It’s been a rough few years for budget airlines as they desperately attempt to remain profitable amid a downturn in air travel. Some have been more unfortunate than others, as Spirit Airlines filed for bankruptcy last November. However, these low-cost carriers don’t have much to offer other than dirt-cheap ticket prices. The profit is typically made from charging extra fares out of the nose for every possible amenity, from the physical ticket to an additional carry-on.
What’s your worst experience as a passenger on a budget airline? Did you end up in a shouting match with a gate agent because they claimed your carry-on was too big and demanded that you pay to check it? Did you realize that the baggage handlers lost your bag by the time you landed? Or, did you get bounced from cancelled flight to cancelled flight with nothing to show for it other than travel credits to go through this frustration again?
Frontier and Spirit battle for the bottom
With Southwest Airlines attempting to graduate from the budget ranks up to the mainline club, Frontier and Spirit are jockeying with each other to become the new budget king. Besides the recent emergency from bankruptcy, Spirit has built a reputation for having wild animals on its premises. Last October, a passenger spotted a massive rat in the light fixture during a flight from Dallas-Fort Worth to LAX. A month later, a raccoon fell from the ceiling over the Spirit check-in at LaGuardia Airport in New York.
Frontier keeps the wildlife for the tail air, but the carrier has had some lowlights in customer service. One of the airline’s gate agents shook down a U.S. Navy sailor for $50 to board a flight at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta last year. It wasn’t a service fee. The gate wanted the money transferred to their personal account on Cash App. Frontier offered the sailor a full refund and a flight voucher for his troubles. Hopefully, your tales of budget airline misfortune weren’t as financially damaging. Please share your story in the comments section below.