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06-20-2018, 01:13 PM
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15,268 posts, read 12,476,674 times
Reputation: 19552
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Quote:
Originally Posted by g-man430
With the extras, it was still cheaper for me going to Las Vegas with Frontier out of GSP than any other carrier including Southwest. It’s non stop direct also which is a nice plus.
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The concern I'd have with them would be the same that I have with Allegiant.. With so few flights.. What happens if..?
If they have a maintenance issue with a plane? If there's a weather event that causes cancellations? If they overbook the flight? Can you imagine the salesmanship required for that one at the gate? "Good morning, Ladies and Gentlemen, we're looking for volunteers to give up their seat today, we will offer a voucher for one free flight anywhere Frontier flies and put you on our next available flight in three days"
Being stuck in a place like Vegas (or Orlando) for an extra day can get very expensive very quickly. |
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06-20-2018, 02:08 PM
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Location: Greenville, SC
11,599 posts, read 23,543,969 times
Reputation: 3353
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They’ll probably put you on a different carrier if something happens.
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06-20-2018, 02:25 PM
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15,268 posts, read 12,476,674 times
Reputation: 19552
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Quote:
Originally Posted by g-man430
They’ll probably put you on a different carrier if something happens.
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I think you are overly optimistic there. There's a reason they're a 'low cost' airline. They are tight on their margins.
https://www.lasvegasnow.com/news/pas...ines/115899630
Is an example of what happens when things go horribly wrong. Spirit and Frontier and other low cost airlines basically will say "I can put you on our next flight in 3 days, or we can give you a refund for the unused portion of your ticket".. So, you get the $100 from them and then the walkup one way fare from someone else is $700.
Certainly not saying this happens alot, but.. For me, it's always one of those things in mind that can happen when an airline is only running a very limited schedule.
Check out section 8.. https://www.spirit.com/Content/Docum...f_Carriage.pdf It's pretty standard airline "Go f#*$ yourself" stuff, but when they only run a few flights a week.. Gets more hairy.
All that being said.. I don't think the low cost guys typically overbook.
Should you be overly concerned? No.. Should it at least be a consideration? Probably. |
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06-20-2018, 03:18 PM
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Location: TPA
6,482 posts, read 5,821,482 times
Reputation: 4863
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Labonte18
The concern I'd have with them would be the same that I have with Allegiant.. With so few flights.. What happens if..?
If they have a maintenance issue with a plane? If there's a weather event that causes cancellations? If they overbook the flight? Can you imagine the salesmanship required for that one at the gate? "Good morning, Ladies and Gentlemen, we're looking for volunteers to give up their seat today, we will offer a voucher for one free flight anywhere Frontier flies and put you on our next available flight in three days"
Being stuck in a place like Vegas (or Orlando) for an extra day can get very expensive very quickly.
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Exactly. One thing you have to keep in mind when flying Frontier, Allegiant, Sun Country, and Spirit. They've been known for delays and instances of stranding passengers, and Sun Country even stranded people in Mexico a few months ago until bad press made them bring another plane in.
These low costs carriers don't yet have the fleets or network to have "planes on standby." That's part of the reason flights are only a couple days a week. So if something happens, it takes a lot to try to get another plane in as it can disrupt the whole network. Delta has 871 planes, American has 950, Southwest has 717. Frontier has 78.
When I went to Chicago last year I flew on Southwest going but needed a new airline coming back. Looked at United and Spirit. Spirit's ticket was dirt cheap, but after paying for all the extra it ended up a few dollars more than the United ticket. That plus the fact that Spirit has a smaller fleet, smaller seat pitch, and worse customer service, it was a no brainer to choose United.
While the ULC carriers do make life easier on travelers with the prices, they're not always what they're cracked up to be. Everyone has different experiences on every airline, but don't take legacy carriers for granted. |
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06-20-2018, 05:33 PM
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Location: Greenville, SC
11,599 posts, read 23,543,969 times
Reputation: 3353
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Quote:
Originally Posted by EnglishCream
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Still worth the risk. They could probably fly me to CLT, ATL, or some other close destination where I could rent a car and drive home if worse came to worse. Wouldn’t be the first time. Lol. |
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06-20-2018, 07:35 PM
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15,268 posts, read 12,476,674 times
Reputation: 19552
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Quote:
Originally Posted by g-man430
Still worth the risk. They could probably fly me to CLT, ATL, or some other close destination where I could rent a car and drive home if worse came to worse. Wouldn’t be the first time. Lol.
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For here, right now? I'd probably agree with you, considering the prices that I saw yesterday. Ballpark $200 vs $380
But.. When it comes down to the difference being much smaller.. Say a $50 difference.. Then it gets a little tricky.
For me.. If there were a $50 difference in price in flying out of GSP vs ATL.. I'm flying GSP every time. Even $100 GSP probably wins. But, a $100 difference between GSP and CLT.. I'll drive that.
But, I use the above as a contrast.. If you had a choice between.. Say Southwest and Frontier to Vegas.. All other things being equal (No luggage fees to consider, just $50 difference) which would you choose? Saving $50 sounds real good.. Being stranded in Vegas a few extra days doesn't sound too bad, but when you work out the math.. |
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06-20-2018, 08:01 PM
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Location: Greenville, SC
11,599 posts, read 23,543,969 times
Reputation: 3353
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Labonte18
But, I use the above as a contrast.. If you had a choice between.. Say Southwest and Frontier to Vegas.. All other things being equal (No luggage fees to consider, just $50 difference) which would you choose? Saving $50 sounds real good.. Being stranded in Vegas a few extra days doesn't sound too bad, but when you work out the math..
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If I got stuck in Vegas and Frontier paid for the extra hotel nights, I wouldn’t have a problem with it personally. However, if they didn’t then that would be a big problem that I wouldn’t be happy with it. And honestly if Southwest was only $50 more I would probably go with them over Frontier anyways. |
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06-22-2018, 09:40 AM
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387 posts, read 296,976 times
Reputation: 323
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In my experience lately all the airlines are reluctant to pay for hotels, especially if they can pin a delay or cancelation on "weather".
And even then the big ones give you a voucher that may or may not be honored because when delays affect one airline they often affect others so hotels fill up.
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06-22-2018, 10:50 AM
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2,781 posts, read 2,995,074 times
Reputation: 2147
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I looked at fares for flying to San Francisco to visit family we have on the left coast and this could potentially save us quite a bit of money even if you add in extra fees for bags and seating options. Under $300 for a round trip ticket to SFO seems like a great deal. The cheapest standard carriers are over $100 more per ticket.
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