Do you have a "go to" airline? Like, you go to this particular airline FIRST when looking for flights and you don't have a problem if their price isn't the lowest price? I'm talking you have status on this airline and their credit card is in your wallet?
It's ok if you do! Many people have an airline of choice....I'm just not one of them. I rarely check airlines websites for flight prices, opting to use search engines such as Google Flights or the ITA Matrix instead. I select flights based on route, price, departure times - IN THAT ORDER.
For instance, if I'm flying to Cancun (what a stretch) and Delta has a flight for $170, leaving at 1:50pm with a short layover in Atlanta - I wouldn't be mad about that. BUT, if AA has a flight for $255 leaving at 7:34am and it's Nonstop, I'm definitely going for the Nonstop flight. That's an easy one!
Recently I had to make a decision about a flight to Guatemala. United had a flight for $483 while Spirit had a flight for $257 (including baggage). Both flights left early morning, and both had short layovers. That choice was more difficult. Do I pay more just because the less expensive flight is on Spirit? Hmmmmm......
Now, let me say that I have flown Spirit Airlines many times in the past. Actually, one of my FIRST blog posts was about flying Spirit Airlines. I have never had a problem with Spirit because I read the fine print and I know what to expect. My only REAL concern was delays or cancellation. So, I went to my friend Google and asked her "what is Spirit Airlines cancellation rate compared to other airlines?" and I came across the below 2021 Airline Scorecard which ranks all the major U.S. carriers. OK - first let me just say that I would have never thought JetBlue would come in dead last - yet here we are.....
AnyHoo, Spirt Airlines is 5th in on-time arrivals but 8th in canceled flights. SIGH...what's a girl to do?!
In the end, it came down to price. Did I want to pay the additional cost to fly United Airlines? And the solid answer was no. 🤷🏽♀️ #SorryNotSorry
I know I'll probably get some blowback from this post. Some of y'all strongly dislike Spirit Airlines - and that's ok too. But I'll use the $226 I saved on this flight to buy another flight. And I'll go through the process again. Maybe your favorite airline will win.
Meanwhile, see you in Guatemala City!
Happy Travels...........
Angela
OH - if you want to read the entire ranking article, you can find it HERE.