Its official - not going this year.

Well, for one thing, Southwest gives you two free checked bags.

Spirit is often cheap, but it's a horrible experience. The seats are cramped and uncomfortable, you have to pay extra for literally everything, and their fares are often not enough of an improvement over Southwest to justify the discomfort and inconvenience. I flew to Vegas from Portland on Spirit last spring, and two hours wedged into that tin can was about all I could tolerate.

The culminating moment was when the flight attendant told us what to do in the event of a loss in cabin pressure. The oxygen masks would drop, and you'd have about thirty seconds to swipe your credit card before you pass out, so please be ready. And for next time, please remember that you could have paid for emergency oxygen when you booked your flight--only $29.

I have the Southwest credit card so I'm inclined to use them.    I have friends who use Frontier out of Indy to go to Vegas which is frequently cheaper...but Frontier has a much smaller presence in Indy than Southwest.   SO if you want rewards and miles its better to stick with Southwest - usually. 

I dont think I would take SPirit given their recent debacle with the cancelled flights and stranded passengers.     I'll happily fork over an extra $50 for peace of mind on a reliable airline.

When I took my May trip on Frontier out of St. Louis it was the best experience I ever had flying. I booked their lower-cost package which included seat selection, zone one boarding, a carry on and a checked bag. A couple of days before I departed I upgraded to their stretch seating for my outbound trip. I was nervous after reading reviews. 

The stretch seating near the front of the plane was comparable to premium economy on most airlines sans food. The landing in Vegas was my smoothest landing in Vegas ever. 

On the way back I opted for standard seating and took an aisle near the front.  I was very comfortable on the flight back and felt like I had plenty of legroom. I preferred the firmer seatbacks on the standard seating as the stretch seating felt a bit over-padded to me. Keep in mind I was probably so comfortable because I was still loaded on alcohol and a variety of drugs. Even with all of those addons, it was still $140 cheaper than Southwest out of the same airport. So, yeah, apples to apples I prefer Frontier.  

Now when it comes to flying out of Lousiville, Southwest isn't even in the ballpark. It used to be my go-to. At first, I could find non-stop deals at just over $200 RT and then gradually over time the best deal you could get was just over $300 for a non-stop RT.  Then I quit going to Vegas for ten years or so. Southwest flights out of Lousiville are now around $400 and it is really hard to get direct flights. Every itinerary I looked at required a layover either on the way there or on the way back.  I can't tolerate turning a 3.5 or 4-hour flight into a six-hour or more flight. 

They are going to make passengers pay for a safety feature that's their responsibility to provide???  I have to admit I thought it was a joke at first, and then wasn't so sure...

Southwest has really gotten expensive out of Nashville.  They used to be under $200 RT, and now you can't find one for under $400. 

I used to fly Southwest out of Nashville a lot when Louisville didn't have what I wanted. And yes their flights are now noncompetitive in that market too. The St. Louis thing really boggles my mind.  You have Allegiant, Frontier, Spirit and Sun Country all active and offering cheap fares out of that market.

I know, it's actually plausible, right? But I was kidding about that. Maybe I shouldn't give them ideas.

I can't help reminiscing about the days when two Southwest round trip flights...anywhere, any fare...earned you a free round trip flight...anywhere, any fare.  

Then they raised the requirement to four round trips.  Still a good deal.  Then eight round trips.

Then...they re-vamped the 'rewards' system entirely.  By then they had gained a lot of customer loyalty.

But I digress.  Sorry.

Candy

Ten years from now, we'll all be nostalgically reminiscing about the days when they actually landed the plane at your destination instead of just slowing down, handing you a parachute, and cracking the door open.

And of course, a $1000 deposit on the parachute, in case it doesn't open.

I fell for it hard!  But you're right, don't give them ammo - they will use it!