There is a moment during every booking when the price on the screen looks like a gift and then suddenly grows teeth. Maya and I have felt it on Frontier, on Spirit, on that one random Tuesday when we swore we would never pay extra for a seat again. The truth is that budget airlines can save you hundreds or cost you just as much if you do not read the fine print before you click purchase. If you want to fly cheap without getting stung by surprise fees, you need to look past the headline fare and compare the whole package, from the first bag to the last sip of water.
Why Budget Airlines Look Cheap but Might Not Be
The Base Fare Trap
A ticket might show up as forty nine dollars each way and your heart does a little dance. Then you notice that the price only covers your body and a backpack small enough to fit under the seat in front of you. Frontier advertises a seventy eight dollar round trip from North Carolina to Orlando, but once you add a normal carry on and a seat with legroom the total can balloon to nearly three hundred . Spirit starts at thirty three dollars for a carry on each way, which means a couple already needs an extra one hundred and thirty two on top of the ticket price just to bring luggage . The math stops feeling magical pretty fast.
Bundles That Sound Like Deals
Most budget carriers try to sell you bundles that promise savings on bags and seats. Frontier pushes a bundle that jumps the fare from seventy eight to two hundred and ninety three round trip, and you still have to pay if you want to change your flight later . Avelo offers cheaper bundles than Spirit or Frontier, but you still end up paying around forty five dollars each way once you add a carry on and basic seat selection . The bundles feel like a shortcut, yet they can still double the original price.
Hidden Fees That Add Up Fast
Alright so printing a boarding pass at the airport can cost five dollars with Allegiant. Choosing any seat at all starts at nine dollars on Spirit and six on Frontier . Even water costs extra once you are in the air. If you are the kind of traveler who needs to change plans, Spirit and Frontier will charge you ninety nine dollars or more unless you bought a higher fare class. Suddenly the budget airline costs more than the legacy carrier you skipped to save money.
Southwest Airlines The Outlier That Feels Old School
Two Bags and No Stress
Southwest still lets every passenger check two bags for free and bring a carry on without extra fees . That alone can save a couple one hundred and twenty dollars compared to Spirit on a round trip. There is no assigned seating, so you pick any open seat when you board, which feels chaotic at first but becomes a fun little race. Changes and cancellations are free, so if plans shift you do not have to eat the ticket price.
Where Southwest Hides
The catch is that Southwest fares do not show up on big search engines like Google Flights. You have to go to the airline website and use the Low Fare Calendar to compare prices. That extra step causes many travelers to overlook Southwest entirely, even when it is the cheapest option once bags are included.
When Southwest Costs More
Southwest is not always the lowest headline fare. On some routes Spirit or Frontier will beat it by thirty or forty dollars before fees. If you are traveling with just a backpack and iron bladder discipline, the ultra low cost carrier might still win. You have to do the math every single time.
Spirit Versus Frontier The Fee Heavy Giants
Carry On Shock
Spirit charges thirty three dollars and up for a carry on each way, while Frontier starts at fifty four. That means a couple with two carry on bags pays between one hundred and thirty two and two hundred and sixteen dollars extra on a round trip before they even reach the gate. If you need to check bags instead, Spirit starts at twenty eight dollars and Frontier at forty nine, so the bill keeps climbing.
Seat Pitch Reality
Both airlines squeeze seats to twenty eight inches of pitch, which is tight even for people under six feet tall . If you want thirty six inches you have to spring for the Big Front Seat on Spirit or Stretch on Frontier, and those seats can cost more than the original ticket. Maya is five foot two and still felt like her knees were hugging the seat in front of her on a three hour flight.
Snack and Entertainment Desert
There is no seat back screen on either airline and snacks cost extra. A can of soda runs three to four dollars. If you want to watch a movie you better download it before you leave because WiFi is spotty and expensive. The savings on the ticket can disappear into a parade of tiny charges once you are airborne.
Avelo and Breeze The New Kids With Softer Fees
Smaller Fees, Smaller Networks
Avelo charges twenty five dollars for a carry on and twenty for a checked bag, which is cheaper than Spirit or Frontier . Breeze starts at twenty five for carry on and twenty nine for checked, still gentler than the big two. The trade off is that both airlines fly fewer routes, mostly point to point between smaller cities. If they serve your exact city pair they can be a sweet deal, but you might need to drive to a secondary airport.
