a-Salaam Alaikum and greetings dear viewers.
Spirit is a Ultra Low Cost Carrier (ULCC) in the United States, they operate an all airbus narrow body fleet and were the first to introduce the ULCC model to the US. Spirit was the first to charge for carry on bags and even water costs just under $5 on inflight.
Nonetheless, I use Spirit often for most short leisure trips and find them to be a fair airline. The base fare includes just one personal item, max size 18 x 14 x 8 inches. All other items, such as seat assignment, baggage, snacks, water, etc will cost extra. With the online price of $48 USD including taxes, this flight was an excellent deal.
This trip report is going to be bizarre since the check in, security check, and the boarding gate were all in different terminals.
The day prior, I easily checked in on the Spirit app, and was pleased to be issued a window seat of 33A at no charge.
On the day of the flight, I spent the evening by the In-N-Out off of Sepulveda Blvd. The ever so popular location near LAX. Afterwards, we headed over to the corner of Westchester / Sepulveda to catch the bus to the LAX Metro Transit Center.
A short 5 minutes later, we were at the new LAX / Metro Transit Center. Opened in June 2025, this station is the primary public transit gateway to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)
I will take a moment to share why this new transit center is a game changer for this congested traffic-ridden airport.
Before the time before the opening of the LAX / Metro Transit Center, there were two different public transit facilities serving as the airport designated connection point to public transportation.
- Aviation / LAX Greenline station
- LAX City Bus Center
The primary public transit access point for LAX Airport was at the Aviation / LAX station, from where you can catch the free shuttle bus to the airport. The Greenline, now known as the C line, was the sole Metro Rail connection to LAX, it previously ran between Redondo Beach and Norwalk. Since the opening of the new LAX / Metro Transit Center, the C line now operates between the LAX / Metro Transit Center and Norwalk. While the Aviation / LAX station is still actively in use, it has been renamed to Aviation / Imperial Station. There are no longer shuttle busses from Aviation/Imperial station.
In addition, the alternative way of accessing LAX by public transit was through the LAX City Bus Center. It was most practical to me since it offered connections to several LA Metro bus routes, in addition to Culver CityBus, Beach Cities Transit, Torrance Transit, and Big Blue Bus (Santa Monica Public Transit.) However, the station barely had any proper bus shelters, was full of people camping out soliciting others for money, and overall just felt unpleasant. It too, was connected to LAX airport via free shuttle busses. Since the opening of the new LAX / Metro Transit Center, the LAX City Bus Center was permanently closed and all bus routes were shifted to the new transit center.
Now behold…
LAX / Metro Transit Center
LA Metro did a good job with the transit center, the new station has public bathrooms (before and after the fare gates), plenty of seating areas, live display boards, multiple security staff present, and bits of nature incorporated into the structure. It was a far cry from the dingy looking LAX City Bus Center. See? Public transit in the US isn't all that bad…but still has a long way to go. The APM (Automated People Mover) train that is to connect this facility to the airport terminals is still, not yet, in service. After multiple delays, it is slated to open to the public in June 2026.
The LAX / Metro Transit Center serves multiple transit agencies in addition to the LA Metro Rail C & K line:
- LA Metro
- Culver CityBus
- Big Blue Bus (Santa Monica)
- Torrance Transit
- Beach Cities Transit
- GTrans (Gardena)
- Metro Micro
Some major destinations that can be accessed by a single ride include UCLA, USC, Downtown Santa Monica, Del Amo Mall, Redondo Beach, Norwalk, and Crenshaw.
But of course…we are not out of the woods yet. You will need to take the free shuttle bus to the airport terminals. Thankfully, these were easy to find and are fitted with luggage racks.
The operator did ask me as I got on, which terminal I am supposed to go to. I responded, "2 or Tom Bradley" to which he grumpily asked me, "Which one?!" so I briefly explained, "Spirit checks in at Terminal 2 but the actual gates are in the Tom Bradley Terminal, either works for me."
The operator smiles, jokes that it is a confusing airport, and took his break. We eventually left the transit center quite late, so much so that the next bus was trailing right behind us.
Heading to LAX Airport Terminal 2…
The short ride was marred by awful traffic especially at Sky Way / World Way intersection. Due to people squeezing their cars into the intersection, by the time our light was green, we couldn't pass as cars were blocking our way. There were officers present, firmly instructing people to wait for our turn.
Welcome to LAX Airport…
The shuttle lets us off in the lower level of terminal 2.
Finding the escalators was a challenge because the signs are hard to see, but eventually, I found them right as the next Metro connector shuttle bus pulls up. Where was this frequency the other day when I waited 15 minutes for the shuttle bus…
As I made my way up, I could only see the signs for Delta, Virgin Atlantic, and Westjet check in…
So I turned around and walked a bit towards terminal 1, figured the Spirit check in would be closer towards there…
…and there it is. Spirit Airlines check in.
