A travel expert revealed the reason why she feels it is preferable to have the best seat on a cheap airline rather than the worst seat on a higher-end name after flying on six Spirit and Frontier Airlines flights last week.
Frequent flier Dawn Gilbertson had ‘far from luxurious’ flights after she spent between $80 and $200 per ticket, but one gave Delta ‘a run for its money.’
‘Spirit and rival Frontier, long famous for cheap tickets and fees for everything, are adding frills in a high-profile push to woo more upscale travelers and boost revenue,’ Gilbertson wrote for The Wall Street Journal.
‘The airlines hope existing passengers upgrade and those of you in the never-discount-airline camp give them a try.’
Despite her seemingly rotten experiences, Gilbertson concluded there was ‘definitely value’ for MileagePlus and SkyMiles enthusiasts.
Travel expert Dawn Gilbertson had ‘far from luxurious’ flights after she spent between $80 and $200 per ticket, but one gave Delta ‘a run for its money’
Headquartered in Colorado, Frontier Airlines serves over 120 destinations and is known for being a low-cost airline.
Millions of travelers choose to fly Frontier every year, but the airline is far from perfect, according to the travel expert.
Gilbertson pointed out that Frontier ranked last in on-time performance year-to-date through June.
Frontier also involuntarily bumped 3.21 people per 10,000 passengers from early 2023 to 2024, according to a study by Upgraded Points shared with Travel + Leisure.
Spirit Airlines is another low-cost airline headquartered in Florida.
It flies to over 80 destinations worldwide and has been Frontier’s longtime rival for years.
Spirit does have a higher revenue than Frontier, but it’s also frequently named one of the worst airlines, according to Business Insider.
Despite her seemingly rotten experiences, Gilbertson concluded there was ‘definitely value’ for MileagePlus and SkyMiles enthusiasts
Gilbertson claimed Frontier does not offer in-seat power or seat-back screens and that none of their seats recline.
Frontier also did not have Wi-Fi, and the travel expert revealed that it still charges for food and drinks, even for those who, like Gilbertson, purchased the Business Bundle.
‘The new Business Bundle, which I purchased on two of my three Frontier flights, includes an aisle or window seat in the first two rows of the plane, with extra legroom and an empty middle seat,’ she wrote.
‘They have slightly more padding than seats farther back, but let’s not call them plush.’
Frontier fliers with the Business Bundle usually board the aircraft first, and they also have an overhead bin dedicated to all of them.
Gilbertson allegedly paid $129 to upgrade her one-way flight on top of her $234 ticket.
Although $363 may sound high, Gilbertson revealed that it was ‘way cheaper than last-minute options’ for economy seats at the time with Delta ($464), American ($656), and Southwest ($688).
After her Frontier experience, Gilbertson concluded that she would select its Business Bundle again, but only if she has bags that need to be checked.
‘I didn’t check bags for this trip, so I left money on the table. Frontier’s cheaper premium bundle includes a carry-on bag and extra legroom, but no blocked middle seat,’ she wrote.
The travel expert revealed she would fly on both airlines again if she were to have upgraded seats
Like Frontier, Spirit doesn’t offer in-seat power, seat-back screens, or reclining seats.
It did have Wi-Fi, and Gilbertson claimed the airline ‘went further in its pitch for bigger-spending vacationers.’
‘The airline has turned its biggest in-flight draw, the first-class-like Big Front Seat, into the centerpiece of a new ticket option called Go Big,’ Gilbertson wrote.
The travel expert opted to pay an extra $190 for her Go Big seat for her one-way flight from Fort Lauderdale to Los Angeles.
She allegedly spent $283, which she claimed was cheaper than a JetBlue standard economy ticket.
The lucky Go Big passengers get to enjoy an oversized aisle or window seat in the aircraft’s first two rows.
Go Big tickets also come with one free checked bag, early boarding, a carry-on bag with bin space, and unlimited snacks and drinks.
Spirit’s Go Comfy option is not as luxurious, but it does include a blocked middle seat.
The travel expert did not highly praise Spirit, but she could tell the airline was working to make its fliers happy.
‘Spirit Airlines went further in its pitch for bigger-spending vacationers, and it shows,’ she wrote.
‘It’s the most expensive of its four new options and worth every penny, if my trip is any gauge.’
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