The real cost of cheap airline tickets

HOUSTON – I love to travel with my family. And I love a bargain.

That combination means we’ve flown plenty of discount airline flights to save money.

As a consumer investigative reporter, I feel more knowledgeable than most about all the ways things can go sideways when you fly no frills airlines Spirit and Frontier. But I still click “buy now” when I see an incredible airfare deal that’s too good to pass up.

Some examples of great airfare deals I’ve found:

• Last December, I booked 4 roundtrip tickets to Florida for $401.56 on Spirit.
• I found 4 roundtrip tickets to Los Angeles between Christmas and New Year’s for $352.92 on Frontier Airlines.

You know the old saying- “You get what you pay for.” I believe that; and so I set the bar pretty low when I book these low priced flights. I actually expect delays. In some strange mind trick only a thrift junkie would understand, I think of the unknown ways things could go wrong as part of our adventure. You may be less adventurous and more averse to delays, cramped seats (I’m under 5′2″. The lack of legroom doesn’t bother me or my children), and being nickel and dimed for every little thing.

Knowing what to expect helps relieve some of the anxiety you may have flying budget airlines. It’s why I wanted to share my experiences to expose the true cost of cheap airfare.

Your flight times will change after you book

Sometimes the changes are minor, like leaving 30 minutes late. Other times, the change can alter your entire trip.

I recently booked a roundtrip flight to Denver for my family of four on Frontier for $567 total. The times were perfect. We would fly out on a Thursday at 9:42 am and fly back home from Denver at 3 pm. Our flight was scheduled to land at Hobby Airport at 6:31 pm. Less than a week after I purchased the tickets, Frontier Airlines sent me an innocuous email with the subject “Important changes to your flight itinerary.” The change shaved 10 hours off the final day of our trip. Our flight home moved from 3 pm to 5:22 am. Bummer!

Legally, I could have cancelled the flights and gotten a full refund (since the airline changed the flight time by more than 3 hours), but I had already booked lodging in Colorado that I couldn’t cancel.

Sometimes flight times aren’t adjusted until you’re at the gate ready to board the plane. In these cases, as long as the airline claims delays are caused by weather or some other factor not in the airline’s control, you’re sort of at their mercy.

Frontier has one flight out of IAH to Denver every Thursday. The departure time is in the 9pm hour; but in my experience, it never leaves on-time. Last summer, my flight didn’t leave Houston until after 11pm.

One month later, the same flight scheduled to leave Houston at 9:12 pm didn’t leave until after 11pm.

Leaving flexibility in your schedule on travel days makes these changes more manageable.

Baggage fees are expensive: Pack accordingly

Everyone knows that Southwest Airlines is one of the only airlines that still lets you check bags for free with the purchase of your airfare. You’re going to pay for your bags on other airlines. When you’re counting your pennies, the fees at Spirit and Frontier add up quickly. Make sure you factor this into the cost of your airfare.

Purchasing a checked bag is least expensive when you pay for it at the same time that you book your flight. If you wait to pay for your bag when you check in at the airport, the price doubles. On Frontier, one checked bag purchased when you book your flight is $48 (each way) and $99 (each way) if you wait to add it when you check in.

You can avoid checked bags altogether by carrying on a travel bag that is the same size as a “personal item.” On Frontier Airlines, personal items can be 14″H x 18″W x 8″D. This is actually a decent size bag. My kids all have rolling bags that match these dimensions. Essentially, they all bring their “free” carry-on with their clothes and activities for the plane. You can also search bags by these dimensions online when shopping.

Talking to Humans Costs Extra

When flying Frontier, it is almost impossible to speak to a real person. The airline bagged its call-in customer service line years ago. If you want to reach a customer service representative, you have to start a chat through WhatsApp. To avoid charges from checking in with a Frontier representative at the airport (up to $25 per passenger), you will need to download the Frontier app and set up an account.

Spirit Airlines also uses chat bots and WhatsApp texts to communicate with customers. The best way to manage flights with both airlines is through their mobile apps.

They want you to pay to sit with your family. Here’s why you may not need to.

Both Spirit and Frontier Airlines make you pay for assigned seats if you want to make sure you are sitting next to your family or friends. What you may not know is that if your child is 13 or under, Frontier will automatically seat them next to you for free. If you are traveling with multiple children 13 and under, Frontier and Spirit will seat you all next to one another at no additional cost.

Expect Gotchas!

It’s no secret all the extra fees and add-on services are where these bargain airlines butter their bread. That doesn’t mean you have to pass them the knife. You have to be hyper focused when booking and flying to get the savings you’re sacrificing some of your sanity for.

• Last October, I found a Frontier fare for a winter flight to Los Angeles for me and my three children.
• It was $352 for four roundtrip tickets.
• I purchased the tickets as soon as I saw them, knowing that you can legally cancel within 24 hours and get a full refund.
• I realized within a few hours that the cost of lodging and a rental car in LA was more than what I wanted to pay.
• But when I went to cancel the reservation, I realized Frontier never sent a confirmation or receipt.

My credit card showed the transaction, but I had no confirmation number to cancel online. I emailed the airline and finally got a response confirming my purchase. By that time, 24 hours had passed. Fortunately, within 48 hours, Frontier agreed to process the refund. But the whole thing seemed very shady.

Have the DOT Complaint site bookmarked

The U.S. Department of Transportation regulates airlines. You should file a complaint with this agency if you have an issue with any airline you can’t resolve. The DOT requires airlines to acknowledge consumer complaints within 30 days of receiving them and to send consumers written responses addressing these complaints within 60 days of receiving them.

Do you have a question for Amy? Email AskAmy@kprc.com.