If you don’t mind traveling with less perks and tightly seated with your fellow passenger neighbors, then booking a flight with a low-cost airline can save you some money while still getting you from point A to point B or more. In general, the business model of budget airline companies is to include only the basics and offer the rest as a-la-carte menu. The key to saving more is to pack smart and look out for special promotions.

United States

Frontier – when it comes to cheap flights in the US, Frontier is one of the first airlines than comes to mind. However, it is also one of the airlines one tries to avoid when there is a need to travel with more than a personal item. Frontier charges extra fees for almost everything else, including seat selection, carry-on and checked luggage, food and drinks, or even for check in through their website (on their app is free). On the positive side, Frontier offers cheap flights to over 100 destinations across the U.S. as well as the Caribbean and Latin America. The cheapest fares are available for members of its Discount Den, which requires the payment of an annual membership.

Spirit – with its characteristic yellow planes, Spirit is another low-cost airline competing with Frontier for the budget travelers. Its basic economy fares come with the same restrictions such as only one personal item allowed and fees for anything extra. With fewer destinations than Frontier, Spirit covers more than 60 destinations throughout the U.S., the Caribbean and Latin America. Members of the Spirit Savers Club can save a small percentage on base fares as well as on luggage fees.

Allegiant – based in Las Vegas, Allegiant is an option to reach smaller U.S. cities and airports, although it also offers limited flights to leisure destinations in Florida, California, Arizona, or New York. This low-cost airline often runs promotions with greatly discounted fares. However, it could be challenging to book a round trip flight -which sometimes is required to get the discount- because it doesn’t operate daily.

Sun Country Airlines – for flights to/from Minneapolis, Sun Country can be a good choice if traveling with only one personal item. This low-cost airline is expanding its lists of destinations beyond the U.S. to Canada, Mexico, Costa Rica, Belize, and the Caribbean. Membership to Sun Country Rewards is free and it offers the opportunity to earn points and redeem them to pay for future flights.

JetBlue: a budget airline, but not really a low-cost carrier, JetBlue used to be a great choice when traveling with a carry-on bag, as it was included at no extra cost. However, that is not the case anymore since it joined the personal-item-only airlines. Besides this unfortunate change, JetBlue’s low fares are still a good overall value with free in-flight entertainment and snacks. Its route map includes over 100 domestic and international destinations, including Canada, Central America and the Caribbean, Mexico, South America, and Europe (London and Paris). JetBlue has a free frequent flyer program called TrueBlue. Members can earn points for every dollar spend on JetBlue flights, services, or products, as well as by shopping with TrueBlue partners.

Southwest: also not a ultra-low-cost airline, Southwest distinguishes itself from the crowd by offering two checked bags and no change fees even with its low “wanna get away” fares. Another difference between Southwest and other airlines is that the Dallas-based carrier has a unique open seating model where passengers can choose their own seats when boarding, which is done in groups. Passengers can buy early check-in access or check-in as soon as it opens to be in one of the first groups. Southwest’s Rapid Rewards program can be joined for free with different ways to earn points redeemable for flights, hotels, gift cards, and more.

Avelo Airlines is a newer low-cost carrier that focuses on point-to-point flights between smaller airports in more than 40 destinations in the U.S (except for MCO, Orlando International Airport). Although Avelo offers “everyday surprisingly low fares,” travelers should be mindful of extra fees such as “customer support processing charge” and “electronic carrier usage charge,” on top of more common fees like seat selection, bags (other than a small personal item), and priority boarding.

Breeze Airways is a new low-cost carrier that started with direct flights to less popular routes across the U.S. However, Breeze destination map is rapidly expanding to more popular tourist hubs such as Los Angeles, San Francisco, Orlando, Phoenix, and Las Vegas. They promise to make it easier for passengers to book and manage flights through their app, even offering 500 BreezePoints just for downloading it. Beware of fees for bags (other than a small personal item), seat assignment, boarding pass printed at the airport, guest assistance at the airport, and even a “technology development charge” for booking online or through a team member. On the positive side, the airline allows changes or cancellations without penalties and offer refunds in the form of reusable BreezePoints.

Canada

Air Canada Rouge – This airline is basically the low-cost version of Air Canada. As such, it offers generally lower fares and a la carte services, including seat selection, meals, checked bags, and Wi-Fi. It also has a Premium option with priority check-in and boarding, upgraded seats, meals, complimentary Wi-Fi, and access to Air Canada’s Maple Leaf lounges. Although it has its own website, booking is done on Air Canada’s main site.

Flair – It describes itself as “Canada’s leading low-fare airline and its greenest airline.” Serving over 35 cities not only in Canada, but also in the U.S., Mexico, and the Dominican Republic, Flair one-way fares start from as low as CAD $13 (USD $10). As expected, there are optional fees and charges such as $29-$59 for a carry-on bag, or $15-$25 to select a standard seat. Members of the Flair Fliers Club can get exclusive deals every Tuesday, entries to monthly drawings, and extra savings.

Lynx – Launched in 2022, Lynx flights from/to many Canadian cities and sunny destinations in the U.S. such as Tampa, Orlando, Fort Myers, Los Angeles, and Las Vegas. Since it is a new airline, Lynx promotes itself by offering offers and discounts on several of its routes. Make sure to follow the airline on social media, because there is where they periodically post discount codes. Like other budget airlines, their cheaper fares only allow one personal item, while all other add-ons are available for a fee.

