Ultra-Low-Cost Airlines
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Even a $29 base fare adds up once bags join it. Every ULCC booking here works with pay over time.
What an ultra-low-cost airline is
An ultra-low-cost carrier, or ULCC, sells the seat and almost nothing else. The advertised fare covers transportation and a small personal item, and everything beyond that, including carry-on bags, checked bags, seat assignments, and refreshments, costs extra. This pricing approach is called unbundling, and it lets ULCCs advertise base fares far below what full-service airlines charge for the same route.
The sector keeps shifting in the United States. Spirit Airlines ceased operations in May 2026, and Allegiant completed its purchase of Sun Country the same month, so the remaining carriers now split a larger share of budget travelers.
ULCCs differ from ordinary low-cost carriers mainly in how far the unbundling goes. A full comparison sits later on this page, and the short version is that low-cost airlines include a few basics while ultra-low-cost airlines include none.
The major ultra-low-cost airlines by region
Every carrier below is operating and selling tickets as of mid-2026. Each entry notes the network, what the base fare includes, and one fact that sets the airline apart.
United States
Frontier Airlines
Frontier runs the largest ultra-low-cost network in the United States, with a coast-to-coast map centered on Denver. The base fare covers a seat and a personal item, and the airline's cost per seat mile, around 9.5 cents, is the lowest of any US carrier.
Allegiant Air
Allegiant links small cities directly to vacation destinations like Las Vegas, Phoenix, and Florida, mostly on nonstop routes the majors skip. The base fare covers a seat and a personal item. Allegiant completed its purchase of Sun Country in May 2026, creating a leisure fleet of nearly 200 aircraft.
Sun Country Airlines
Sun Country flies a leisure network from its Minneapolis base and now operates as an Allegiant-owned brand with its own schedule, website, and app. Its pricing sits between ultra-low-cost and traditional, with paid bags and seats alongside more generous bundles. The airline also flies charters and cargo, which steadies revenue between peak seasons.
Avelo Airlines
Avelo builds routes from convenience airports like Burbank and New Haven, where gates are close and security lines are short. Base fares cover a personal item, with seat assignments starting near $11. Its point-to-point map focuses on cities that lost or never had nonstop service.
Breeze Airways
Breeze flies a fleet of about 50 Airbus A220s on longer, thinner routes between mid-size cities. Fares come in Nice, Nicer, and Nicest bundles, with the cheapest tier covering a personal item only. The airline holds approval for international flying and prices bags dynamically by route.
Europe
Ryanair
Ryanair carries more passengers than any other European airline and serves well over 200 airports. The base fare includes one small personal bag, and the network leans on secondary airports where landing costs stay low. Its fees fund fares that regularly undercut every rival on the continent.
Wizz Air
Wizz Air grew out of Central and Eastern Europe and now stretches from the UK to the Gulf. Its dense all-Airbus fleet keeps costs near the bottom of the industry. Base fares include a small bag that fits under the seat, with everything else sold separately.
easyJet
easyJet is a low-cost carrier rather than an ultra-low-cost one. It flies to primary airports like Gatwick and Geneva, includes a small cabin bag in every fare, and unbundles more gently than Ryanair or Wizz. Travelers who value convenient airports often pay its modest premium happily.
Asia
AirAsia
AirAsia pioneered the ultra-low-cost model in Asia and operates through affiliates in Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, and the Philippines. Base fares cover a small cabin allowance, with bags, seats, and meals sold separately. Its network makes short hops between Southeast Asian cities remarkably cheap.
Scoot
Scoot is Singapore Airlines' budget arm and one of the few carriers to run the model on medium and long routes, using 787s alongside narrowbodies. A cabin baggage allowance is included, and checked luggage costs extra. It connects Singapore to Asia, Australia, and beyond at fares far under its parent's.
Cebu Pacific
Cebu Pacific is the largest airline in the Philippines by passengers carried, with a dense domestic map and regional international routes. Base fares include a small cabin bag, while checked luggage and seat selection are add-ons. Frequent seat sales push headline fares close to zero.
VietJet Air
VietJet dominates budget flying in Vietnam and reaches across the Asia-Pacific region. Fares include a small hand-baggage allowance, with checked bags and seats priced separately. Its rapid growth has made Vietnamese domestic flying some of the cheapest per mile anywhere.
The true cost of a ULCC fare
The honest way to judge a budget fare is to load it with the extras most travelers actually buy. The table below adds a carry-on, one checked bag, and a seat assignment to a sample base fare, using each airline's typical published ranges as of mid-2026. Fees vary by route and date, and prices shown are the booking-time rates.
| Carrier | Sample base fare | Carry-on | First checked bag | Seat selection | Realistic total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frontier | $39 | $29 to $69 | $39 to $63 | $17 to $60 | $124 to $231 |
| Allegiant | $49 | $10 to $50 | $15 to $70 | About $20 | $94 to $189 |
| Breeze | $45 | $30 to $40 | $45 to $60 | Varies by seat | About $120 and up |
Typical ranges from published fee schedules. Airport and gate purchases run higher, often $75 to $99 or more per bag.
The base fare genuinely wins when you fly with a personal item only and accept a random seat. Under those conditions a $39 Frontier fare stays a $39 fare, and no full-service airline comes close. The math flips for travelers who need a carry-on, a checked bag, and seats together, because a loaded ULCC total of $150 to $230 often meets or beats the price of a regular carrier that includes some of those items.
Price the trip you will actually take, with every bag and seat you will actually buy. That single habit removes most of the disappointment people associate with budget airlines.
How ULCCs keep fares low
The discount comes from the cost side, and every major ULCC pulls the same levers. They fly to secondary airports where landing fees and gate rents are cheaper. They operate a single aircraft family, which simplifies maintenance, spare parts, and crew training. They fit more seats into each cabin, so the fixed cost of a flight spreads across more tickets.
