- Catherine Smith started flying on budget airlines in 2015.
- She booked one-way flights on airlines like Frontier for as little as $15.
- Smith says low-cost airlines are just as safe, if not safer, than higher-ranked airlines.
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I love deals, especially ones involving a plane ticket. I've been flying almost exclusively on budget airlines for eight years and have no plans to stop anytime soon.
My foray into budget travel began more out of necessity than anything else. In 2015, I had just quit my full-time job, moved into an apartment above my grandparents' garage, and started trying to build a remote freelance career. Money was tight, but I also had trouble staying put – I attribute that to growing up in the military and moving every two or three years. Affordable airlines, like Frontier, WOW (which eventually led to the creation of Play), Allegiant and even Spirit have made traveling on a budget possible.
The WOW pilot moved the plane, allowing Smith and other passengers to have a view of the fjords as they flew over Greenland. Courtesy of Catherine Smith
I flew round-trip from Newark, New Jersey to Iceland for less than $300 with WOW. When I lived in southwest Virginia, I flew with Allegiant from Asheville, North Carolina, to West Palm Beach for less than $100 round trip. I flew Spirit from Philadelphia to Los Angeles for $75 and fly Frontier regularly for less than $50 round trip.
Flights on traditional airlines were far from my budget
My favorite deal, and the one that really helped me see what was possible with budget travel, was when I visited my grandmother in 2015 – she lived in Alabama.
Flights on traditional airlines were almost $500, and way out of my budget. So I booked a $15 flight from Trenton, New Jersey, to Atlanta on Frontier and visited a friend from college. Then I flew to New Orleans the next day on another $15 ticket, where I spent two nights in a cheap Airbnb exploring the city.
From New Orleans it took me two hours get on the Megabus to Alabama for $12 and spent a few days with my grandparents before returning to Atlanta for $15 and ending up with friends in Orlando – again, for $15 – before returning to Philadelphia for $15 . Suddenly that $500 went a lot further.
I refuse additional offers on board to keep my ticket price low
Although a $15 plane ticket seems like a mispricing, it's actually quite common. Frontier regularly offers offers like these. In fact, my partner and I recently booked flights from Philadelphia to West Palm Beach for a total of $38 round trip, or $19 each way. But whenever I talk about my love for budget airlines, there are always a handful of people who dismiss me with comments like, “But it’s Frontier; I should pay extra for everything else“.
Smith enjoys looking at the animals painted on Frontier planes. Courtesy of Catherine Smith
This is not true. No one is forcing you to pay for the extras. You get a seat on the plane and can bring a personal item for a pretty low base price. Anything outside of that is just an offer that I always like to say “no” to.
By packing a little lighter and forgoing the ability to select a seat, I can travel the world for a fraction of the price traditional airlines charge. And what incentives do the more expensive airlines offer me: a slightly more comfortable seat, room for a larger suitcase, and a can of soda? I'd rather they keep their ginger ale while I book another flight or four with Frontier or Allegiant.
I don't buy into the hype that budget airlines aren't comfortable, safe and reliable.
This summer, newspaper headlines claimed that Frontier Airlines is America's Worst Airline. I won't pretend the headlines didn't give me pause. But in my experience, flight delays and interruptions are rare. Yes, it happens from time to time and I can easily become grumpy when it happens, but I understand that this is the reality of air travel, whether I'm on Frontier or Delta.
If I'm traveling for a special occasion, I create buffer days – no matter which airline I'm flying with – and I'll also book my flight using Capital One Travel and add flight disruption assistance. This allows me to “quick book” a flight with any airline if I'm delayed more than two hours, but I haven't had to use it yet.
Smith typically travels with only personal items that can fit under the plane seat in front of her. Courtesy of Catherine Smith
In my opinion, budget airlines are just as safe, if not safer, than the best airlines. According to AirAdvisor, The only notable safety incidents in 2022 (for the ten largest airlines in the United States) were tail strikes, when a plane's tail contacts the runway during takeoff or landing. Delta, Frontier and JetBlue each had a single tail strike. This leads me to believe that I am no safer on Delta (the number one airline) than on Frontier (the tenth) – and I am theoretically safer on other budget airlines, like Spirit and Allegiant.
I also don't find the comfort of traditional airlines worth the extra. Do I like the novelty of a seatback screen when I fly occasionally on traditional airlines? Of course. And I won't pretend that traditional airlines don't have slightly more comfortable seats. But none of these “comforts” are comfortable enough to justify the extra few hundred dollars when I can just pack a travel pillow, bring my refillable water bottle, and download movies and podcasts before taking off.
Most of the time, I only travel with one personal item – and it's not just because of the expense.
Frontier, Spirit, and Allegiant often use children's purses, briefcases, and backpacks as examples of personal items. You'd be surprised how much space a bag this size offers if you're careful and organized.
Of course, it depends on the time of year, destination and length of my trip, but using packing cubes I can usually fit quite a few personal items: three to five tall, a few pants or shorts, a dress or two, underwear, a swimsuit, two pairs of shoes, a journal, my laptop, basic toiletries, a small tote, a small purse and other miscellaneous items.
Frontier allows passengers to carry backpack-sized personal items. Courtesy of Catherine Smith
For me, the move to flying with just one personal item was inspired by my experience traveling on a traditional airline to Bali. After three stopovers and four flights, I arrived in Bali and found that my luggage was not there. Thirty-six hours later, with no response from the airline, I headed to a mall in a nearby town and spent the evening trying to find cheap clothes to last my three-week stay. Five minutes after returning to the hotel, my suitcase was delivered without notice.
I opened my suitcase and stared: there were so many things in it: swimsuits, hair straighteners, beach towels, toiletries, books, pajamas, shoes and even more. These were the items I considered essential and yet I got by without them. Over the next three weeks, I took stock of what I was actually using and what was just dead weight. Now, packing is an opportunity to check in on myself before leaving home, think about my intentions for the trip, and figure out where I am mentally and emotionally.
Budget airlines may not be for everyone, but I'm happy to get what I pay for
Many view budget airlines as riddled with fees, but I view them as a la carte air travel options personalized to my wallet and individual needs. They make it accessible to explore the world, visit loved ones, and experience new places and cultures in ways that many of us couldn't otherwise afford.
Correction: December 14, 2023 – An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that Play Airlines was formerly WOW Airlines. Although Play was founded by a handful of WOW executives and follows the same business model, this article has been updated to reflect the fact that Play is considered a new company and not a rebrand.
