I flew Spirit Airlines from New York to Atlanta. For $97, it was better than I expected, but these 7 things surprised me.

When I texted my cousin to let her know I was boarding my flight to visit her in Atlanta, she wished me luck for when it was "my turn to fly the plane."

It's a common joke surrounding Spirit Airlines, insinuating that flights are so cheap because they require passengers to fly the plane themselves. Indeed, Spirit, rated one of the worst airlines in the world last year, is notorious for its cheap flights and no-frills amenities. 

Earlier this month, I decided to test the airline for myself, taking a two-hour flight from New York City to Georgia for $97.

The airline lived up to its reputation as a bare-bones travel experience, and while I don't think it warrants the vitriol it receives, I was surprised by these seven things while flying Spirit. 

Spirit's baggage policy allows passengers to bring one personal item free of charge. The company's website describes it as "something like a laptop bag or purse," as long as it's smaller than 18" x 14" x 8."

I was traveling with a half-full Patagonia Black Hole duffel, which could be smooshed down to fit within Spirit's parameters. But knowing that airlines are getting pretty strict regarding personal items, I wasn't sure if they'd let my bag slide.

There's constant discourse online about Spirit's baggage restrictions, and because the airline charges more for bags the closer you get to departure, I decided not to risk it. The last thing I wanted was to get to the gate and be asked to fork over $89 for a carry-on, so I spent $71 at check-in instead. 

I was surprised — and disappointed — that my bag did pass as a personal item, fitting snugly under the seat in front of me. I had shelled out $71 for nothing.

According to my flight confirmation, I paid $26.89 for my flight to Atlanta.

Even with my $71 carry-on bag, my flight was less than $100, which is pretty remarkable when you think about the fact that a giant metal tube is taking you nearly 900 miles through the sky. It's unequivocally cheap.

I was, however, still taken aback by Spirit's extra fees. 

Spirit operates on an a-la-carte business model, meaning pretty much all amenities cost extra; WiFi starts at $2.99 for regular web browsing and $5.99 for streaming, and prices increase during the flight's duration. Other Insider reporters have found that water costs $4, and snacks are even more, so I was happy to have packed my own food and water. 

At the gate, every seat was taken, and dozens lingered around waiting for the flight. It was crowded and overwhelming, with people chattering loudly and kids screaming and crying (not unlike other boarding areas, to be fair).

The atmosphere while boarding the flight itself was equally chaotic. Several passengers appeared to have a hard time finding their seats, resulting in a flight attendant announcing over the intercom that if they didn't hurry up and settle in, they'd be removed before takeoff. 

It's been a chaotic few weeks for airline passengers, so it seemed less unusual and more just a sign of the times.

It may have been a good thing that Spirit doesn't offer complimentary meals because if they had, the food probably wouldn't fit on my tray table. 

Spirit's tray tables were perhaps the saddest little trays I've ever seen. They were borderline useless — so small I couldn't even comfortably set my iPhone on it without it falling off. 

I was in row 30, one of the very last seats before the bathroom. From what I could tell, each row up until 28 appeared to have larger tables, with the tiny trays reserved for the final few rows. 

I'm 5'7", and when I sat down, I had just a few inches of legroom between my knees and the seat in front of me. Because my flight was just two hours and I slept most of the way, I didn't mind the amount of space. 

While other Insider reporters felt constrained by the seat size, I only felt uncomfortable when I crossed my legs, which about halved the amount of space I had. Otherwise, I didn't feel too cramped on my flight.

Spirit is constantly getting dragged online, with people having deemed it the Dollar Store of airlines, while others on TikTok use the made-up tagline, "fly Spirit, become a spirit."

I took all this into consideration when I booked my trip, preparing myself for the worst — like flying the plane, if need be. Despite the hectic boarding process, excess fees, and tiny tray tables, I found that my less-than-$100 ticket was worth it.