Please tell me about budget airline travel

[amie416]

What do I need to know about flying with airlines like Spirit, SouthWest, JetBlue, etc? I will be flying out of either Buffalo or Detroit in late April 2014. How can I get the best fare? When should I book our flights? Should we book directly with the airline or through a third-party website?

 

[tchrchgo]

What do I need to know about flying with airlines like Spirit, SouthWest, JetBlue, etc? I will be flying out of either Buffalo or Detroit in late April 2014. How can I get the best fare? When should I book our flights? Should we book directly with the airline or through a third-party website?

Many people don't like spirit but if the rate is low enough I can tolerate them. Is no frills, but so was my flight on united. I pay for one checked bag for the 3 of us, and the kids and I just bring on small backpacks for in flight necessities. You're allowed a personal item for free, as long as its under a certain size. For all 3 of us I paid for the same amount as I would PER person on a name brand airline. For that kind of savings I don't mind taking spirit. It's only a 2.5 hr flight from Chicago anyway

 

[OrangeCountyCommuter]

I won't go if Spirit is my only option..

If you do fly them READ the fees...

They charge if your only carryon won't fit under the seat in front of you (or if you bring two since then one won't fit under the seat)

They charge if your luggage is over 40 lbs.

Of course they also charge for all luggage and for seat selection. Seats don't recline and you have more limited leg room then other airlines (and that's not much on other airlines)

If you pay in advance for your luggage it's MUCH cheaper then at the airport...

And no, Spirit does not care if you and your kids sit together (actually none of them do but Spirit cares less then most LOL!) So if you want seats together plan to pay (this is true on most of them now!)


On all of them if you book via a Third Party that party owns the reservation. So when they change the flight etc you have to call the agency and hope they will call the airline and work with you. Since most of us use online agencies it's not like they have huge staffs of well trained agents to help us, so I book direct. (Well trained agents got out of airline booking, it doesn't pay!)

 

[MinnieForMe]

Southwest and JetBlue are not even in the same class as Spirit. Spirit charges if you sneeze in the plane. Seriously though, read the reviews about them. They are horrible!

I'm a big fan of Southwest. They tend to leave on time and the customer service in my experience has always been wonderful and accommodating. I've never paid a fee and they will credit your account if the price drops before your flight. I've heard good things about Jetblue too.

Don't forget to consider AirTran. We have yet to fly them. Again, the downside to them is their baggage fee.

 

[amie416]

I won't go if Spirit is my only option..

If you do fly them READ the fees...

That's what I was afraid of. I used to fly DirectAir because they flew to an airport that was very conveniently located 15 minutes from my parents' house in Florida, but the flying experience was terrible and the extra fees made it less and less of a good deal. And then they went bankrupt... makes me weary of flying with charters.

Is it true that SouthWest includes checked bags in their ticket price? For me, that might tip the scale in their favour. A pet peeve of mine is flights where everyone tries to avoid paying for checked bags and it takes forever for them to board with giant carry-ons. Do any other airlines include a checked bag allowance?

 

[MinnieForMe]

SW does not charge for the first checked bag. You are also allowed a standard carry on (22 inches I think) and one personal item (camera bag, laptop bag, pocketbook etc.). Since, we fly as a family of five, we check everything from suitcases to carry ons when we fly nonstop on SW. It's so nice to just walk on the plane empty handed.

 

[tchrchgo]

I love how people are so self righteous and snobbish about airlines. I guess they have tons of disposable income. But for me spending $350 per person means ONE vacation a year, versus $350 for all three of us means more trips per year. So I'm willing to suck it up for a 2.5 hr flight so I can have more vacations with my kids.

 

[mrsklamc]

SW does not charge for the first checked bag.

They also don't charge for the SECOND checked bag.

You can't book w/ Southwest on a third party site. Sign up for their DING alerts. Fares are lowest Tues-Thursday and usually about 6 weeks out.

With SW, if you think you will fly them again in the next year, book as soon as you see a price you can live with. If it goes down, they will give you credit.

 

[OrangeCountyCommuter]

That's what I was afraid of. I used to fly DirectAir because they flew to an airport that was very conveniently located 15 minutes from my parents' house in Florida, but the flying experience was terrible and the extra fees made it less and less of a good deal. And then they went bankrupt... makes me weary of flying with charters.

Is it true that SouthWest includes checked bags in their ticket price? For me, that might tip the scale in their favour. A pet peeve of mine is flights where everyone tries to avoid paying for checked bags and it takes forever for them to board with giant carry-ons. Do any other airlines include a checked bag allowance?

I am not sure Spirit is a charter. I think they are really a scheduled carrier and sadly they make a lot of money


SW does allow a couple of bags per passenger included in the ticket price. Not sure about JetBlue. Most of the other now charge unless you are a frequent flyer or have thier credit card.

