Booking airfare is a lot more complicated than it used to be. Should you choose basic economy or main cabin? Do you want the “bundle” or would you rather pay “a la carte”? And how much are you willing to pay for a seat?
Seat selection is a particularly thorny issue for those traveling with kids. Now that airlines charge to select “preferred” seats, such as those near the front or by the aisle or window, families can pay hundreds of dollars simply for the privilege to sit together on a round-trip flight.
Is paying extra for seats an inevitability for families? Or can these pesky fees be minimized or circumvented altogether? And why do they even exist in the first place?
What are seat selection fees?
Seat selection fees have become more common for a reason — they drive a lot of revenue for airlines. Low-cost airlines Spirit and Frontier earned roughly half of their revenue from “ancillary fees” in 2020, according to a report by IdeaWorksCompany, an industry analytics firm.
Ancillary fees also tend to mislead consumers. In one 2020 study in the journal Marketing Science, participants who saw ancillary fees “dripped” throughout the checkout process ended up paying more overall than those who saw the total costs upfront. So a $20 fee to select a seat might not seem like much, but it can add up quickly, and can transform an apparently cheap airfare into a pricey one.
The U.S. Department of Transportation has issued a notice to improve transparency on some ancillary airline fees, such as those for carry-on bags. But so far seat selection fees are getting a pass, which means they’re not going anywhere anytime soon.
Getty Images
Close up of a young family traveling in an airplane
How to pick seats
Are airlines required to seat families together? No. That said, the DOT notice specifically calls for more transparency for parents who are trying to select a seat for their young children. Until the rules change, however, parents are stuck with a tough choice: Cough up the cash to ensure the family sits together or skip seat selection and risk getting separated.
To select a seat without overpaying, try to:
- Choose seats in the back half of the plane. These usually carry fewer or no fees to select, and are the last to be selected by other passengers.
- Pick an airline with lower seat selection fees (see below).
- Avoid basic economy fares. These often carry restrictions on seat selection, and make family travel especially difficult.
Remember that children under two years old can fly for free and do not require a seat (though some parents prefer to buy a seat anyway).
Seat selection is always optional, whether flying solo or with a family of 10. It might seem nerve-wracking to head to the airport without confirmed seat assignments, but many families do it as a way to save money.
Yes, you can skip seat selection
While airlines want to make it seem like families have to select seats in order to sit together, it’s rarely this black and white. Most gate agents will work with families — even those without seat assignments — to get everyone seated together, when possible. It might mean bumping the family further back in the plane, but young children will not be left unattended with strangers (for everyone’s sake).
In other words, you can skip seat selection altogether and (usually) remain seated with your companions.
Nerdy tip: Skipping seat selection doesn’t mean you or your family won’t get a seat. It just means you’ll have to wait until later in the process to get one assigned.
Skipping this step might not be as easy as it sounds. Many airlines now include seat selection as part of the checkout process and make it seem like selecting — and paying for — a seat is a required step. Frontier Airlines even pops up a warning if you try to skip selection, making the case for why it’s so great (and burying the “no thanks” option in the corner).
If you don’t want to pay these fees, find a way to skip this step, and don’t get scared by the pop-ups and warnings the airlines use to make it seem mandatory.
Which airlines charge the most?
Discount airlines like Spirit and Frontier may have pioneered the a la carte airfare model, but traditional airlines have jumped on board in order to compete. Not all airlines charge the same amount — or charge for seat selection at all.
NerdWallet performed an analysis of seat selection fees by comparing several routes across the major U.S. airlines. This revealed that some are charging far more for seat selection than others.
Southwest Airlines is not included here, because it’s an outlier: It doesn’t charge for — or allow — seat selection at all.
So, which airlines don’t charge for seat selection? Alaska and Hawaiian Airlines are the only airlines that allow passengers to select a seat for free, though it may be near the back of the plane.
American, Delta, Frontier and Spirit all charged more than $10 each way for seat selection, even for lousy seats. Passengers should skip these airlines (or the seat selection process altogether) if they want to avoid such high fees.
Watch out for ‘upgrades’
Another airline invention from the past decade: Charging extra for “main cabin preferred” (or similar) seats that offer little more than a few inches of extra legroom. These seats often look similar to regular economy seats in the seat selection screen, but can carry hefty fees.
For example, an exit row seat on a nonstop Delta flight from Atlanta to Seattle cost $130 each way, or $260 more total — on a $358 flight. This 73% markup might make sense for particularly long-legged passengers, but for most travelers, these “upgrades” aren’t worth it.
