Monday, February 12 2018

The Spirit Airlines era begins this week: here's how to fly while staying sane. ✈️

Columbus Navigator Logo

Hello Monday. It's James.

Spirit Airlines will begin flights out of Columbus this week, initially flying seven routes out of our city: Las Vegas, Fort Lauderdale, Orlando, Tampa, and Fort Myers, plus New Orleans and Myrtle Beach starting in March as seasonal routes.

More carriers and routes is always a good thing, but Spirit Airlines is a controversial low cost carrier that brings with it a special set of challenges. Challenges like death by a thousand cuts fees. One example: buying a ticket online or over the phone carries with it an $18.99 fee - this is waived if you purchase your flight at the airport. Maddening, right?

Never fear though, we have the lowdown on exactly how to approach flying Spirit so that you successfully receive the savings they are advertising.

Monday Weather 🌡🌤 34 and mostly sunny.

Navigator Originals ✏️This Upper Arlington Home Is The Definition Of Open Concept 🏡Over an acre in Upper Arlington is a wild start, but wait until you see the open concept main living area with a sunken pit under a unique wood feature. I've never seen anything like it in central Ohio.6 Beautiful Boutique Hotels In Columbus 🏩We're in the midst of a hotel building boom in Columbus. In just a year this list may look completely different, but for now here are 6 of the most beautiful boutique hotels for your next staycation or for recommending to out of town guests.

Around Town 🏘The first American gold medal at the 2018 Winter Olympics was won by an Ohioan. 17 year old Red Gerard, born in Rocky River, Ohio, won gold in men’s slopestyle snowboarding. [Eleven Warriors]Do you think of Granville as romantic? It was the only central Ohio town to make a showing on this list of the most romantic small towns in Ohio. [OnlyInYourState]Columbus City Schools recently announced large budget cuts. With the closure of ECOT (and now another large online charter school closing), it's timely to look at how school funding in Ohio works. Short explanation: it's incredibly complicated and favors charter schools: "while Columbus is receiving $2484.70 per pupil, the district pays a charter school at least $6,010 for each student who leaves to enroll in a charter school (such as ECOT; not including the categories receiving additional funding).  This means that Columbus actually loses $3,525.30 in funding for each student who enrolls in a charter school." [Plunderbund]Domestic violence, as it often is in violent shootings, was a repeated precursor to the shooting murders of two Westerville police officers on Saturday. [WOSU]Columbus city officials are proposing a cadet program that would provide bridge jobs for Columbus City Schools recruits until they are ready for police and fire academy training, with the goal of having more police and fire personnel coming from the neighborhoods they serve. [Dispatch/Rouan]

Weekly Concert Calendar: 👨‍🎤🎸🎹2/12: ZZ Ward (Newport Music Hall)2/12: The Infamous Stringdusters (Newport Music Hall)2/13: The Ghost of Paul Revere (Rumba Cafe)2/15: Little Big Town (Value City Arena)2/15-18: 100 Years of Buddy Rich and Dizzy Gillespie (Southern Theatre)2/16: Awolnation (Express Live!)2/16: The Orphan The Poet (Rumba Cafe)2/17: Kid Rock (Nationwide Arena)2/17: Lorelei Ensemble (Southern Theatre)2/17: Mercy Me (Value City Arena)2/17: A Night of Symphonic Hip Hop featuring Wyclef Jean (Ohio Theatre)2/17: Zoso: The Ultimate Led Zeppelin Experience & Thunderstruck (Newport Music Hall)2/18: Excision (Express Live!)2/18: Big Something (The Basement)

Picture of the Day ✈️Get used to seeing this bold paint job at John Glenn International Airport starting Thursday. (📷: @spiritairlines)

Longread 🐶Meet the six year old Newfoundland that can use a snow blower. She recently upgraded from shoveling. Yes, this is real.CBC News: Meet B.C.'s snow-shovelling, beer-fetching, vacuuming dog

Something to say? Hit reply - we read it all.- James