 

[MinnieForMe]

I love how people are so self righteous and snobbish about airlines. I guess they have tons of disposable income. But for me spending $350 per person means ONE vacation a year, versus $350 for all three of us means more trips per year. So I'm willing to suck it up for a 2.5 hr flight so I can have more vacations with my kids.

Sorry I didn't mean to come across as snobby. The original poster asked our opinions and that's what I gave. For me, a very real fear is being stuck at an airport with my three kids (I'm in a wheelchair) with no other flight alternative if a Spirit flight was cancelled. Southwest had a problem with our flight two or three years ago. There was a tornado where our flight originated. We did have to wait an extra three hours but they diverted another flight to pick 15-20 people up.

 

[OrangeCountyCommuter]

I love how people are so self righteous and snobbish about airlines. I guess they have tons of disposable income. But for me spending $350 per person means ONE vacation a year, versus $350 for all three of us means more trips per year. So I'm willing to suck it up for a 2.5 hr flight so I can have more vacations with my kids.

So having different prioirities means i am a snob?

Sorry but it may mean I just don't get to go as much. I would rather go less often and not fly Spirit. I was perfectly honest... if I can't afford another airline I won't go!

Of course, I also have to get back on time and not be told "too bad our plane broke and you can have a flight next week" (which happens quite often on Spirit), because then the savings just went out the window in extra costs!

 

[JessM]

Jet Blue allows one free checked bag per person. I personally love Jet Blue and SW. They both have great staff and I've always had good luck with their flights.

 

[ready123go]

We fly out of Detroit.

SPIRIT - Used to fly with them. Avoid them now. Will go with them if our only choice. PROS: Cheap. Sales all the time. CONS: Bad on leg room. Upcharges for everything.

AIRTRAN - Use at least once a year. PROS: Inexpensive. Since they are owned by Southwest they will give you airline credit if your fare drops (you must request it - not automatic or anything like that) CONS: Hard seats (no joke). Less than desirable flight times (for us anyway)

DELTA - Our primary airline. We have their AMEX so we get free first checked bag. PROS: Comfortable. Lots of times to choose from. CONS: Expensive.

SOUTHWEST - Used once. Will avoid using again. We had a really unpleasant experience with them. They didn't have direct flights from DTW to MCO. Had a stop in Baltimore. Took f.o.r.e.v.e.r delayed something like 2 hours. We usually sleep on the flights down (especially if it is early), the flight attendants were trying to entertain passengers with a game/quiz show over the P.A. Very loud and no one wanted to join in. Everybody seemed really annoyed. They misplaced our luggage, both outbound and inbound. Had to wait an eternity for them to find it. They rescheduled our return flight the morning we were leaving and we had a heck of a time finding out how we were to get home. When we finally boarded our connecting flight, the boarding attendant made a couple of rude comments. The attendant s on that flight were just downright rude. Overall experience - generally odd and unprofessional. PROS: Inexpensive. Will give airline credit for fare drops. Free checked luggage (2 bags) CONS: No directs from Detroit (that may have changed). Flight delays. Misplaced/delayed luggage. Weird boarding procedures. Weird/rude flight attendants. Loud. Poor scheduling.

 

[luvmy3]

I love how people are so self righteous and snobbish about airlines. I guess they have tons of disposable income. But for me spending $350 per person means ONE vacation a year, versus $350 for all three of us means more trips per year. So I'm willing to suck it up for a 2.5 hr flight so I can have more vacations with my kids.

For some of us $350 per person is the fare for using Jet Blue, Southwest or Airtran. I was doing a cartwheel when I found fares for JB just under $300. Does that make me a self righteous airline snob

OP, sign up for their emails. I often get emails about fares as low as $59. Of course they are good for travel on certain weekdays but if your schedule is flexible you could find pretty good fares. Unfortunately I couldnt take advantage and I'm not willing to drive more than 45 minutes to another airport. I had a budget I was comfortable with but was hoping to get something cheaper so I just watched the fares everyday. I had heard that Tuesday into Wednesday is a good time to buy, but my flight ended up dropping on a Friday. I grabbed the tix and saved $500.

ETA Not sure if this is important to you. Jet Blue allows you to pick a seat free when booking. When I flew Airtran they charge $25 to select a seat. I'm not sure if any of the airlines you mentioned do to but you might want to check.

 

[tinkfan]

When I fly solo, I find Spirit to be fine. If travelling with small children I might think differently. But I just booked my round trip from Houston to Orlando for $166 which includes prepaying for a checked bag each way. I did not choose a seat as in the past I have been able to select for free at the airport, but if I get stuck in the middle I can deal with it for 2 1/2 hrs.
I truly love SW because they let you change your flights with no charge, give you a credit if your fare drops and allow 2 checked bags , so for me it just depends on the particular trip and what its worth.