To make it even more confusing, many airlines now have “premium economy” or “main cabin comfort” seats that do offer benefits like free drinks and priority boarding. The benefit of these seats varies considerably by airline. Some offer wider, more comfortable seats, while others offer standard seats, but throw in a free alcoholic drink and snack plate.
For children with short legs and little need for a cocktail, the markup on these upgraded seats is usually wasted.
The edge of your seat
Airlines want to charge you to select a seat because it costs them nothing. This incentive has led many airlines to push harder and harder, making “seat selection fees” seem like an unavoidable add-on charge for most fares.
For families, this decision is particularly fraught. Who wants to get separated from their preschooler on a six-hour flight? Yet it’s rarely so straightforward. Many families skip seat selection fees and end up sitting together, no problem.
For some people, the peace of mind that comes with knowing where the whole family will be seated is well worth the fee. For others, avoiding the fee and relying on the gate agents (and fellow passengers) to shuffle around works just fine.
It really comes down to risk tolerance.
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Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune/TNS
The Fort Worth-based airline will automatically search for seats together the day before departure if a family is traveling with children under 15 and if they do not already have seats assigned, according to the airline’s policy. If seats are limited, American will assign children seats next to at least one accompanying adult.
“It’s important all children are part of the same reservation as the parent(s) so our system recognizes that they are traveling together,” according to airline policy.
American advises people to arrive early and bring any required travel documents as you may have to provide proof of age for children under 18.
While at the boarding gate, families with children under 2 years old can ask to board early. Children older than 2 require their own tickets, and children under 5 cannot travel alone. Infants, or children under 2 years old, can travel at no additional cost on the lap of a parent.
Additionally, only one diaper bag is allowed per child. For more information about American Airlines policy, click here.
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Dallas-based Southwest Airlines famously operates on an open seating basis, allowing passengers to pick their seats when boarding the aircraft.
“Open seating provides a great opportunity for families or groups traveling together to sit together on the aircraft,” Southwest spokesman Chris Perry said. “Customers traveling on the same reservation receive boarding positions adjacent to one another upon check-in.”
The airline’s boarding groups, A, B and C, are based on check-in time, loyalty participation in its Rapid Rewards program or through purchase of products such as early bird or upgraded boarding, he said. Check-in begins 24 hours prior to a flight’s departure.
Up to two adults traveling with children 6 years old or younger may board during family boarding, between the A and B boarding groups, Perry said.
He also encourages families to speak with a customer service agent at the gate and with flight attendants after boarding for additional accommodations.
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United Airlines suggests passengers book and select seat assignments early to have the best chance to have a child under 15 years of age seated with an accompanying adult. Additional charges may apply.
“If it’s important for your family to sit together, you may want to consider purchasing advance seat assignments, if available, or selecting a different fare option,” according to the website.
If seats are not selected in advance, the airline will try to find adjoining seats for those on the same reservation prior to departure. But the airline warned that families may be split up.
If passengers would like to sit with a child booked on a separate reservation, they can call the United Customer Contact Center at 1-800-864-8331.
“While we strive to seat your family together, seat selections are not guaranteed and may be changed, including in the event of an aircraft substitution,” according to the website.
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Delta Air Lines directs people to contact Delta Reservations if traveling with children older than 2 and if families want seats together.
Additionally, in 2019, Delta launched a dynamic seat map, which “helps ensure more families are able to sit together based on data from certain routes and flight schedules.”
The airline blocks rows for groups of three or more passengers on a single reservation.
“Delta works closely with our Advisory Board on Disability that provides guidance for ongoing education and investments to ensure an accessible travel experience,” a Delta representative said in a statement. “We have also created innovative seat map displays that provide seating choices in all cabins for customers traveling alone, or with others — including children.”
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Robert Alexander // Getty Images
Flight delays, trouble getting refunds, cancellations, and ballooning airfare are increasingly pushing U.S. travelers to file complaints with airlines this year.
Stacker ranked airlines by those which received the most customer complaints in March 2022, based on data from the 2022 Air Travel Consumer Report, released in May 2022. Data points covering the total number of complaints and passengers served during that period are included for each carrier. The ranking was based on the number of complaints per 100,000 passengers to account for the varying sizes of airlines.
