I will never ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever and I mean ever fly Spirit again. Ever.

I'm a huge SWA fan. But I've flown Frontier into BWI from Vegas and it was totally fine. They charge you for water and any extra bags. No big deal.

Of the three, Southwest. But I've flown all three and never had a problem with any of them so I wouldn't hesitate to fly Frontier or Spirit if the timing was better for me. I am apparently one of the rare people who have never had major issues on either airline--not saying it's luxury but if you know what you are walking into and you pay the fees for the services you want, I feel like they delivery what they say they will. You do need to follow their baggage guidelines carefully though. And if you get the nicer seats, they are no less comfortable than SW or United Economy.

I have had far worse experiences with United and American than I ever had with the three you are considering.

I will never choose Frontier again. Canceled flight, no explanation, no help and had to rebook a separate flight on my own. They also get really serious about the carry on bag situation, at BWI they inspect ppl standing in line to board and call out those with bags that look too large to go put them in the sizer thingie. If it doesn't fit, those folks have to go in a separate line to pay for the baggage. It's just embarrassing and sad.

Spirit-meh, as with Frontier you get the low price but then pay for literally everything else: seats, bags, boarding, breathing.

SW by far is preferred, both for the baggage allowance but also the flexibility in rescheduling. Nothing is ever unchangeable, you might pay a fare difference but love that I can go online and see what my options are if I need to change one leg or the whole thing. In fact I have four SW flights purchased for trips this year and next, knowing I can easily modify them if needed.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Omg Southwest no question

+1000

This is like asking if you should eat from a dumpster, a private residence trash can, or go to Applebees. Applebees is FINE.

Agreed!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:SW is horrible + so is Spirit. Fly Frontier.

No.

Yes!

Anonymous wrote:SW is horrible + so is Spirit. Fly Frontier.

No.

Anonymous wrote:Omg Southwest no question

This

SW is horrible + so is Spirit. Fly Frontier.

Have never flow SW or Frontier, but please avoid Spirit at all costs.

I can't believe you would rather stay another night than deal with a layover.

Where are you starting that you don't have more options than the ones you're citing?

I can't believe you can't get a business class seat on any of the major airlines with YES the horrible terrible nightmarish experience of stopping in flyover country and walking to another gate in between.

Is a layover really worse than the prospect of Spirit or Frontier Airlines cancelling your flight and -- because they have no reciprocity with any other airline -- leaving you on the West Coast for perhaps 3-4 days?

Anonymous wrote:Thanks everyone! I know southwest is considered the best, but so much better that it's worth staying a whole extra day? (which is a huge inconvenience for me - professionally and personally).

Can anyone comment on the "big" seats on these planes?

The issue with Frontier is that if for some reason your flight is canceled, you may be staying several extra days. And there are a lot of cancellations.

Anonymous wrote:SW should not even be in the same sentence with the other two. It’s one of our preferred airlines.

+1

Anyone who thinks SW is like Frontier and Spirit is a total snob.

Anonymous wrote:Omg Southwest no question

totally agree

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have to fly one way home from the west coast to Florida - so 4.5 hours. There are three airlines that do the route nonstop - spirit, frontier and southwest. This is for work, so cost is no issue, and I can upgrade to "business" or whatever big seats they may possible offer. And I don't care about fees either. My biggest concern is just having to spend 5 hours on a terrible, uncomfortable plane where there's no true business class.

My choices are Frontier redeye. Or Spirit or Southwest flight the next day, leaving late afternoon. I have zero desire to spend an extra day in the destination; I just want to get home early. So if the redeye the night before were on any normal airline with business class, I'd do that in a heart beat to just get home a day early.

Does anyone have any insight on whether any of these three airlines have marginally more comfortable flying experiences (assuming you get the largest seats)?

If work is paying, why are these the only choices? Go with Delta, AA, or if you must, United.

No direct flights. I'm not going to add a layover somewhere just to avoid these three airlines! That's totally illogical.

I fly Southwest out of BWI to many domestic locations because they’re non-stop service is the best. Coming from the West coast, take the earliest flight that gets you back East. Don’t even think about the other two.

She already said SW doesn’t leave until later in the day.