Land low airfares without the extra fees

Airfares are going up and down at the same time and I need to explain to you what’s going on.

American, United, and Delta–the three full fare airlines– are able to raise prices more and more because they are controlling how many seats they have. They specifically attract business travelers mostly.

And at the same time the three fastest growing airlines in the country are airlines you might not know much about, or, you might have flown them and you hate them. They’re Frontier, Spirit, and Allegiant. I call them hard discounters.

But they’re growing so fast, it’s like light speed how quickly they’re growing– adding new planes, new routes, and the fares are phenomenally cheap. Frontier, the airline that people complain about the most to federal regulators, offers sale fares all the time starting at $39.

But that’s only the starting point. You want anything to eat or drink? You pay for it. You want to take a bag on board or check one? You pay for it. Whatever it is you want to do, you pay for it separately. But if you learn how to fly by their rules you’re really going to fly for $39 sometimes. So you want a cheap fare? You can really save, but you’re going to have to earn your savings. I’m Clark Howard.

Related articles: Travel Booking and Planning Guide

The #1 Rule of Cheap Travel

Fight back against airline junk fees