In March 2022, there were a total of 2,414 complaints to the airlines in this report, for a total of 3.42 complaints per 100,000 passengers who boarded planes. Compared to the same month in 2021, complaints increased from 2.41 per 100,000 to 3.42.
Experts have attributed the last year’s tumultuous flying conditions to a shortage of pilots and other airline workers, worker absenteeism driven by the continued spread of COVID-19, and extreme weather conditions.
And most airlines and travel experts expect more of the same for the summer of 2022, only with 25% more expensive ticket prices compared with last year.
In fact, airports this summer are anticipated to be even busier than they were pre-pandemic, in a trend experts have come to call “revenge travel.” Flyers got a taste of the busy summer travel season to come in May, which saw travel spending surge above pre-pandemic levels for the first time, according to the U.S. Travel Association.
Continue reading for intel on which airlines you may be wise to avoid.
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Markus Mainka // Shutterstock
- Number of complaints: 25 (0.74 per 100k passengers)
- Total passengers boarded: 3,369,837
Utah-based regional airline Skywest is contracted to operate flights for larger airlines including United Airlines, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, and Alaska Airlines. The company operated a fleet of more than 600 planes and flew the most routes on behalf of United and Delta in 2021, according to a filing.
In today’s difficult labor environment, regional airlines like Skywest are increasingly seeing their routes cut by the larger airlines they’re contracted by in favor of more profitable ones.
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Public Domain // Wikimedia Commons
- Number of complaints: 4 (0.79 per 100k passengers)
- Total passengers boarded: 509,229
Washington-headquartered Horizon is Alaska Airlines’ sister carrier. The company is in the midst of transitioning its fleet to Embraer jets, which it says will improve operations and fuel efficiency.
In conjunction with parent airline Alaska, Horizon flies to about 120 destinations in the U.S., Canada, the Caribbean, Costa Rica, and Mexico. The regional airline took a $10 million loss in the first quarter of 2022.
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Markus Mainka // Shutterstock
- Number of complaints: 10 (0.90 per 100k passengers)
- Total passengers boarded: 1,112,257
Minnesota-based Endeavor is a subsidiary of Delta Air Lines. The regional carrier was known as the best-paying airline for beginner pilots until early June when pilots at Piedmont Air and Envoy Airlines secured massive pay raises.
Pilots’ push for higher wages comes as airlines struggle to hire and retain them, affecting flight operations and the number of routes airlines can offer travelers.
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Alex Tai/SOPA Images/LightRocket // Getty Images
- Number of complaints: 7 (0.98 per 100k passengers)
- Total passengers boarded: 711,214
Phoenix-based Mesa Air Group is a regional carrier operating flights for American Airlines and United Airlines.
Regional carriers like Mesa are seeing their pilots poached by larger airlines to address labor shortages, creating operational issues, according to airlines and analysts. Mesa’s CEO recently told Congress its labor woes are “the single greatest threat to the industry” he has witnessed since 9/11.
Mesa employs around 3,600 people and said in May it needs to hire hundreds more pilots.
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Elliott Cowand Jr // Shutterstock
- Number of complaints: 155 (1.20 per 100k passengers)
- Total passengers boarded: 12,966,182
Like other major carriers, Dallas-based Southwest is facing labor troubles that have hampered its summer flying schedule. The airline cut 20,000 flights this summer to accommodate fewer pilots, mechanics, and other workers critical to its operations.
Southwest’s pilots and customer care workers spent the month of May in tense contract renegotiations with their employer. Those customer care workers will be working completely remotely effective Sept. 1, and the airline is closing its physical customer care and reservations centers.
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Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times // Getty Images
- Number of complaints: 175 (1.43 per 100k passengers)
- Total passengers boarded: 12,206,554
Delta Air Lines is slashing the number of flights it will run this summer to avoid having to make last-minute cancellations for travelers. At the end of May, the airline said it would cut about 100 flights a day from July through August.
Earlier this year, Delta CEO Ed Bastian suggested the U.S. Department of Justice create a no-fly list for unruly passengers.
While flying hasn’t been the most comfortable experience for passengers since the pandemic, airline customers have become increasingly ill-tempered themselves. There have been reports and viral videos of passengers spitting on and assaulting attendants—sometimes even forcing pilots to prematurely land planes.
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Carlos Yudica // Shutterstock
- Number of complaints: 18 (1.53 per 100k passengers)
- Total passengers boarded: 1,173,706
PSA Airlines is one of three regional subsidiaries owned by American Airlines. The regional carrier flies to destinations in the eastern and midwestern U.S. including between the hubs of the Philadelphia National Airport, Charlotte Douglas International Airport, and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.