Nicer Fare Options
Breeze offers a Nicer fare that includes a carry on, a checked bag, and a free snack for about forty dollars more than the base fare . On a route where bags would normally cost sixty dollars, that upgrade saves money and adds legroom. It is like the airline knows travelers hate surprises and is willing to bundle peace of mind.
Limited Flexibility
Neither Avelo nor Breeze has a large schedule, so if your flight gets cancelled you might wait days for the next one. They also do not have interline agreements with bigger carriers, so you cannot hop onto Delta if things go sideways. The lower fees come with thinner safety nets.
Allegiant The Ultra Niche Player
Extreme Secondary Airports
Allegiant flies into airports like Phoenix Mesa instead of Phoenix Sky Harbor, which can add forty five minutes of driving each way . If the fare saves one hundred dollars the drive might be worth it, but you have to factor in gas and time. The airline also charges eighteen to twenty dollars for a carry on and twenty two to twenty five for checked bags, so the savings are real only if you pack light.
Pay to Print
Printing a boarding pass at the airport costs five dollars unless you check in online and use your phone . It is a small fee but it feels petty, especially when you are rushing to catch a flight. The seats do not recline, which is fine for a two hour hop but brutal on a cross country run.
Best for Vacation Packages
Allegiant shines when you bundle flight plus hotel plus car. The package deals can undercut booking everything separately, especially to places like Las Vegas or Florida. If you want the full bundle the airline can be a steal, but the pure airfare plus fees can end up pricier than Southwest.
Tools That Make Comparison Easier
Spreadsheet the Fees
We build a simple chart with columns for base fare, carry on, checked bag, seat selection, and change fee. We plug in numbers for each airline on the exact route and date. The total column often tells a different story than the first price we saw. On a recent trip from Denver to Tampa, Southwest was thirty dollars more upfront but one hundred and twenty dollars cheaper once bags were added.
Use Airline Sites Directly
Search engines like Google Flights show the base fare but not the final bill. We open each airline site in a new tab and walk through the booking process until the final payment screen. Only then do we see the true cost. It adds ten minutes to the search but saves us from checkout shock.
Check Social Media Sales
Budget airlines drop flash sales on Twitter and Instagram that never hit the big search sites. Spirit once ran a twenty four hour sale with ten dollar fares that showed up only on their social feed. We follow each airline and turn on notifications during the weeks we are shopping. The deals vanish fast but the savings can be huge.
Real Life Price Scenarios
Denver to Orlando One Week in October
Southwest quoted one hundred and ninety eight round trip with two bags included. Spirit came in at one hundred and twenty eight base plus one hundred and thirty two in bags for a total of two hundred and sixty. Frontier was one hundred and forty base plus one hundred and forty four in bags for two hundred and eighty four. Southwest won by a mile.
Los Angeles to New Haven Weekend Trip
Avelo offered ninety nine base plus fifty round trip in bags for one hundred and forty nine total. Breeze wanted one hundred and twenty nine base plus fifty four in bags for one hundred and eighty three. JetBlue was two hundred and ten with bags included. Avelo took the crown.
Seattle to Phoenix Midweek
Allegiant showed eighty nine base plus forty four in bags plus twenty in airport parking for one hundred and fifty three. Southwest was one hundred and seventy five with bags and free parking at the main terminal. Allegiant saved twenty two dollars but added ninety minutes of driving each way. We chose Southwest for the convenience.
Tips to Keep the Real Price Low
Pack Like a Minimalist
Personal item only is the holy grail. We use soft sided bags that fit under the seat and pack three days of clothes in packing cubes. Maya brings a scarf that doubles as a blanket and I bring a jacket with big pockets. If we can skip bags entirely the savings are massive.
Bring Your Own Snacks
A bottle of water at the airport costs four dollars. We fill reusable bottles after security and pack granola bars, fruit, and chocolate. On a four hour flight we save twenty bucks and eat better than the tiny pretzel bags for sale.
Check in Early and Stay Flexible
Southwest rewards early check in with better boarding position. Spirit and Frontier punish late check in with higher bag fees. We set alarms for exactly twenty four hours before departure and check in on the app. We also stay open to flying on Tuesday instead of Friday, because the fare difference can be bigger than any fee.
Conclusion
Comparing budget airlines is less about the first price you see and more about the last price you pay. Southwest wins for travelers who need bags and flexibility. Spirit and Frontier can save money if you travel ultra light and do not care where you sit. Avelo and Breeze offer gentler fees on smaller networks, and Allegiant works when you want the whole vacation bundle. Do the math before you click buy and the sky stays friendly to your wallet.