For Part 1 of the Airlines series as well as a description of each criteria, CLICK HERE.

Southwest

Southwest is a bit of a hybrid between a standard airline and a budget airline. Their fares are often low, especially on high-demand routes, but they are comparable to the standard airlines on many routes. Southwest has the best in customer service. Their philosophy and customer treatment are the gold standard in the industry, and they make it very convenient to make changes, cancel, and rebook flights.

Southwest operates as a budget airline. They aim for extremely short turnaround times and keep their planes as full as possible and in the air as much as possible to maximize revenue. Southwest doesn’t offer seat assignments. In order to turn the plane faster at the gate, Southwest gives each guest a boarding position but lets everyone pick their own seat as they board.

Southwest also utilizes small airports to keep their fares lower. In cities such as Houston, Chicago, Dallas, and Los Angeles, Southwest uses an airport other than the main airport in the city. This gives them more negotiating power for landing fees and airport fees.

Sample Flights

  • EWR to LAX: $135
  • DEN to HOU: $89
  • DAL to FLL: $170
  • MDW to CUN: $162

Seat Size: Southwest uses the Boeing 737-700 and Boeing 737 MAX 8. The MAX 8 has a slightly larger seat size than the older 700 series. The following is an average of the two.

  • Pitch: 31.75
  • Width: 17.4

Cabin Classes:

Southwest does not offer different class seating. Seats are selected when you board the aircraft, and boarding is done in groups A, B, and C, each with numbers 1 – 60. Adding Early Bird check in, having A-List status, or purchasing a Business fare will all increase your boarding position, allowing you a better opportunity to select your preferred seat.

Baggage Fees:

  • Personal Item: Free
  • Carry-on Item: Free
  • Checked Item: 1st and 2nd bag free.

Rewards Program: Rapid Rewards A-List

  • 35,000 points or 25 flights to qualify
  • Priority boarding.
  • Priority check in.
  • Security lane access at some airports.
  • Dedicated phone line.
  • 25% more points earned.
  • Complimentary same-day standby.

Timeliness: 78.55%

Pros: No change fees and free cancellation make Southwest unique in the business. While significantly smaller than the major carriers, Southwest services many destinations, often utilizing secondary airports to keep fares low. They also offer free streaming TV on your tablet or cell phone.

Cons: Southwest does not have any higher-class seating. Seats are not assigned. (Depending on who you ask, this is also a pro.)

My Opinion: NO. CHANGE. FEES. For someone in the travel industry, there is nothing more important. I love Southwest for pretty much every other reason, too. I love that I can pick any seat I want. Once you’ve boarded a Southwest flight at least once, the boarding system makes perfect sense, and it’s easy to load quickly. Their routes have few layovers and it’s easy to get almost anywhere in the country at a reasonable time for a reasonable cost. Southwest seems to adopt and blend the best ideas of the standard airlines and the best ideas of the budget airlines. I will always pick Southwest over any other option.

Frontier

Frontier was one of the first budget airlines in the US and has gone through several business models, finally ending as a deep discount airline after filing bankruptcy in 2008 and going through a major revamp. Frontier has followed several aircraft purchasing strategies over the years, finally settling on the budget airline option of just having one or two models, making maintenance less expensive.

Frontier seems to still be going through a rough patch, as it’s regularly ranked as one of the worst in customer satisfaction and handling of customer complains. Frontier has also been criticized for mishandling baggage during connections but has made noticeable improvements in these areas.

Sample Flights

  • LGA to LAX: $306
  • DEN to HOU: $139
  • DFW to FLL: $179
  • ORD to CUN: $161

Seat size: Frontier uses a variety of planes with a variety of pitches and widths within a single-seat class. Each seat is sold individually on top of the ticket price, so seats with more legroom, such as an exit row, cost more than standard seats. The following are the smallest and largest options.

  • Pitch: 28 – 38
  • Width: 18

Cabin Classes:

Frontier does not offer different seating classes. Seats are sold individually on top of the ticket price, so seats with extra legroom, such as an exit row, cost more than standard seats. If you do not pay extra for your seat, you will be assigned one during check in, often a middle seat or outlier that was not purchased by another guest.

Baggage Fees: Frontier charges differing fees based on when the fee is paid. For our analysis, we will look at bags purchased at the time of online ticket purchase, more than 24 hours prior to departure.

  • Personal Item: Free
  • Carry-on Item: $30-$45
  • Checked Item: $30 -$55 depending on weight.

Rewards Program: Frontier Miles Elite Status

Three tiers (20K points, 50K points, and 100K points). All tiers include the following:

  • Free carry-on
  • Free seat assignment for basic seats.
  • Family pooling of miles.
  • Priority boarding.
  • Waived redemption fees.
  • Last seat availability. (Standby)
  • Stretch seating (if available at check-in.)
  • 50K and 100K tiers include additional benefits.

Frontier also has a Discount Den program. It has an annual cost of $59.99 and allows you to book the lowest fares. It also allows one child under the age of 15 to fly for free for each adult Discount Den fare purchased. If you plan on using Frontier several times throughout the year or have children flying with you, it is often worth it. If you only use Frontier occasionally, it’s usually better to skip it.

Timeliness: 78.91%

Pros: Fares can often be the cheapest in the business, especially flying in or out of Denver, a historically expensive airport.

Cons: Customer service is often lacking. Many flights are only available on certain days of the week. Prices are often as expensive as major carriers. Additional baggage and change fees often make Frontier more expensive than competitors, especially in the budget airline space.

