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U.S. discount airlines hype cheap fares, Some passengers find the aggravation isn't worth it

Oct 19, 2015 07:55 AM EDT

Although sorts of airlines flying to Phoenix and Alaska flaunt their cheap discounts for booking flights, a lot of passengers think that the cheap fare are not worth it. When the delays of flights stretch, a lot of passengers allegedly  grew restless and go on blaming the cheap fares.

The Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX) serves as a hub for a number of airlines, including US Airways. In addition, there are a lot of flight deals on the Southwest, as mentioned by Travelzoo. Other airlines that service the Phoenix area include American Airlines, Continental, Delta, JetBlue, Frontier and United. A traveler can compare ticket prices for Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport (IWA).

Moreover, more travelers tend to choose Alaska for the holidays. When traveling by air, most travelers stop at the closest main airport to Alaska, the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport in Seattle, Washington. To search online for cheap flights to Alaska, a client may visit Skyscnanner and compare airfares from different airlines, including Alaska Airlines.

But then, when the fares are cheap, the 90-minute flight usually stretches past the four-hour mark. According to Toronto Sun, David Rankin even tweeted to Spirit Airlines as he and other passengers grew restless of the cheap flight delays. "We're looking at the plane." Rankin mentioned by phone from a Spirit gate at the Philadelphia airport. "There are no pilots. Rankin, an investment manager from New Jersey, swore it would be his last time on the discount airline. My wife won't let me book a flight on Spirit next time," he added.

Spirit is part of a breed of airline called ultra-low-cost carriers that includes Frontier Airlines and Allegiant Air. They have grown rapidly by enticing passengers with cheap fares that undercut other airlines. But for many travelers, the new discounters take the aggravation to another level. They charge extra for things that are still standard on bigger airlines like soda and carry-on bags. They also seem to have charges for printing a boarding pass. They allegedly fit more passengers on the plane by squeezing seats together, which is easier because the seats don't recline.

Meanwhile, travelers are said to complain about 20 times more likely to complain on Spirit than Alaska Airlines or Southwest Airlines, which have the industry's lowest complaint rates. Purportedly, either Frontier or Spirit has recorded the highest rate of complaints to the government every month this year. Allegiant would place third-worst, although because of its small size it is not included in the official rankings. In addition, much of the grousing can be tied to frequent flight delays. So far this year, Spirit Airlines has the worst on-time rate among the largest 14 U.S. airlines.