Check in
Though I already had a mobile boarding pass, I made my way to the check in kiosks to get a paper boarding pass. Unlike Frontier Airlines, Spirit will still let you get your boarding pass, at no charge, from the self check-in kiosks. If issued at the check in at the counter with an agent, it costs $10.
One important thing to note. Spirit closes check in at LAX 1 hour prior to departure, even for domestic flights. This currently only applies to their LAX locations.
Self check in was a breeze on the kiosks, though the bag prices were steep, carry on and checked bags starting at $79…yikes that is more than the flight price. Despite being already checked in, the kiosk did give me options on changing seats with a charge.
Seeing that there were multiple open rows on the flight and that I had time, I asked the check in agent if I could be moved to an open row. The agent was very friendly but did say "I will need to charge you if I do it here, but you can ask at the gate." After I declined, he told me that I will need to, exit the terminal, walk to terminal 1, and clear security there so I can catch the shuttle bus to the gates. I figured as much but the passenger in front of me was bewildered by this setup.
So we had to exit Terminal 2 and walk to terminal 1.
After entering terminal 1, finding the actual security checkpoint was easy. At first I was pleased to see that the line was short…
However, I quickly learned that despite being the 6th or so in line, the actual checkpoint was clogged with so many bins that some people waited awkwardly holding their bins in hand. The TSA agent wasn't quite helpful by constantly instructing people to "organize your bins" but not into further detail. Eventually, after the line reached a standstill, he did tell people, "Place your coats under your bags and shoes to the side." which seemed to get things moving again.
Heading to Gate 232
After clearing security, we made our way to the shuttle bus stop. It was clearly marked with signage and staff members asking us, "airline?" before letting us go down the stairs. The shuttle waited for a few minutes as more people got on, once the shuttle behind it pulled up, we finally headed for the Tom Bradley International Terminal - Midfield Concourse aka Terminal B West Gates
While Tom Bradley International Terminal (TBIT / Terminal B) serves a large bulk of international air traffic in LAX, it also handles most of the domestic operations for Spirit Airlines, Frontier Airlines, Breeze, and Sun Country Airlines as far as boarding/deplaning goes.
Our shuttle let us off at the Midfield Satellite Concourse (aka the 'West Gates') which is a satellite concourse of Terminal B. The original West Gates opened in 2021, intended to provide more international gates for the Terminal B, however, our gate is at the 'Midfield Satellite Concourse (MSC) South' which opened in late 2025, as an extension of the existing West Gates.
Although the West Gates itself primarily serves international airlines, the new 'Midfield Satellite Concourse (MSC) South' seems to mainly serve Spirit Airlines, Frontier Airlines and Sun Country. It houses gates 227 - 235.
I spot our aircraft for the day, an A321NEO a bit over 1 year old, registration N741NK.
It started its day off in Houston IAH, did a return trip to Newark EWR as NK 1256/1257, and arrived in from IAH as NK 1258. It will now be our ride to Houston IAH as NK 1259, interesting numerical order of the flight numbers.
The new 'Midfield Satellite Concourse (MSC) South' was actually quite nice, I liked the large windows, wooden elements, and comfortable seating area.
Boarding NK 1259 | LAX - IAH
I did wait in line to speak with the agent, it seemed there were 2 agents and a supervisor of sorts present.
A family got pulled from the boarding line as they had multiple bags in hand yet their booking does not include carry on bags. It seemed the agents were very encouraging of the passengers to find a way to fit everything into one bag so they can board without having to pay for baggage. The passengers were pretty snarky about it though.
This was rather unlike Frontier Airlines, where they are quick to pressure you to pay the $99 fee or miss the flight.
When it was my turn, I asked the agent about the seat change, to which he issued me a new boarding pass with seat 12A printed on it.
As I went back in line for boarding, the man in front of me also got pulled from the line as he carried two massive hand bags, once again the agent told him he still had another 5 or so minutes to pack everything into one bag.
As I scanned my boarding pass, the agent did glance at my personal item backpack but did not comment on it. My backpack was within the dimensions.
Onboard NK 1259 | LAX - IAH
Spirit has varying seat models on their fleet.
Their older A321ceo and some A320 are fitted with the Acro Series 3 Ultra Slimline seats, which feature the infamous tiny window sill of a tray table.
The newer A320neo delivered between 2019 - 2024, in addition to the retrofitted older A320ceo aircraft feature the newer Acro Series 6LC seats.
The A321neo and A320neo delivered post-2024 feature the newest seats for Spirit, the Haeco Vector Light seats. Todays flight features these seats:
The seats were fine, definitely better than the atrocious Acro Series 3 seats found on the older A321ceo aircraft. It was slightly better padded, had a slightly larger adjustable tray table, and I really liked that the literature holder had hooks and openings to hold small items like glasses and coats.
Despite being 28 inches in seat pitch, legroom was acceptable thanks to the design of the backrest.
However, the tray table was definitely not cleaned and the seatback shell felt pretty thin, to the extent I could faintly feel the knees of the person behind me at times when they moved around.
The middle seat was thankfully empty, making it easier for me to use the armrests, however, they were so narrow and rounded that it made it difficult for my arm to not slide right off.
