From Seats to Customer Service — Here Are the Real Differences Between Flying a Budget Airline Versus a Full Service Carrier

04.09.2024 - 22:29 / travelandleisure.com / Katy Nastro

There’s a lot of intense feelings and thoughts from people when it comes to flying low-cost or budget airlines. Some swear by them (especially for quick, short trips), and some have sworn them off entirely. But recent changes may make the naysayers reconsider their stance, emphasizes a new report for Going. This includes the recent flight disruptions and meltdowns full-service carriers have had as of late, in comparison to their budget counterparts.

Avelo Airlines, for instance, had the best on-time performance for any domestic carrier in July. The major Low-Cost Carriers in the U.S. include Southwest, Allegiant, Frontier, Avelo, Breeze, Spirit, and Sun Country.

“People often think Budget airlines equate to cheap in a bad sense, when in fact, the phrase ‘Low-Cost Carrier’ (its industry term) refers to how the carrier operates to keep costs down for both you and the business,” says Katy Nastro, travel expert and Going.com spokesperson. As anyone who has flown a budget airline, the biggest differences are in the seating and the amenities, but let’s take a look at how they each stack up.

Budget airlines often choose slimline seats, according to Going, with less padding than other full-service carriers to maximize space and weight for fuel efficiency. So your seat might feel harder and the space tighter. Some budget airlines also don't allow seats to recline.

A number of budget carriers also don't have different fare classes for seating — all the seats are the same. Some, like Spirit, have recently introduced classes with more legroom. Southwest is also planning to add fares for seats with extra legroom.

Most budget carriers also do not have items like in-flight entertainment. (If they do, you likely have to stream from your own device — not unlike some full-service carriers’ smaller planes.) Food and drink on budget? If they do have anything, it’s for sale and most likely with no hot options. 

The other cons to budget carriers include things you might not be aware of — like customer protections. As Going reports, Carriers like Frontier and Allegiant are not committed to all coverages that a controllable flight disruption might result in providing travelers with less rights according to the Airline Customer Service Dashboard.

“Budget carriers do not have interline agreements, meaning they cannot rebook you on another airline and may not be able to rebook you for a while due to smaller networks,” says Nastro. “Unlike their larger counterparts, Low-Cost Carriers don’t have extended networks (alliances) across the globe which makes options limited.”  

But the pros include new changes that could help you (and your wallet). Recently, Frontier announced that it would get rid of change fees, while Spirit also got