My Opinion: There is a time and a place for Frontier. I always check them when I’m looking for a low fare, and my personal experience with them and their customer service has been good. It’s important to know what you’re getting into whenever you fly with a budget airline, and Frontier is no exception. I have found in recent years that Frontier’s route options have decreased. null

Spirit

Despite starting as a standard model airline, Spirit Airlines is the current poster child of budget airlines in the United States, classified as an ultra-low-cost carrier and often having the lowest flight prices of any airline, occasionally having fares to some cities as low as $12. In order to offer these fares, many airports only have one gate crew, moving their check-in crew from the main desk to the gate desk 45 minutes before a flight departs.

Spirit keeps its fares low by charging to every add-on, from baggage to sodas. Despite being a budget airline, Spirit services some smaller airports with higher tourism potential, such as Myrtle Beach and Atlantic City, offering reasonable fares to smaller destinations. They also have one of the newest fleets in the industry due to purchasing aircraft in bulk during the 2008 recession.

Sample Flights:

  • LGA to LAX: $234.98
  • DEN to HOU: $100.29
  • DFW to FLL: $131.29
  • ORD to CUN: $139.71

Seat size: Spirit uses the Airbus A319 and the Airbus A320. These planes have nearly identical configurations.

  • Pitch: 28
  • Width: 17.75

Cabin Classes:

“Big Front Seat” and Economy Class

Spirit does not offer different seating classes. Seats are sold individually on top of the ticket price. The larger front seats are available for a significant fare increase. Other seats are priced based on desirability. If you do not pay extra when you book your flight or during check-in, you will be assigned an unclaimed seat, often a less desirable middle seat or outlier not purchased by another guest.

Baggage Fees: Spirit charges differing fees based on when the fee is paid. For our analysis, we will look at bags purchased at the time of online ticket purchase, more than 24 hours prior to departure.

  • Personal Item: Free
  • Carry-on Item: $26 – $55
  • Checked Item: $21 – $60 depending on weight.

Rewards Program: Free Spirit

Spirit Airlines allows you to earn miles and use those on flights. Blackout dates do apply, and there are no additional perks once you reach a certain number of points.

The $9 Fare Club is another option for Spirit Flyers. It costs $59.95 annually. This club gives you access to Spirit’s lowest fares. If you plan on flying Spirit one time, it probably isn’t worth it. If you plan on flying Spirit frequently, it might be. In some cases, the cost to sign up for the $9 Fare Club AND the cost of the tickets with the discount is less than or very close to the cost of the tickets without the discount.

Timeliness: 76.97%

Pros: Often the least expensive flight option. You only pay for what you need. Spirit can be a great option for one- or two-night trips and low-cost international airfare.

Cons: Customer service tends to be some of the worst in the business, partially due to Spirit hiring pilots, flight attendants, and customer service agents who are just beginning their careers. Their timeliness is not great, and certain flights have a higher likelihood of delays. Short scheduled turnaround times and inexperienced crews lead to delays that stack up throughout the day, making evening flights more likely to be delayed.

My Opinion: I have a love/hate relationship with Spirit. On one hand, they are often the cheapest airline out there. I just flew roundtrip from Houston to Miami for $106. It was a two-day trip, so I could pack in just a backpack, and it worked just fine for that situation. However, the flight was delayed, the desk agents were rude, and as always, I missed Southwest. You need to know what you’re getting into with this airline, but if you understand the payment structure and use it for flights where its fees make the most sense, it’s a great, cheap option.

JetBlue

JetBlue is a low-cost airline that services some of the smaller airports and more remote tourist destinations, such as Steamboat Springs, CO, and San Juan, Puerto Rico. In order to keep costs low, Jet Blue avoids certain airports, sometimes not offering any flights at all in and out of major cities. JetBlue avoids competition with larger airlines by avoiding major routes in most cases.

JetBlue has gone through several business philosophies over the years, originally priding itself on never canceling flights. After running into a major ice storm in the northwest, JetBlue changed its marketing strategy and focused on low fares to hard-to-reach destinations.

Average Cost:

  • JFK to LAX: $127
  • DEN to HOU: UNAVAILABLE
  • DFW to FLL: UNAVAILABLE
  • ORD to CUN: UNAVAILABLE on Tuesdays. ($325 on Thursday.)

Seat size: Jet Blue uses a wide variety of planes. The following is an average of their short-haul economy aircraft.

Pitch: 34.38

Width: 18.12

Cabin Classes:

First Class, Business Class, Economy Class

Baggage Fees:

  • Personal Item: Free
  • Carry-on Item: Free
  • Checked Item: 1st bag $30. 2nd bag $40.

Rewards Program: TrueBlue Mosaic

  • Earn 15,000 flight points to qualify
  • Change and cancellation fees waived.
  • 1st and 2nd checked bags are free.
  • Points can be redeemed for larger seats.
  • Expedited security at certain airports.
  • Early boarding.
  • Dedicated customer service.
  • Complimentary alcoholic beverages onboard.

Timeliness: 71.74%

Pros: Low fares to regional airports and international destinations.

Cons: It doesn’t serve some of the larger airports and avoids high-demand routes.

My Opinion: Just as with most budget airlines, it’s important to know what you’re getting into but, overall, JetBlue is a great option for regional destinations that aren’t serviced by most or any other airline. JetBlue is an excellent option for Caribbean travel, and its baggage fees are on par with most other standard airlines, making it very likely to be the most affordable option for international destinations. Overall, I have no issues with them other than their lack of flights to major airports. If you’re lucky enough to live near an area they fly to, they’re a great option.

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