We see amazing fare deals everyday. Sure they are enticing, but I’d like to ask: Is flying a low cost / budget airline such as Spirit / Allegiant / Etc. a good option?
Sometimes yes, sometimes no. Based on my previous experience with flying them, I now consider using a budget airline a huge risk / reward decision. (Note: My views may be a little skewed after having elite status with SkyTeam and Star Alliance, but I’m trying to be as open as possible to all sides of the argument here!)
Let me give some background: I have flown Spirt three times, and EVERY time they have been delayed at some point during the trip, meaning I lost out on valuable vacation time. Sure, I eventually got to my destination and saved some money, but I don’t think the headaches and delays outweighed the monetary savings. On the contrary, I flew AirAsia all throughout Asia and had very minimal issues when flying with them.
I prefer to have an overall good experience when travelling. Yes, delays and cancellations can happen on any airline, but the budget airlines typically don’t have the best track record for being on time. Airlines that have more routes can help manage these delays since there are several other flight options you can switch to. Contrast this to a budget airline with limited flight routes/days/times, and you might end up stuck without any other options than wait for the delayed plane to arrive because there simply are not any other flights to where you are going.
Of course there are many things out of their control – weather delays being a prominent one – but certain airlines do a better job than others at managing this risk. (I’m not including maintenance here because airlines can always improve their standards to minimize this factor.)
Because of these experiences, I have realized I value my time spent enjoying the trip, so I don’t have a problem paying a little more money to fly a more expensive airline. I’m not suggesting your travels will be hassle free with the main legacy carriers, but your risk is much lower for having trip interruptions when flying them.
So in the end you need to ask yourself what you value more: Less risk of delays with paying more? Or Higher risk of delays with paying less? If you don’t mind the risk of losing out on some of your vacation time, go for it! There’s nothing better than saving a few bucks if you’re flexible (or have a big family).
What are your thoughts on saving money with the no-frills airlines? Do you have a preference of one airline over the other?