Turnarounds are fast, keeping each aircraft in the air for more hours per day than a legacy fleet manages. The last lever is the one you feel at checkout. The unbundled extras become ancillary revenue, and that revenue is what lets the airline sell the seat itself near cost. The fees are the business model rather than an afterthought.
Pros and cons of flying ultra-low-cost
Pros
- Base fares often undercut major carriers by half or more on the same route.
- Nonstop service to small cities the big networks skip entirely.
- Light packers stop paying for bags and extras they never use.
- Frequent sales push headline fares below the cost of a tank of gas.
Cons
- Fees can double the advertised price once bags and seats join the cart.
- Thin schedules mean a canceled flight can strand you for a day or more.
- Seats are dense, and recline or seatback screens are rare.
- Some airports sit far from the city they are named for.
How to fly a ULCC without the fee ambush
Measure your bag before you leave home. Every ULCC publishes exact personal-item dimensions, and gate agents use metal sizers without mercy. A bag that fits wins a free trip, and a bag an inch over pays the highest fee on the menu.
Buy bags when you book, never at the airport. Prices at booking are the floor, and gate prices are the trap, typically $75 to $99 or more against $30 to $50 online. That premium of roughly double is where budget airlines earn their worst reviews, and it is entirely avoidable.
Skip seat selection unless sitting together matters. Airlines assign unsold seats free at check-in, and solo travelers lose nothing. Check in online before you reach the airport, since some ULCCs charge for agent-assisted check-in or printed boarding passes. Bring your own food and an empty water bottle, because onboard prices make airport concessions look generous. Our ways to pay page covers every option at checkout once the trip is priced.
Finally, weigh a bundle if you need several extras. Fare bundles on carriers like Frontier and Breeze package a carry-on, a checked bag, and seats below the a la carte total, and the break-even usually arrives at two or more paid extras.
Pay for ULCC flights over time
Even rock-bottom fares hit harder in one payment. A $150 loaded total for a family of four becomes $600, and that is exactly the size of charge that pay-over-time plans exist to soften. Every booking on Flexible Airlines works with the same payment options regardless of which airline operates the flight.
Pay-in-4 plans from Klarna, Afterpay, Sezzle, and Zip split the total into four payments over six weeks, with the first collected at checkout. Our buy now, pay later flights guide compares all five providers we support, and installment plans for flights shows the exact schedules in dollars.
The honest fine print stays the same here as everywhere on this site. Approval is never guaranteed, pay-in-4 providers use at most a soft credit check under their published policies, and our flights with no credit check page maps exactly what each provider looks at. A payment plan should ease a fare that fits your budget, never stretch one that does not.
Low-cost vs ultra-low-cost
| Low-cost carrier | Ultra-low-cost carrier | |
|---|---|---|
| Base fare includes | Small cabin bag, sometimes seats or a checked bag | Seat and personal item only |
| Seating | Standard pitch, some extra-legroom rows | Dense cabins, minimal recline |
| Airports | Mostly primary airports | Mix of primary and cheaper secondary fields |
| Examples | Southwest, easyJet, Sun Country | Frontier, Allegiant, Ryanair, Wizz Air |
| Suits | Travelers who want a bag included and simpler pricing | Light packers chasing the lowest possible total |
The line between the two categories is blurry and getting blurrier. ULCCs now sell bundles that look like traditional fares, low-cost carriers keep adding fees, and hybrids like Sun Country borrow from both playbooks. Treat the labels as a spectrum of how much the base fare includes, and read the fare details before you judge the price.
Frequently asked questions
Are ultra-low-cost airlines safe?
Yes, ULCCs meet the same FAA and international safety standards as every other certificated airline. Cost cutting targets comfort, staffing, and service, never maintenance or training rules. Regulators hold a $29 fare to the same standard as a $2,900 one.
Why is the final price higher than the advertised fare?
The advertised fare covers only the seat and a small personal item. Carry-on bags, checked bags, seat assignments, and even printed boarding passes are sold separately. A loaded ticket often lands at roughly double the base fare, which is why comparing final totals matters more than comparing headlines.
Can you use buy now, pay later on ultra-low-cost flights?
Yes, BNPL works on ULCC bookings the same way it works on any fare at our checkout. Pay-in-4 plans split the total into four payments, and approval happens in seconds at checkout. Approval is never guaranteed, and pay-in-4 providers use at most a soft credit check under their published policies.
Do ultra-low-cost airlines fly internationally?
Yes, many ULCCs fly international routes. Ryanair and Wizz Air cross most of Europe, AirAsia and Cebu Pacific span Asia, and US carriers reach Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean. Long-haul ULCC flying exists too, with Scoot covering medium and long routes from Singapore.
What are the carry-on rules on ULCCs?
Most ULCC base fares include only a personal item that fits under the seat in front of you. A full-size carry-on costs extra on carriers like Frontier and Allegiant, and size gauges are enforced at the gate. Some Asian and European carriers include a small cabin bag, so read the fare details for your specific airline.
What separates low-cost from ultra-low-cost airlines?
A low-cost carrier bundles a few basics into the fare, while an ultra-low-cost carrier sells the seat alone. Southwest and easyJet sit in the first camp, with bags or seat assignments folded into many fares. Frontier and Ryanair sit in the second, where nearly everything is a separate purchase.
Is flying an ultra-low-cost airline worth it?
It is worth it when you travel light and buy any extras at booking rather than at the airport. A traveler with a personal item and no seat preference keeps almost the entire discount. A family checking bags and sitting together should price the loaded total against a regular carrier before assuming the ULCC wins.
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