In the first three months of 2022, PSA had an above-average flight cancellation rate and a below-industry-average on-time arrival rate, according to the latest Air Travel Consumer Report data.
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Justin Sullivan // Getty Images
- Number of complaints: 49 (1.80 per 100k passengers)
- Total passengers boarded: 2,714,785
Seattle-based Alaska Airlines is the fifth-largest airline in the U.S., operating more than 200 jets in its fleet. The pilot shortage began hitting Alaska’s operations hard in April, one month after this data was collected, according to reporting by The Seattle Times.
Prior to skyrocketing gas prices and labor issues, Alaska had hoped to return to pre-pandemic flying volumes this summer. The company said in March it is aiming to hire 700 additional employees by June to assist with operations over the busy travel months.
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Angel DiBilio // Shutterstock
- Number of complaints: 175 (10.39 per 100k passengers)
- Total passengers boarded: 1,684,775
Nevada-based Allegiant Air is a low-cost airline similar to Spirit Airlines. The company has seen its passenger volumes increase to start the year. In March, Allegiant served 12% more passengers vs. the same period in 2019.
It recently announced seven new routes made possible by its new base of operations in Provo, Utah. The routes are expected to be available in August and will connect travelers in Ohio and Minneapolis with coastal Florida destinations.
The airline said it’s on track to start selling flights to Mexico by the end of 2022 as part of a joint venture with Viva Aerobus. The budget airline took an $8 million net loss in the first three months of this year, according to a filing.
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Scott Olson // Getty Images
- Number of complaints: 333 (15.86 per 100k passengers)
- Total passengers boarded: 2,100,206
Colorado-headquartered Frontier Airlines is another low-cost airline offering flights to more than 100 destinations in the U.S. It’s the last airline to operate in Delaware and ended its service to the state effective June 6.
The airline struggled through the first three months of 2022, losing $120 million due to increased gas prices and other rising costs. Frontier is currently pursuing a merger with low-cost peer carrier Spirit Airlines, though JetBlue Airways has made a more competitive offer to merge with Spirit.
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DANIEL SLIM/AFP // Getty Images
- Number of complaints: 34 (2.17 per 100k passengers)
- Total passengers boarded: 1,567,592
Republic Airways, an Indiana-headquartered regional airline, operates a fleet of more than 200 jets on behalf of American Airlines, United Airlines, and Delta Air Lines. Republic recently proposed the Federal Aviation Administration cut the required training hours for pilots in half to address the industry-wide labor shortage.
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LJ Jones // Shutterstock
- Number of complaints: 31 (2.36 per 100k passengers)
- Total passengers boarded: 1,311,867
Texas-based Envoy Air is another subsidiary of American Airlines, which operates largely from Dallas Fort Worth International Airport alongside its parent company.
Envoy has flown fewer jets recently because there aren’t enough pilots to fly them. When American Airlines grounds flights due to operational issues, it tends to ground jets under regional carriers like Envoy and Piedmont Airlines.
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Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times // Getty Images
- Number of complaints: 27 (3.45 per 100k passengers)
- Total passengers boarded: 782,921
Hawaiian Airlines is the largest operator of flights to and from the Hawaiian islands. The airline is looking to hire around 600 employees companywide as labor shortages threaten to upend the summer travel season.
The company is still seeing revenues below pre-pandemic levels and took a $120 million loss in the first three months of this year, according to its most recent filing.
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Robert Alexander // Getty Images
- Number of complaints: 474 (3.73 per 100k passengers)
- Total passengers boarded: 12,713,424
Fort Worth-based American Airlines flies to around 350 destinations in at least 50 countries. The behemoth airline saw its revenues climb above pre-pandemic levels for the first time in March, according to executives.
The airline has struggled to keep up with exploding demand for travel this year, grounding at least 100 of its smaller regional jets and ramping up hiring efforts recently. American is hiring pilots away from its regional carriers like Envoy and Piedmont to make up for its staffing deficit.
Nearly 13,500 of the airline’s pilots and flight attendants took voluntary leave or early retirement packages during the pandemic, according to reporting by The Dallas Morning News.
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Robert Alexander // Getty Images
- Number of complaints: 375 (4.17 per 100k passengers)
- Total passengers boarded: 8,996,173
Illinois-based United Airlines is the third-largest U.S. airline. It took a steep $1.4 billion loss over the first three months of the year as the omicron variant of COVID-19 kept travel demand low. With demand surging back, it anticipates spring 2022 will bring in record revenues.