Mexico & South America

Mexico: Volaris, Viva Aerobus

South America: Sky Airline (Chile), JetSmart (Chile), Easyfly (Colombia), Gol (Brazil), Flybondi (Argentina)

Europe

Ryanair – Ireland based “ultra-low-cost” airline with an ever-growing list of destinations in over 40 countries. As most low-cost airlines, with Ryanair you get what you paid for, so the only thing included is a personal item (very small personal item!) and everything else has a price, including an airport check-in fee of up to €55 or €30 for flights from Spain (so always check-in online! – also print your boarding pass or even better download their app). However, their fees for taking a carry on and even a checked bag are not outrageous (like Frontier or Spirit!), so it could be worth it to flight this airline to save some big bucks! But the cost is cheaper when you pay in advanced when booking online, not at the airport. If you are not sure if your personal item will fit their requirement, or if you just want to take more luggage, then it would make sense to pay for the option “Priority & 2 cabin bags” when booking.

However, you should do your research first to know at what airport you will be landing and the cost of transportation from that airport to the city (or to where you will be staying) to evaluate the overall cost of your flight. Sometimes, the distance between smaller airports and the city compared to the main airport is not a deal breaker. For example, we took Ryanair from Copenhagen to Milan Bergamo, and the cost of transportation from there to Milan Central Station was almost similar to taking the Malpensa Express (train that goes to/from the center of Milan to Malpensa Airport). However, this is not the case in London, where arriving at Gatwick, Luton, or Heathrow can make a difference in time and money.

easyJet – It is easy to spot these airplanes at the airport thanks to their bright orange-colored designs. And you can find them in many major and small airports across Europe, as easyJet keeps expanding its network from their home base in London.

One of the most common complains against low-cost carriers is that many times they flight from/to smaller airports that are far from the city, which can add to the cost of the fare overall. However, easyJet can take you to major airports such as Milan Malpensa, Paris Charles De Gaulle, Amsterdam Schiphol, Prague, Copenhagen, etc., for a significant lower fare. The catch is that, as with many low-cost airlines, anything beyond a personal bag has a cost, as well as seat selection, priority boarding, drinks and snacks.

We took easyJet on many occasions, from Rome to Paris Orly, from Milan Malpensa to Prague, from Berlin to Copenhagen, without any issues and with great deals!

Wizz Air – this low-cost airline is based in Budapest, the capital of Hungary. Wizz flights to over 190 destinations in over 50 countries, and they pride themselves as being “the most environmentally sustainable airline globally.”

They also partner with Booking.com offering 5% cash back when you book your lodging through their website, or by entering your 10-digit Wizz account number when booking your stay. The credit goes to your Wizz account and expires within 6 months after being issued (The promotion ends on December 31, 2023). The same with rentalcars.com, where you can get 5% Wizz credit back or 10% if using GreenMotion. They also have their Wizz Discount Club and if you join you can save on booking and baggage as well as have access to other special offers.

Last summer, we bought tickets from London to Vienna, but unfortunately, we could not experience what Wizz Air had to offer because we missed our flight to London!

Pegasus – Turkish low-cost airline offering flights to many destinations in Turkey as well as 47 countries in Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. To find cheap flights, they suggest keeping your travel dates flexible, book your tickets as early as possible, avoid traveling on weekends and public holidays as well as peak season. Look for Pegasus special promos and seasonal introductory offers. Their frequent flyer program is called Pegasus BolBol, and as a member (signing up is free) you can earn points that can be redeemed for flights, seat upgrades, and other benefits. The company says that by downloading their app, you can have early access to sales or promotional campaigns.

Iberia Express – founded in 2012, this low-cost airline is a subsidiary of the main Spanish carrier Iberia. Based in Madrid, this budget airline flights to over 40 destinations in Europe, including the Canary and the Balearic Islands, many cities in mainland Spain, France, and the U.K, as well as select destinations in Italy, Germany, Greece, and all the way to Reykjavik. Iberia Express also offers a variety of discounts and promotions for members of its Club Express, which you can join for free. As mentioned earlier, last summer we missed our flight to London, which was scheduled with Iberia Express departing from Madrid. Thanks to the low cost of $36 for a one-way direct flight, our loss was not that much, but the nonrefundable fare means finding another transportation option after being stranded at Barajas airport. Buying a last-minute ticket would have cost at least three times more than what we originally paid for the promotional fare.

Vueling – another Spanish budget airline; however, this one is based in Barcelona, from where it flights to over 100 destinations covering not only Spain and other European countries but also North Africa and the Middle East. On its website, Vueling has an Outlet section offering deeply discounted fares from specific cities, such as Barcelona to Bordeaux (France) from 11.99 euros. As most low-cost airlines, the cheapest fares include only one small personal item that fits under the seat. One way to maximize your savings is by joining the Vueling Club, which offers many benefits such as collecting Avios points when booking flights, shopping on its eStore, or making purchases with the Vueling Visa credit card.

Asia

AirAsia – this Malaysia-based airline has been chosen multiple times as the “World Best Low Cost Airline” by the organization Skytrax, which releases a list of awards in the airline industry every year. As the largest low-cost carrier in Asia, it covers over 140 destinations, including not only Southeast Asia, but also China, Japan, India, and Australia with is long-haul subsidiary AirAsia X. The company has a Superapp where travelers can book flights, hotels, transportation, shop online, and get rewards.

The list of budget airlines that operate to/from Asia include: IndiGo (India), Jeju Air (South Korea), JetStar, Lion Air (Indonesia), Scoot (subsidiary of Singapore Airlines), SpiceJet (India), TigerAir (Taiwan), Peach (Japan), Cebu Pacific (Philippines), Nok Air (Thailand), and VietJet (Vietnam).