✈ Has the Budget Airline Experience Improved? Points and Miles Deals for September & More Daily News From TPG ✈

Also: KLM's new and improved 777 business class August 31, 2024 [THE POINTS GUY]( [View in browser]( [TPG Daily NEWSLETTER]( [THE POINTS GUY]( Is budget air travel getting better? by Sean Cudahy, Aviation Reporter [TPG | Hero Image] Last week I boarded a Frontier Airlines flight, settled in the window seat, and was able to stretch out — a little bit — thanks to an empty middle seat next to me. It wasn’t by luck. The airline is leaving the middle seat empty in its first couple of rows and charging extra for the window and aisle seats in those rows as part of its “premium” section called [UpFront Plus](. [Spirit Airlines is doing the same]( — and packaging its well-known Big Front Seat as part of a new business class-type ticket. And both airlines have totally overhauled how they display tickets and add-on fees. Gone are the days of buying an ultralow fare of, say, $19, and then adding seat selection, bags and the like (unless, of course, you select the lowest "basic" fare bucket, which is still a stripped-down ticket). All of this raises the question: Are budget airlines worth another shot? There are certainly some improvements, particularly the [elimination of change and cancellation fees]( by both Spirit and Frontier. Plus, it’s gotten easier to make apples-to-apples fare comparisons on sites like [Google Flights]( now that those airlines’ pricing structures are more similar to other carriers'. But, when sitting in a Frontier UpFront Plus seat, there was little that made the experience feel “premium.” Sure, I had some extra space. But a can of soda still cost extra, the tiny tray table barely fit my iPad, and there was no Wi-Fi or inflight entertainment to speak of. Better? Perhaps. Premium? That’s a stretch. Read more: - [Budget airline survival guide: Avoid fees and enjoy your flight]( - [Are airline credit cards worth it anymore?]( - [The best time to book flights for the cheapest airfare in 2024]( Posts in this newsletter contains references to products from one or more of our advertisers. We may receive compensation when you click on links to those products, and this may impact how or where they appear. For an explanation of our Advertising Policy, [visit this page](. Photo Credit: SEAN CUDAHY/THE POINTS GUY. Today’s top stories [Deal alert: Points and miles travel deals for September 2024]( Save, maximize and earn points and miles on various travel purchases this September. [Read more]( [KLM's new 777 business class is a big improvement with privacy panels and updated tech]( These new business-class pods feature wireless charging, large entertainment screens and fully flat beds. 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