 

[OrangeCountyCommuter]

We fly out of Detroit.

SPIRIT - Used to fly with them. Avoid them now. Will go with them if our only choice. PROS: Cheap. Sales all the time. CONS: Bad on leg room. Upcharges for everything.

AIRTRAN - Use at least once a year. PROS: Inexpensive. Since they are owned by Southwest they will give you airline credit if your fare drops (you must request it - not automatic or anything like that) CONS: Hard seats (no joke). Less than desirable flight times (for us anyway)

DELTA - Our primary airline. We have their AMEX so we get free first checked bag. PROS: Comfortable. Lots of times to choose from. CONS: Expensive.

SOUTHWEST - Used once. Will avoid using again. We had a really unpleasant experience with them. They didn't have direct flights from DTW to MCO. Had a stop in Baltimore. Took f.o.r.e.v.e.r delayed something like 2 hours. We usually sleep on the flights down (especially if it is early), the flight attendants were trying to entertain passengers with a game/quiz show over the P.A. Very loud and no one wanted to join in. Everybody seemed really annoyed. They misplaced our luggage, both outbound and inbound. Had to wait an eternity for them to find it. They rescheduled our return flight the morning we were leaving and we had a heck of a time finding out how we were to get home. When we finally boarded our connecting flight, the boarding attendant made a couple of rude comments. The attendant s on that flight were just downright rude. Overall experience - generally odd and unprofessional. PROS: Inexpensive. Will give airline credit for fare drops. Free checked luggage (2 bags) CONS: No directs from Detroit (that may have changed). Flight delays. Misplaced/delayed luggage. Weird boarding procedures. Weird/rude flight attendants. Loud. Poor scheduling.

Your SW sounds like my AirTran. They are last choice. I will fly AirTran if they are a lot cheaper but I go in with LOW expectations. (Flew them last week... every low expectation was met. Check in agents, rude! They were planning a night out and could not be bothered to check in customers. Tried to charge me for luggage when I had booked via SW, big drama scene when I said no lots of sighing and complaining by agent! Flight delayed on departure, on landing we sat on the ground in Orange County for 40 minutes with no explanation, lost luggage! An hour flight took 2.5 by the time they finished. I could have driven LOL!)

I have had a few bad experiences on all of them so I tend not to let one bad flight throw me off. AirTran is consistently bad, but I keep holding out hope that SW will fix them instead of them ruining SW

 

[ready123go]

When I fly solo, I find Spirit to be fine. If travelling with small children I might think differently. But I just booked my round trip from Houston to Orlando for $166 which includes prepaying for a checked bag each way. I did not choose a seat as in the past I have been able to select for free at the airport, but if I get stuck in the middle I can deal with it for 2 1/2 hrs.
I truly love SW because they let you change your flights with no charge, give you a credit if your fare drops and allow 2 checked bags , so for me it just depends on the particular trip and what its worth.

This!

 

[ready123go]

Your SW sounds like my AirTran. They are last choice. I will fly AirTran if they are a lot cheaper but I go in with LOW expectations. (Flew them last week... every low expectation was met. Check in agents, rude! They were planning a night out and could not be bothered to check in customers. Tried to charge me for luggage when I had booked via SW, big drama scene when I said no lots of sighing and complaining by agent! Flight delayed on departure, on landing we sat on the ground in Orange County for 40 minutes with no explanation, lost luggage! An hour flight took 2.5 by the time they finished. I could have driven LOL!)

I have had a few bad experiences on all of them so I tend not to let one bad flight throw me off. AirTran is consistently bad, but I keep holding out hope that SW will fix them instead of them ruining SW

Agreed. I won't say that I'll never fly SW again, but sheesh, as a first encounter, it left a really bad taste in my mouth. Not yet convinced SW customer service is an improvement. I'm sure I'll have the opportunity to try SW a few more times, for a better baseline.

 

[angierae]

I fly Spirit, but I don't have small kids. DD18 and I can split one checked bag just fine. Our flights for October were $405 total and I don't pay to pick seats. If we're not together it doesn't matter, we're going to nap/read/ whatever anyway. But if I had small kids it would matter to me.

 

[honeybunches]

We fly Allegiant which sounds like it's pretty much in the same class as Spirit. We fly through them because they have a direct flight which makes it SO much easier for our kids. The fares are lower than the other airlines but the incidental charges make up for the savings. They also fly into Sanford so we have to get a car or hire a driver. If any other airline offered direct flights, I would definitely go with a different airline but for now this works for us, purely for time savings and convenience.