An ultra-low-cost carrier, or ULCC, is best described as offering a no-frills flying experience. Typically, everything costs extra, from a carry-on bag to picking your seat to refreshments on board. The seats can be thinner and usually do not have seatback TVs.
While some people may look down on ULCCs such as Spirit or Frontier, they are quite popular. According to a CNBC report from 2023, budget airlines make up almost one-third of air traffic around the world.
Spirit Airlines, specifically, has dedicated fans around the US. And even though all flights are actually getting cheaper, the perception has been the opposite. Why? Because of so-called junk fees — the fees that have been baked into Spirit’s costs from the beginning.
Now, to compete with other airlines and raise profits, Spirit is introducing a tier system starting in mid-August. I took one of the last flights under the old system on July 30.