Can anyone give me a broad overview about flying them to Central America? It looks like Fort Lauderdale is their hub - how is it connecting here from MIA? Are the horror stories I've heard about them leaving people stranded true?

Felix,

We have used Spirit exclusively for the past few years. I have also heard horror stories, but for us they have been no worse than any of the others. We are not afraid to fly, but we detest it. For us it is just a necessary evil.

Yes, Lauderdale is their hub. When we need to get from Miami to Lauderdale we always just use a rental car. They are extremely cheap in South Florida. The only real problem is that there is nearly always construction near MIA and getting to I 95 North can be very confusing.

We always try to allow much more time than is necessary, and count on the trip being frustrating and unpleasant.

Again, I have nothing worse to say about Spirit Air than any of the others, domestic or foreign, and we have used them all at one time or the other, to and from Central America.

I believe there is a commuter train from the Miami airport to Fort Lauderdale. Then it is a short shuttle or a taxi to the airport. It might not be much cheaper than a rental but if you don't want to drive it gives you a choice.

I believe if you go to the FLL website they will have some info about the train. I didn't get the impression that it was especially expensive and they made it sound like it was pretty easy to get from one to the other. I've never flown Spirit yet, but I'll certainly be following this post with interest as I've been looking their way for some flights this winter.

I found this on www.airlinebulletin.com:

* Fort Lauderdale:

Rail: TriRail commuter train runs between West Palm Beach-FLL airport-Miami airport and points in between. Train runs more frequently during commuter hours, however, train does run limited operations on weekends. Station is at Dania Beach near the airport.

Schedules: Northbound, Southbound

Fares: FLL-Fort Lauderdale Station: $3.00 one-way, FLL-Miami Airport: $3.00 one-way, FLL-West Palm Beach: $5.00 one-way.