Is flying a discount airline worth it? This is a question I have asked myself on more than one occasion. It’s a question that doesn’t have a simple answer as there are lots of factors that go into it.
There’s outright cost comparison, reputation of an airline, your current situation, etc. This post will address 11 factors that go into the decision.
Number 1: Outright Cost Comparison
The first factor that will help determine if a discount airline is worth it is an outright cost comparison. How much does Airline A cost compared to Airline B? Sub-questions include:
- What is the price of a ticket?
- Are there additional fees like bag checks?
- Any hidden costs?
If all said and done Airline A costs $300 less than Airline B for a two-hour flight, that’s a significant savings. If the cost difference is $20, that’s not as much of a difference and probably won’t factor in as much.
Number 2: Reputation of Airline
The reputation of an airline matters. Reputation usually factors in a bunch of things like cost, customer service, safety record, etc. It’s kind of all-encompassing.
One airline might be great in one area and no so great in another area. Or one airline might rate high in almost every category while another airline rates low in almost every area except price. Find out how the airlines rate in the categories you care about and that will provide a lot of insight.
Number 3: Time Cost
What is the potential time cost for flying a discount airline? Does the discount airline have a bad reputation for having flights delayed and/or cancelled? Are you likely to be in a situation where you’re waiting at the airport for hours on end only to discover later in the evening that your flight got cancelled?
You might be the kind of person who is able to bring a lot of work to the airport so delays don’t impact you much. Or you might be someone who doesn’t work well in crowded areas, which doesn’t give you the chance to work. Or you may not have work to do and you’d just be sitting there waiting. Determine potential time costs and how it impacts you.
Number 4: Opportunity Cost and Time
The fourth thing to consider when deciding whether a discount airline is worth it directly relates to number three on the list. What is the opportunity cost to delayed or cancelled flights? If you have a family, it’s time away from your family.
For someone with a job that provides direct services to people like nurses and police officers, it might be time spent away from work. A business executive in a time crunch possibly could miss a meeting or two if their flight is delayed.
There is opportunity cost to almost everything. Decide what that cost is and if the risk is worth it. In some cases, the answer is yes. For other situations, it’s going to be a clear no.
The traveler who is not in a time crunch and can work at the airport or on plane probably doesn’t have as much risk in this area. But the traveler in a time crunch who is in danger of missing a meeting has a lot more risk in this area.
Number 5: Potential Frustration
Are you the type of person who gets very frustrated with delayed and/or cancelled flights or are you someone who doesn’t mind a few extra hours in the airport? Only you know your frustration tolerance when it comes to issues with flights. Often times in life (not always), you get what you pay for.
If one airline is a lot less than another for the same flight, there are likely some reasons. How will you react to delays and poor customer service? If you are the type of person who gets really upset over such issues, it’s probably better to pay more and avoid this type of situation. But if it doesn’t really bother you for the most part, a discount airline might be worth it
When gauging your frustration tolerance, look at other factors included in this blog post, especially:
- Time constraints
- Potential to miss appointments or meetings if flight is delayed or cancelled
- Travel companions
As a quick example, someone who normally isn’t bothered much by delayed flights would be very bothered by a delayed flight that leads to a missed meeting. Or a parent who normally flies alone, is very likely to be more bothered by a delayed flight if their young children are with them and getting restless with the delays.
Number 6: Likelihood to Travel Less or More
When deciding if discount airlines are worth it or not, there’s an X factor. And that factor is how likely are you to travel less or more if you have a bad experience. On the other end, if you have to pay more for flights than you would like, are you less likely to travel?
There’s a balance most people strike between price and the experience an airline is going to provide. Too many delayed and cancelled flights, poor customer service, etc. and a person isn’t likely to travel as much. An abundance of expensive flights that drain the bank account are also likely to keep a person from traveling as much.
Find your balance and the answer to this question will become clear.
Number 7: Current Situation
Your current situation is a huge factor in deciding whether a discount airline is worth it. By current situation, I’m referring to where you are in life. Are you:
- Financially independent with plenty of money?
- A broke college student?
- Doing well enough financially but struggling to invest anything more than 10 percent of your income?
- Any financial position but in a big hurry to get to your destination?
Your current situation is going to be a big driver in the decision. I know that when I was a broke college student I would have flown pretty much any airline as long as it had a good safety record. Same thing for when I was in my 20’s and early 30’s and had little to no money.
Now I might fly a discount airline from time to time, but there are many situations in which I won’t. If I have an important event to attend, I won’t. But if I have a little more time, I probably will if all the other factors add up.
Related: What is the FIRE Movement?
Number 8: Time Constraints
This category relates to your current situation, but narrows it down a bit. Do you have any time constraints where a delayed or cancelled flight will negatively impact your life? Examples include:
- An important meeting
- Some type of event like a play or football game
- Time sensitive vacation plans
If there are major time constraints, a discount airline might leave you stressed out and scattering. If your flight is scheduled to land at 10:00 AM and you’re meeting your friends at a football game at 1:00 PM, that’s doesn’t allow for much time if the flight is delayed.
Even an hour or two delayed flight is going to dampen your plans. And a three-hour delay or more is going to totally ruin your plans because you’ll miss all or part of the game, and all the pre-game festivities.
Number 9: Traveling Companions
When I ask if a discount airline is worth it, a major component is who I’m traveling with. I can handle some delays if I’m traveling by myself or with my wife. As much as I love my kids, a delay with them is a different story.
- I’m hungry!
- When do we get there?
- Why isn’t the plane here yet?
- I’m tired!
For anyone with kids, these are all statements you’ve heard, and they are magnified when the flight is delayed or cancelled. Before you book a discount airline, think about potential delays and what that is going to sound, feel, and look like for you and anyone you’re traveling with.
Number 10: Length of Flight
I add length of flight as something to consider because the price of a flight usually is proportional to the distance and time traveled. Compare these two flight scenarios:
- One-hour flight originating from your hometown: $130 on a discount airline, $165 on an airline with excellent reputation
- Five-hour cross-country flight also originating from your hometown: $375 on discount airline, $540 on another airline
If it’s a short flight where you’re only going to save $50 or less, a discount airline isn’t that much of a difference. But when you get into the hundreds of dollars saved, the discount airline starts becoming more appealing.
Of course, another thing to consider is the comfort level on the flight. It’s easier to accept a little less comfort for a short flight than for a long one. So factor in those couple contradicting things and decide from there.
Number 11: Level of Service You Expect
Your expectations matter. If you want an airline that has a very high level of customer service and a track record of excellence, you’re probably going to need to pay more. If you just want to get from point A to point B and are ok with some flight delays and periodic cancellations, consider a discount airline.
You know yourself best. Determine your expectations and level of service you want and pick an airline(s). And remember the level of service you expect is fluid. You are going to expect a different level of service traveling with your young children than if by yourself. Same for a short trip versus a long international flight.
Conclusion: Putting It All Together
The idea behind this post is to consider different flying options. For me at least, there’s a time and a place for flying a discount airline. There’s also a time and a place for spending more (money or airline miles) on a ticket, like when there are time constraints.
I’ve come to the conclusion that I will fly a discount airline now and then when it makes sense for my situation. There are also times I’m more than willing to bite the bullet and pay more.
Is flying a discount airline worth it to you? Why or why not?
