray table is: 'a folding stand for supporting a tray.'

Diving deeper into this rabbit hole, a tray is: 'a thin flat board or plate of metal, plastic, etc, usually with a raised edge, on which things can be carried.' Now, the dictionary doesn't define how big a tray is however a quick Google search of 'tray' does not yield a single result that can be supported by this table. Now, based on the Collins Dictionary (and my initiative), it can be deemed that this table does not meet the criteria to be called a tray table - I'd say it's more fitting to call it a phone or coffee table (wait no… that's not right…)

First view out of the window. 

Howdy Spirit!

Some information about our plane:

Type: Airbus A321
Registration: N671NK
First flight: 28 October 2016
Age: ~8 years
Config: C8/Y220

A very standard A321 produced in Mobile (BFM) and delivered to Spirit in November 2016.

The legroom - not great but it's an LCC so what do you expect? 

Pushback on time with a photo of the gates (the US doesn't see this part of the airport as the terminal, as established in my last FR.)

Taxiing past a lake… Florida has soooo many lakes. I've talked to locals who described the state as 'a massive swamp'. I mean, they're not wrong.

Takeoff! Bye bye Florida… for now. 

View of the industrial area around Orlando. 

Look at all the lakes!! I can imagine the state being a great place for fishing. 

Climbing through the clouds. 

Let's have a look at the contents of the seatback pocket (I find it hilarious that the 'table' can't even support it.)

It includes an air sickness bag, a safety card, and a buy-onboard menu. No idea how the prices compare to other LCCs in North America. 

Over the Gulf of Mexico.

Quick look at the onboard Wi-Fi. Prices seem to be on the high side in my opinion, although I'm curious if it's depending on the flight length. 

A map is available for free. 

This is my first time flying over the Caribbean - the sea is gorgeous. 

Descending into Cartagena. It's fascinating how the sea is split perfectly into 3 colors here. I've got a feeling it has to do with the depth of the ocean, but correct me if I'm wrong. 

First view of land. 

On final approach. 

Welcome to Colombia! We landed on time. 

Parked next to an Avianca A320 heading to San Jose (SJO), Costa Rica. 

Some really nice photos of our plane as we head to the terminal. 

Cartagena Rafael Núñez International Airport (CTG)

The queue for immigration. I was at the back thanks to my location in the middle of the plane. 

It took around 40 minutes to clear immigration, and here's the arrivals area. 

I'm actually not staying here, I've got a 3-hour transfer before another domestic flight, which will be my next FR in this series. Thanks for reading and see you there!