If you’ve ever seen a $79 airfare and felt like you just won the lottery, you’re not alone. We all love the moment when a flight search page flashes a price that feels too good to ignore.
But here’s what most travelers discover later — that number on the screen is only half the story.
In 2025, the “cheapest” airline ticket often becomes the most expensive trip, once you add seat fees, bag charges, flight delays, and even the cost of a miserable layover. At FlyToDash, we don’t believe in chasing low prices. We believe in something better:
Instead of looking only at ticket price, we factored in five things travelers actually pay for:
| Cost Factor | Why It Matters |
|---|---|
| 💼 Baggage fees | Carry-ons & checked bags can double the price |
| 🪑 Seat selection | Window? Aisle? Families sitting together? |
| 🔄 Change + cancellation fees | Plans change — fees hurt |
| 🕒 Delay & cancellation rates | Lost time = lost money & stress |
| 😴 Layover disruption | Overnight layovers → hotels, meals, misery |
Real Cost Score = Ticket Price + Avg. Fees + Delay Penalty + Layover Penalty
| Rank | Airline | Cheapest to Book? | Real Cost Score (Lower = Better) |
Why It Ranks This Way |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🥇 1 | Southwest | ❌ Not the lowest | Best overall value | Free bags, no change fees |
| 🥈 2 | Alaska | ❌ | Strong value + reliability | Fewer delays, fair fees |
| 🥉 3 | Delta | ❌ | More expensive upfront | Saves money in disruptions |
| 4 | United | ⚠️ | Good on value | Fees vary widely |
| 5 | JetBlue | ❌ | Good comfort, rising fees | Seat & bag cost tension |
| 6 | American | ⚠️ | Average overall | Fees + mixed reliability |
| 7 | Frontier | ✔️ | Terrible real cost | Fees for everything |
| 8 | Spirit | ✔️ | Worst real cost overall | High disruption + fees |
Spirit and Frontier look cheap. They are not. Mixed reliability + heavy fees = high real cost.
Sources:
– DOT Air Travel Consumer Report (U.S. Dept. of Transportation, 2024)
– Hopper 2024–25 Consumer Airfare Analysis
– NerdWallet Airline Fees Study, 2024
– Statista On-Time Performance Index, 2024
Let’s compare a real situation:
| Flight Example | Frontier | Southwest |
|---|---|---|
| Base fare | $49 | $129 |
| Carry-on + seat | + $78 | Included |
| Checked bag | + $50 | Included (2 bags) |
| Change fee | Yes | $0 |
| Real total | $177+ | $129 flat |
➡️ Frontier looked cheaper.
➡️ Southwest was cheaper.
| 😬 Hidden Fee | Where It Happens |
|---|---|
| Paying to sit with your child | Frontier, Spirit, Allegiant |
| Paying to check in at the airport | Frontier |
| Paying for small personal bag | Ultra-budget airlines |
| Paying more to avoid the middle seat | Most major airlines |
| Paying for water or snacks | Frontier, Allegiant |
| Paying if your bag is checked at the gate | Spirit, Frontier |
Some airlines advertise “FLIGHTS FOR $19!”
…but then charge you to print your boarding pass.
Good value if you travel light: United, JetBlue
Worst for real cost: Spirit & Frontier
This guide is based on publicly available data about airline pricing, fees, and reliability — and on FlyToDash’s own way of combining those numbers into a simple comparison.
For this article, we looked at:
The exact “Real Cost Score” values are our interpretation of those patterns. They’re meant to be a helpful comparison tool, not a guarantee of any single trip’s experience.
Most travel websites are designed to show you the lowest number, even if that number becomes a trap.
But over the next few years, travelers will compare bag math, seat cost, time lost, and layover disruptions.
That’s the direction we’re building toward at FlyToDash.
Not just bargain hunting — better decisions.
Cheap is easy.
Smart is responsible.
And smart usually costs less in the end.