After a long trip through the airport, the TSA line, a grueling walk to your gate, and then another tediously slow line to board, a complimentary drink would be nice.
But, Spirit Airlines seems to think otherwise.
Although it’s not news that Spirit charges overpriced drinks like water and soda, a Spirit customer posted a hack on how to get around these charges.
TikTok account @bookthevacation posted a video showing how other Spirit customers were ‘hijacking’ the system. To avoid paying $4.89 for a cup of water, customers simply asked for a cup of ice and just waited for it to melt.
But, is it really worth it?
Is the ice on airplanes dirty?
Some commenters criticized the use of ice on airplanes. Many called it dirty and claimed it wasn’t cleaned regularly.
However, in this user’s TikTok video you can visibly see the ice served to customers came from a bag and not an ice dispenser on the plane.
The bagged ice is supplied by third-party providers. Studies found a plethora of bacteria in bagged ice used on domestic and industrial flights.
Amongst the strains of bacteria is a consistent presence of identified microorganisms known to infect humans and indicate environmental contamination.
Why does Spirit charge for water? Are they the only airline to do this?
Spirit does offer complimentary beverages and snacks based on your booking selection. For those who choose to ‘go big’ or ‘go comfy’ when booking their seats, drinks and snacks are included.
Many speculate that Spirit’s outrageous hidden fees help compensate for their crazy low base fare prices.
One user commented, “How do you think they’re able to pay for their plant that costs over $10,000 an hour to operate with your $39 ticket? By charging you for everything else…”
Another airline to do the same is Allegiant.
One comment under this user’s post was shocked that Spirit was charging customers for drinks.
“You gotta pay for your drinks?” they commented. “I’ve never had to.”
The original post’s account responded to explain. “Oh honey, I think you’ve been sheltered from budget airlines,” they said.
In their response, they included other ‘budget-friendly’ airlines such as Frontier, Allegiant, and JetBlue, but noted that JetBlue is still “pretty nice.”
@oh_wrdd_jayy tf y’all on about “those arnt the primary colors” you guys sound and look just as dumb as me I went off a picture I now realize what I did wrong you guys a bunch of haters💩😞 #painting #foryoupage #tiktok #foryou ♬ original sound – HurryUPandWait
Is there another way to avoid paying for drinks on Spirit Airlines?
In the past, there have been other ways customers avoided paying for water with Spirit Airlines. However, customers disagree that these methods still work.
For example, a frequent Spirit Airlines customer said she locked her credit card before getting on a flight. She claimed that doing this will get you a drink for free.
However, other users disputed her claim.
One said, “Most airlines are getting equipped with high-speed internet to be able to charge transactions instantly.”
Others said the airline will keep charging your card until it goes through or charge it weeks and maybe even months later.
The Daily Dot reached out to Spirit Airlines via email.
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