The headrest was also well padded, but due to its bulging shape, it would be difficult to doze off in these seats.
In true ULCC model, these seats do not feature power sockets and they can not recline.
As multiple rows were empty onboard, many people moved around the aircraft. The cabin crew also helped people spread out.
We pushed back on time, and got a great view of the airport traffic, however, due to the quick and bumpy taxi, taking pictures prove to be a challenge.
Interestingly, the woman in the row in front of me placed a sandwich wrapper in the literature holder, the flight attendant noticed this, asked politely if this is trash, to which the passenger said no, so the flight attendant told her to take the wrapper out since, "it is only for Spirit approved literature."
As we taxied, we passed B-2038, a near 13 year old Air China Boeing 777-300ER getting ready to operate flight CA 984 to Beijing PEK.
We also passed a nearly two year Frontier Airlines A321neo named Axl the Axolotl, reg N639FR. It arrived in from Las Vegas LAS and is getting ready for a red-eye transcon to New York JFK as flight F9 2504…that's a long time to be on a Frontier flight…ouch.
Inflight NK 1259
We takeoff from runway 24R, bank south, then west, offering a nice view of Long Beach and the sprawl around it. Despite the chaos leading up to departure, the flight itself was very peaceful.
After takeoff, it was largely uneventful. Spirit has a buy on board service, even water will cost $4.49 per bottle. The only items that are complimentary are ice and hot water. The crew were very nice when I asked for both. I had my own tea to use with the hot water.
We flew past Phoenix.
Here's a aerial view of Phoenix Skyharbor International Airport - PHX
Arrival into Houston Intercontinetal Airport - IAH
The majority of the flight was quiet, most people around me dozed off, though the person in the aisle seat was having a hard time, their head kept falling sideways and eventually they propped themselves against the seatback in front of them.
We arrived into IAH airport around 12:02AM and parked next to N636NK, an 11 year old Spirit Airlines A320ceo painted in the old livery, oh the nostalgia! It arrived in from Fort Lauderdale FLL a while ago, and will fly back there tomorrow as a 5:40AM departure.
A view of the seat area before deplaning.
Spirit has been operating out of IAH for a while now, mainly using the Terminal A concourse consisting of gates A17 - A20, that section of the airport is loosely referred to as 'the Spirit gates.' Spirit has a noticeable presence in IAH, including a crew base, maintenance base, regular gates with permanent signage, and ticket counters open all day.
Our aircraft will overnight in IAH before doing a turn to Miami MIA tomorrow morning at around 8AM.
The walk to IAH Terminal A bag claim is a unusual one, you have to exit the airside into the check-in area, then make your way down to arrivals from there. So I exited the airside…
…and made my way to the elevators to go down to the Subway Train level, which is below the arrivals level. I had no checked baggage so no need to go to the arrivals level.
IAH airport has two train systems, while LAX, currently as of JAN 2026, has zero…what a shame, both of which serve all terminals. The Skyway and the Subway train.
The Skyway runs above the terminals and connects the airside areas of the terminal, meanwhile the Subway runs below the ground and connects the landside terminals, in addition to the Marriot Hotel.
I needed to catch the Houston Metro 102 IAH Express bus, it makes one stop at IAH airport, which is at Terminal C.
I made my way down two levels, and walked up to the Terminal A Subway station.
Did I mention that the Subway does not run 24/7? Yikes. It is out of service between 12:15AM to 3:15AM. Mistakes were made on my end…
…It was 12:24AM, and the last 102 IAH Express bus departs from Terminal C at 12:42AM. That meant only one thing. Run.
Thankfully, along the Subway tracks, is a walkway connecting the landside areas of all terminals. It seemed there was some work going on because part of it was pitch dark, making my run feel all the more peculiar.
As I sprinted….and took a moment to snap a photo…I prayed all sorts of prayers for the 102 bus to be late.
I surfaced at terminal C, rushed through arrivals, and walked up to the bus shelter that serves as the primary public transit connection to IAH airport….and was relived to see that there were people waiting there.
Shortly after, the last 102 IAH Express bus of the night pulls up to the stop.
Houston Metro usually sends the MCI Motorcoaches or the NOVA Bus articulated on this route. The MCI's are nicer, with overhead storage space, power sockets, and is much smoother on the road. Meanwhile the articulated busses are noisy and bumpy.
The fare is $1.25 and exact change is currently required. There are no ticket vending machines at the airport.
Alternatively, you could use the Metro Q card (soon to be phased out) to tap on as you board. Metro is also rolling out contactless payment options as well, however, this bus was not fitted with it.
One thing I love about the Houston Metro is that once you tap on, you get unlimited transfers on all local and express busses up to 3 hours from the first tap, regardless of travel direction.
It takes just under an hour end to end, as the 102 also makes a handful of stops around the airport before running express to Greenspoint, where it makes a few stops, then operates express into Downtown.
I will conclude my chaotic trip report here. Thanks for reading.
