The Real Question Isn’t “Which Is Cheapest?”
Let me save you some time. Every budget airline will advertise rock-bottom fares. Spirit will show you $47 flights. Ryanair will promise €19 to anywhere. Frontier will flash $29 deals in your face.
None of those prices are real.
By the time you add a carry-on bag, pick a seat that isn’t middle-row purgatory, and maybe — just maybe — want a bottle of water, you’re looking at 2-3x the advertised fare. So I spent the better part of six months flying budget carriers across North America and Europe to answer the question that actually matters: which budget airlines give you decent value for what you actually pay?
My Testing Methodology
I booked 12 flights on 8 different budget carriers between January and August 2024. Every booking included:
- One personal item (the “free” allowance)
- One carry-on bag
- Seat selection (non-middle)
- No checked luggage
This simulates how most people actually travel for weekend trips or short vacations. I tracked total cost, on-time performance, seat comfort, and the general “would I do this again?” vibe.
The North American Budget Carrier Breakdown
Southwest: Still the Best Value (If You Book Smart)
Southwest remains the undisputed champion for domestic US travel. Two free checked bags. No change fees. Boarding process that actually makes sense once you understand it.
The catch? Their fares aren’t always the lowest upfront. But when you factor in bag fees, Southwest beats Spirit and Frontier on probably 60% of routes I checked. A $189 Southwest fare often costs less than a $129 Spirit fare once you add bags.
Their Wanna Get Away fares are genuinely good deals. I flew Denver to Las Vegas for $89 round-trip in March. Try getting that price with bags included on any other carrier.
Biggest downside: no assigned seating drives some people absolutely crazy. And their boarding system rewards early check-in, which means setting phone alarms for exactly 24 hours before departure.
Spirit Airlines: Better Than Its Reputation (Barely)
Here’s something that surprised me — Spirit has actually improved. Their Big Front Seats offer legitimate legroom for about $30-50 extra, and their app doesnt crash every five minutes anymore.
I flew Spirit twice in 2024: Fort Lauderdale to New Orleans and Chicago to Miami. Both flights departed on time. Both were fine. Not great, not terrible.
The problem is their fee structure remains aggressively confusing. A carry-on bag costs anywhere from $35 to $65 depending on when and how you book. Want to pick your seat? Another $5-25. Want a water bottle? $4. The nickel-and-diming adds up fast.
My verdict: Spirit works for solo travelers with just a backpack who don’t care where they sit. Everyone else will probably pay similar or more than traditional carriers.
Frontier: The Wildcard
Frontier has this weird discount program called GoWild that lets you fly unlimited for $599/year. Sounds insane. It kind of is.
The catch is you can only book 24 hours before departure, flights are subject to availability, and you still pay taxes. But if you’re flexible and adventurous, some people have gotten genuine value from it.
For regular bookings, Frontier operates almost identically to Spirit. Similar fee structure, similar seat pitch, similar “eh, it got me there” experience. I flew them Phoenix to Denver and the flight cost $167 total with a carry-on. Okay deal, nothing special.
European Budget Airlines: A Different Beast
European low-cost carriers play a rougher game. Ryanair especially has built an entire business model around fees most travelers don’t expect.
Ryanair: The Necessary Evil
Nobody likes Ryanair. But they fly routes nobody else does at prices nobody else offers. Dublin to Barcelona for €35? Only Ryanair does that.
I flew Ryanair three times this year. Each time I reminded myself: this is basically a bus with wings. Expect nothing and you won’t be disappointed.
Their new “priority boarding” scheme is particularly annoying. Without it, you can’t bring a carry-on in the cabin — it gets checked at the gate. Priority costs €6-8 per flight. So the “free carry-on” is actually… not free.
That said, their on-time performance is genuinely excellent. They turn planes around in 25 minutes like clockwork. All three of my flights departed within 10 minutes of scheduled time.
EasyJet: The Comfortable Middle Ground
If Ryanair is the aggressive budget option, EasyJet is the “budget with standards” option. Slightly higher fares, significantly better experience.
I flew London Gatwick to Amsterdam. The seats were normal width, the crew seemed reasonably happy to be there, and nobody tried to sell me a scratchcard during the flight. (Yes, Ryanair does that.)
EasyJet’s fee structure is also more predictable. Large cabin bag included with most fare types, reasonable checked bag prices, and their app actually works properly.
The value proposition: Pay maybe €20-30 more than Ryanair, enjoy the flight instead of enduring it.
Wizz Air: Europe’s Best-Kept Secret
Wizz Air doesn’t get the attention of Ryanair or EasyJet, but they’ve built an impressive network across Central and Eastern Europe.
I flew Budapest to Rome with them. Total cost with carry-on: €67. The seats were fine, departure was on time, and I discovered they have USB charging ports — something Ryanair definitely doesn’t offer.
Their route network makes them particularly valuable if you’re exploring beyond Western Europe. Budapest, Warsaw, Krakow, Bucharest — Wizz Air often has the only budget options.
What I Actually Recommend
After all these flights, here’s my honest ranking for 2024:
Best overall value: Southwest (domestic US) and EasyJet (Europe). Both deliver predictable experiences at fair prices.
Best for extreme budget: Spirit/Frontier (US) and Ryanair (Europe) — but only if you’re genuinely willing to travel with just a personal item and accept whatever seat you get.
Most improved: Spirit deserves credit for becoming “acceptable” instead of “actively unpleasant.”
Biggest disappointment: Frontier. Same experience as Spirit but somehow less convenient routes and schedules.
The Hidden Factor Nobody Talks About
Speaking of changes in the entertainment world, it reminds me of the honest comparison I did on streaming services — both industries have this problem where advertised prices mean nothing. But with airlines, there’s another hidden factor: your time.
A $50 cheaper flight that requires a 6am departure, a connection through a random hub, and arrives at 11pm costs you an entire day. Sometimes paying an extra $75-100 for a direct flight with reasonable times represents better value than obsessing over the cheapest option.
Budget airlines also tend to use secondary airports. Flying into London Stansted instead of Heathrow might save €30 on the ticket but cost €20+ more in ground transport and add 45 minutes to your journey.
My Final Take
The best budget airline in 2024 depends entirely on what you’re willing to trade.
If you value predictability and hate fees: Southwest domestically, EasyJet in Europe. And if you’re traveling internationally and curious what streaming options work in different countries, that streaming comparison covers which services are available where — useful when you’re killing time during layovers.
If you’re genuinely flexible and traveling light: Spirit, Frontier, or Ryanair will get you there cheap. Just don’t expect comfort.
Budget airlines aren’t scams. They’re businesses optimized to serve travelers who value price above all else. Know what you actually need, compare total costs not base fares, and you can travel incredibly affordably.
Just maybe pack snacks. Because $4 for a tiny water bottle still feels like robbery.