I don’t buy into the negative hype about budget airlines. Here’s why I choose $15 flights whenever I can.

• Catherine Smith started flying on budget airlines in 2015.
• She’s booked one-way flights on airlines like Frontier for as little as $15.
• Smith says budget airlines are just as safe, if not safer than the best ranked airlines.

I love a deal, especially one involving a plane ticket. I’ve been flying budget airlines almost exclusively for the last eight years and have no intentions of stopping any time soon.

My foray into budget travel began more out of necessity than anything else. In 2015, I’d just quit my full-time job, moved into an apartment above my grandparent’s garage, and began trying to build a career as a remote freelancer. Money was tight but I also had trouble staying put — I blame that on growing up an Army brat and moving every two to three years. Affordable airlines, like Frontier, WOW (which eventually led to the creation of Play), Allegiant, and even Spirit have made traveling within a budget possible.

Courtesy of Catherine Smith

I flew on a round trip ticket from Newark, New Jersey, to Iceland for less than $300 with WOW. When I lived in Southwest Virginia, I flew Allegiant from Asheville, North Carolina, to West Palm Beach for less than $100 round trip. I flew Spirit from Philly to Los Angeles for $75, and regularly fly with Frontier for less than $50 round trip.

Flights on traditional airlines were nowhere close to my budget

My favorite deal, and the one that really helped me see what was possible with budget travel, was the deal I used to visit my grandmother in 2015 — she lived in Alabama.

Flights on traditional airlines were close to $500, and nowhere near my budget. So I booked a $15 flight from Trenton, New Jersey, to Atlanta on Frontier and visited with a friend from college. Then I flew to New Orleans the next day on another $15 ticket, where I spent two nights in a cheap Airbnb exploring the city.

From New Orleans, I took a two-hour ride on the Megabus to Alabama for $12 and spent a few days with my grandparents before returning to Atlanta for $15 and eventually ending up with friends in Orlando — again, for $15 — before making my way back to Philly for a final $15. All of a sudden, that $500 was going a lot further.

I refuse extra in-flight offers to keep my ticket price low

While a $15 airline ticket sounds like a pricing mishap, it’s actually quite common. Frontier regularly offers deals like these. In fact, my partner and I recently booked flights from Philadelphia to West Palm Beach for a total of $38 round trip — $19 each way. But whenever I talk about my love for budget airlines, there’s always a handful of people who dismiss me with comments like, “But it’s Frontier; I’d have to pay extra for everything else.”

Courtesy of Catherine Smith

This isn’t true. No one is forcing you to pay for the extras. You get a seat on the plane and can bring a personal item for a pretty low-base price. Anything outside of that is simply an offer, to which I consistently enjoy saying “No.”

Just by packing a little lighter and forfeiting my option to select a seat, I’m able to travel the world for a fraction of the price traditional airlines charge. And what incentives are more expensive airlines offering me — a slightly cushier seat, room for a larger suitcase, and a can of soda? I’d rather they keep their ginger ale while I book another flight or four with Frontier or Allegiant.

I don’t buy into the hype that budget airlines aren’t comfortable, safe, and reliable

This summer, there were trending headlines claiming Frontier Airlines is the worst US airline. I won’t pretend the headlines didn’t give me pause. But in my experience, delays and flight interruptions are far and few between. Yes, they happen from time to time and I can easily get cranky when they do, but I understand it’s the reality of air travel, whether I am on Frontier or Delta.

If I’m flying for a special occasion, I build in buffer days — no matter what airline I am traveling with — and will also book my flight using Capital One Travel and add the Flight Disruption assistance. This allows me to “rapidly rebook” a flight with any airline if I’m delayed more than two hours, but I haven’t had to use it yet.

Courtesy of Catherine Smith

In my opinion, budget airlines are just as safe, if not safer than the best airlines. According to AirAdvisor, the only safety incidents of note in 2022 (for the top ten airlines in the US) were tail strikes — when a plane’s tail makes contact with the runway during takeoff or landing. Delta, Frontier, and JetBlue each had a single tail strike. This leads me to believe I’m no safer flying Delta (the number one airline) than I am flying Frontier (the tenth) — and I am theoretically safer on other budget airlines, like Spirit and Allegiant.

I also don’t find the comforts of traditional airlines worth the upcharge. Do I enjoy the novelty provided by a seat back screen when I occasionally fly traditional airlines? Sure. And I won’t pretend that traditional airlines don’t have slightly cushier seats. But none of these “comforts” are comfortable enough to justify the extra couple of hundred dollars when I can just pack a travel pillow, bring my refillable water bottle, and download movies and podcasts before taking off.

Most times, I only fly with a personal item — and it’s not just because of the fees

Frontier, Spirit, and Allegiant often use purses, briefcases, and children’s backpacks as examples of personal items. You’d be surprised just how much space a bag of that size provides if you’re mindful and organized.

Of course, it depends on the time of year, destination, and length of my trip, but using packing cubes, I can typically fit quite a bit into my personal item: three to five tops, a couple of pairs of pants or shorts, a dress or two, undergarments, a bathing suit, two pairs of shoes, a journal, my laptop, basic toiletries, a small tote, a small purse and other miscellaneous items.

Courtesy of Catherine Smith

For me, the switch to flying with only a personal item was inspired by my experience traveling on a traditional airline to Bali. After three layovers and four flights, I arrived in Bali to find that my luggage had not. Thirty-six hours later, with no response from the airline, I headed to a mall in a neighboring town and spent the evening trying to find some cheap clothes to get me through my three-week stay. Five minutes after returning to the hotel, my suitcase was delivered without notice.

I opened up my suitcase and just stared — there was so much stuff in there: bathing suits, a hair straightener, beach towels, toiletries, books, pajamas, shoes, and more. These were the items I deemed essential and yet I had been making do without them. Over the next three weeks, I took stock of what I actually used and what was just dead weight. Now, packing is an opportunity to check in with myself before leaving home, reflect on my intentions for the trip, and determine where I’m at mentally and emotionally.

Budget airlines might not be for everyone, but I’m happy to get what I pay for

Many see budget airlines as being riddled with fees but I see it as à-la-carte air travel options personalized to my wallet and individual needs. They are making exploring the world, visiting loved ones, and experiencing new places and cultures accessible in ways that many of us could otherwise never afford.

Correction: December 14, 2023 — An earlier version of this story misstated that Play Airlines was formerly WOW Airlines. Although Play was founded by a handful of WOW execs and follows the same business model, this article was updated to reflect that Play is considered a new business and not a rebrand.