The airline recently debuted a bag check “shortcut” at its terminals that allows passengers to check a bag in a minute or less on average.
In response to the pilot shortage, United is spending $100 million to expand its pilot training center. It’s aiming to hire 2,000 new pilots this year to meet travel demand. It also outright bought a flight training academy in Phoenix.
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Al Seib / Los Angeles Times // Getty Images
- Number of complaints: 256 (7.59 per 100k passengers)
- Total passengers boarded: 3,372,010
Florida-based Spirit Airlines is a low-cost airline that operates a major hub out of Orlando International Airport.
Like other airlines, Spirit intended to grow its operations this year but has instead had to cut back on how many flights it will offer because of staffing issues and rising costs. The company posted a nearly $200 million loss in the first three months of 2022.
Spirit is currently being pursued for a merger with JetBlue Airways and Frontier Airlines. Regardless of which company moves ahead with the transaction, it will create the fifth largest airline in the U.S., according to CNBC.
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Darren McCollester // Getty Images
- Number of complaints: 266 (7.91 per 100k passengers)
- Total passengers boarded: 3,361,302
New York-based JetBlue is among the top 10 airlines in the U.S. by passenger volume, and is considered a low-cost carrier similar to Spirit and Frontier.
JetBlue’s president and COO said the airline will run at around 10% reduced capacity this summer. Like other airlines, it’s mostly cited staffing shortages as its reason for cutting back.
In the first three months of 2022, JetBlue ranked among the worst for on-time arrivals and flight cancellations, according to the latest Air Travel Consumer Report data.
Both JetBlue and Frontier have made offers to merge with Spirit this year, though Wall Street has favored JetBlue in the bidding war. The two airlines pursuing Spirit believe the merger would be critical to growth in the coming years.
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Robert Alexander // Getty Images
Flight delays, trouble getting refunds, cancellations, and ballooning airfare are increasingly pushing U.S. travelers to file complaints with airlines this year.
Stacker ranked airlines by those which received the most customer complaints in March 2022, based on data from the 2022 Air Travel Consumer Report, released in May 2022. Data points covering the total number of complaints and passengers served during that period are included for each carrier. The ranking was based on the number of complaints per 100,000 passengers to account for the varying sizes of airlines.
In March 2022, there were a total of 2,414 complaints to the airlines in this report, for a total of 3.42 complaints per 100,000 passengers who boarded planes. Compared to the same month in 2021, complaints increased from 2.41 per 100,000 to 3.42.
Experts have attributed the last year’s tumultuous flying conditions to a shortage of pilots and other airline workers, worker absenteeism driven by the continued spread of COVID-19, and extreme weather conditions.
And most airlines and travel experts expect more of the same for the summer of 2022, only with 25% more expensive ticket prices compared with last year.
In fact, airports this summer are anticipated to be even busier than they were pre-pandemic, in a trend experts have come to call “revenge travel.” Flyers got a taste of the busy summer travel season to come in May, which saw travel spending surge above pre-pandemic levels for the first time, according to the U.S. Travel Association.
Correction: A previous version of this story had accurate data for each airline but was sorted incorrectly for the overall ranking.
Continue reading for intel on which airlines you may be wise to avoid.
You may also like: Most popular historic sites in America
-
DANIEL SLIM/AFP // Getty Images
- Number of complaints: 34 (2.17 per 100k)
- Total passengers boarded: 1,567,592
Republic Airways, an Indiana-headquartered regional airline, operates a fleet of more than 200 jets on behalf of American Airlines, United Airlines, and Delta Air Lines. Republic recently proposed the Federal Aviation Administration cut the required training hours for pilots in half to address the industry-wide labor shortage.
-
LJ Jones // Shutterstock
- Number of complaints: 31 (2.36 per 100k)
- Total passengers boarded: 1,311,867
Texas-based Envoy Air is another subsidiary of American Airlines, which operates largely from Dallas Fort Worth International Airport alongside its parent company.
Envoy has flown fewer jets recently because there aren’t enough pilots to fly them. When American Airlines grounds flights due to operational issues, it tends to ground jets under regional carriers like Envoy and Piedmont Airlines.
