Skift Take
American, United, and Delta are all introducing no-frills fares to try to thwart Frontier, Allegiant, and Spirit. It might work, or it might not. But it's worth a shot. The Big 3 do not want any of the discount airlines to grow to be as large and powerful as Ryanair.
American, Delta, and United have had nearly enough of discount airlines stealing market share — and they're finally doing something about it.
The trio is ready to fight back with their own cheap, no-frills fares. You may have heard about what some have called an 'economy minus' fare. Delta is already selling its version, which it calls Basic Economy, and American and United plan to introduce theirs next year, slightly later than expected
In exchange for low fares, passengers will not receive many of the extras they expect from full-service airlines. But the fares will help American, Delta, and United better compete with America's three ultra low cost airlines — Frontier, Spirit and Allegiant.
Here's some background about why the Big 3 are taking this step.
How Do Spirit, Frontier and Allegiant Price Their Fares?
When you see a Spirit, Frontier, or Allegiant fare on a search engine, you might think it's a typo. Frontier has been especially aggressive recently, selling one-way fares as low as $1 plus taxes and fees, even for longer flights, such as Los Angeles to Chicago. Spirit and Allegiant can be super cheap, too. On occasion, Spirit offers 99 percent off sales.
But fare sales aren't the only time discounters undercut the majors. At the last minute, when American, United, or Delta might charge $400 one-way between major cities, Spirit and Frontier might charge half of that. (Allegiant generally does not fly between big cities.)
What Do You Get for That Fare?
Frontier, Spirit, and Allegiant charge extra for nearly everything, including a lot of stuff many travelers assume always is free. Perhaps most surprising to many is a fee for all but the smallest carry-on bags, which varies depending on route and other factors. As one example, Sp
