Budget Airlines of the United States

As the Southwest Airlines commercial says, you're free to move about the country. Discount and Low Cost Carriers (LCCs) often have reasonable fares and make the trip across the United States quick and affordable to many passengers. The discount and low cost carriers typically handle their own ticketing and you're unlikely to find all of them listed on the major air travel search engines. If you're not from the United States or if you don't travel much, it's possible you may not be familiar with some of these airlines. Before you whip out that credit card to purchase a plane ticket on one of the large travel sites, take a look at the following airlines and their fares:

The king of low cost carrier's is Dallas based Southwest Airlines - they're the largest domestic carrier in the US with over 3,400 flights daily between 64 cities. Southwest only operates one type of aircraft and that's the Boeing 737; additionally, they primarily focus on airports that are not heavily congested, which makes for a good business model. Southwest has benefited most US traveler's whether you've flown them or not; each time they enter new markets, the competition responds with lower fares - this has become known as "The Southwest Affect."

The most innovative of low cost carriers is jetBlue. Based at New York City's John F. Kennedy Airport (JFK), jetBlue sports leather seating and personal TV's at each seat with 24 channels of live television via DIRECTV. The carrier operates a fleet of Airbus A320s and has recently added the Embraer 190 (E190) aircraft, a next generation mid-sized jet. In addition to New York JFK, key cities within jetBlue's route network include Boston, Washington-Dulles, Fort Lauderdale, Oakland, and Long Beach. jetBlue will jet you to more than 50 destinations in the US, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, and the Bahamas.

The most controversial has been Virgin America. Competing US carriers fought tooth and nail to keep them out of the market on the grounds of foreign ownership. The carrier successfully launched with majority US ownership and is going to be an airline to follow. Based in San Francisco, Virgin America operates brand new Airbus A320 and A319 aircraft with both First and Economy products. Their aircraft are well equipped; mood lighting and an incredible entertainment system with thousands of mp3's and blockbuster hits.

Enjoy some fun & sun in Florida, The Caribbean or Latin America as Spirit Airlines, an Ultra Low Cost Carrier, takes you away to spectacular sun & fun destinations. To provide low fares, Spirit charges for services customers want such as checked baggage and seat assignments. If you don't purchase a seat assignment, don't worry - the airline provides them randomly at the airport on the day of departure. Spirit operates a vast network across The Americas using a fleet of new Airbus A319 and A321 aircraft with hubs at both Detroit-Metro Airport and Fort Lauderdale International. If you need a bit more room than an economy seat, don't fret - Spirit offers larger seats at the front of the plane known as The Big Front Seat.

Looking for a wider seat? AirTran, despite being a discount carrier, offers a business class with upgrades for sale. Based in Orlando, AirTran operates a hub in Atlanta where they go head to head with legacy carrier Delta Air Lines. AirTran also provides point to point services using a fleet of new Boeing 717 and 737 to cover 600 daily flights and over 40 destinations. Did I mention they offer XM Satellite Radio?

From the mile high city of Denver is Frontier Airlines. To keep passengers entertained, 24 channels of DIRECTV are provided on Frontier's new Airbus A318 and A319 aircraft. The carrier provides service to over 60 destinations in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

If Las Vegas, Orlando, or Tampa Bay are in your plans, Allegiant Air operates a fleet of MD-80's and provides service to several secondary markets such as Rockford, IL and Springfield, MO. Instead of flying into Orlando International Airport, they use Orlando Sanford (SFB), while in Tampa they use St. Petersburg/Clearwater (PIE). Allegiant is able to keep their prices low through the use of secondary airports.

Need a trans-border getaway, eh? WestJet, Canada's largest low cost carrier, offers scheduled service between the United States and Canada. In addition to trans-border flights, WestJet's fleet of next generation Boeing 737's operates to the Caribbean & Mexico, in addition to providing service between Canadian cities. If you must have your TV, WestJet brings it to you; every passenger will has access to live seatback satellite television. Note: US citizens require a US passport for trans-border travel.

Always shop around for the lowest fare. Low cost carriers have kept fares reasonable in many markets, but don't always assume they're the cheapest. The US legacy carriers compete with them on many routes, often providing competitive fares.

Southwest Airlines

Reservations #: +1-800-435-9792
Web: Southwest Airlines

jetBlue

Reservations #: +1-800-538-2583
Web: jetBlue

Virgin America

Reservations #: +1-800-359-8474
Web: Virgin America

Spirit Airlines

Reservations #: +1-800-772-7117
Web: Spirit Airlines

AirTran

Reservations #: +1-800-247-8726
Web: AirTran

Frontier

Reservations #: +1-800-432-1359
Web: Frontier Airlines

Allegiant Air

Reservations #: +1-702-505-8888
Web: Allegiant Air

WestJet

Reservations #: +1-888-937-8538
Web: WestJet