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Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times // Getty Images
- Number of complaints: 27 (3.45 per 100k)
- Total passengers boarded: 782,921
Hawaiian Airlines is the largest operator of flights to and from the Hawaiian islands. The airline is looking to hire around 600 employees companywide as labor shortages threaten to upend the summer travel season.
The company is still seeing revenues below pre-pandemic levels and took a $120 million loss in the first three months of this year, according to its most recent filing.
-
Robert Alexander // Getty Images
- Number of complaints: 474 (3.73 per 100k)
- Total passengers boarded: 12,713,424
Fort Worth-based American Airlines flies to around 350 destinations in at least 50 countries. The behemoth airline saw its revenues climb above pre-pandemic levels for the first time in March, according to executives.
The airline has struggled to keep up with exploding demand for travel this year, grounding at least 100 of its smaller regional jets and ramping up hiring efforts recently. American is hiring pilots away from its regional carriers like Envoy and Piedmont to make up for its staffing deficit.
Nearly 13,500 of the airline’s pilots and flight attendants took voluntary leave or early retirement packages during the pandemic, according to reporting by The Dallas Morning News.
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Robert Alexander // Getty Images
- Number of complaints: 375 (4.17 per 100k)
- Total passengers boarded: 8,996,173
Illinois-based United Airlines is the third-largest U.S. airline. It took a steep $1.4 billion loss over the first three months of the year as the omicron variant of COVID-19 kept travel demand low. With demand surging back, it anticipates spring 2022 will bring in record revenues.
The airline recently debuted a bag check “shortcut” at its terminals that allows passengers to check a bag in a minute or less on average.
In response to the pilot shortage, United is spending $100 million to expand its pilot training center. It’s aiming to hire 2,000 new pilots this year to meet travel demand. It also outright bought a flight training academy in Phoenix.
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Al Seib / Los Angeles Times // Getty Images
- Number of complaints: 256 (7.59 per 100k)
- Total passengers boarded: 3,372,010
Florida-based Spirit Airlines is a low-cost airline that operates a major hub out of Orlando International Airport.
Like other airlines, Spirit intended to grow its operations this year but has instead had to cut back on how many flights it will offer because of staffing issues and rising costs. The company posted a nearly $200 million loss in the first three months of 2022.
Spirit is currently being pursued for a merger with JetBlue Airways and Frontier Airlines. Regardless of which company moves ahead with the transaction, it will create the fifth largest airline in the U.S., according to CNBC.
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Darren McCollester // Getty Images
- Number of complaints: 266 (7.91 per 100k)
- Total passengers boarded: 3,361,302
New York-based JetBlue is among the top 10 airlines in the U.S. by passenger volume, and is considered a low-cost carrier similar to Spirit and Frontier.
JetBlue’s president and COO said the airline will run at around 10% reduced capacity this summer. Like other airlines, it’s mostly cited staffing shortages as its reason for cutting back.
In the first three months of 2022, JetBlue ranked among the worst for on-time arrivals and flight cancellations, according to the latest Air Travel Consumer Report data.
Both JetBlue and Frontier have made offers to merge with Spirit this year, though Wall Street has favored JetBlue in the bidding war. The two airlines pursuing Spirit believe the merger would be critical to growth in the coming years.
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Angel DiBilio // Shutterstock
- Number of complaints: 175 (10.39 per 100k)
- Total passengers boarded: 1,684,775
Nevada-based Allegiant Air is a low-cost airline similar to Spirit Airlines. The company has seen its passenger volumes increase to start the year. In March, Allegiant served 12% more passengers vs. the same period in 2019.
It recently announced seven new routes made possible by its new base of operations in Provo, Utah. The routes are expected to be available in August and will connect travelers in Ohio and Minneapolis with coastal Florida destinations.
The airline said it’s on track to start selling flights to Mexico by the end of 2022 as part of a joint venture with Viva Aerobus. The budget airline took an $8 million net loss in the first three months of this year, according to a filing.
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Scott Olson // Getty Images
- Number of complaints: 333 (15.86 per 100k)
- Total passengers boarded: 2,100,206
Colorado-headquartered Frontier Airlines is another low-cost airline offering flights to more than 100 destinations in the U.S. It’s the last airline to operate in Delaware and ended its service to the state effective June 6.
The airline struggled through the first three months of 2022, losing $120 million due to increased gas prices and other rising costs. Frontier is currently pursuing a merger with low-cost peer carrier Spirit Airlines, though JetBlue Airways has made a more competitive offer to merge with Spirit.
