When you want to search the web, you use Google. When there’s breaking news in the world, you tune in to CNN. When you want to find the cheapest flight between destinations, you use Expedia. Right? Maybe not.
It turns out that Expedia doesn’t have relationships with all airlines. Although you can book a flight with about 99% of North American airlines with the online giant, there are some left off the list. The ones left off just happen to be the lowest of the low cost carriers.
This probably is not news to readers in the United States. However, when Canadians, specifically those in Southern Ontario, are looking for a cheaper alternative than flying from Toronto Pearson International Airport, mostly all will take Expedia’s pricing from Buffalo or Detroit as gospel.
What’s missing is low cost carriers like Southwest Airlines, Spirit Airlines and Air Allegiant. Another, AirTran, still has its own booking site but will be completely swallowed up by Southwest before the end of the year. For those used to flying Air Canada and Westjet, the pricing through these airlines will do nothing less than shock you.
What we’re going to do today is look at four popular routes in the United States, two out of Buffalo/Niagara Falls and two out of Detroit. The pricing is all in U.S. Dollars (USD) and was valid as of October 16, 2014. This information is subject to availability and should be used for information purposes only. Luckily, we’ve given the links to each airline’s booking sites so you can check things out for yourself. For simplicity, we’ve chosen flights on Saturday, January 10, 2015 – one way – one adult.
First, let’s look at the airlines…
Southwest Airlines
The innovator of low cost air travel, Southwest has been operating since 1971 and is the model for low cost carrier airlines around the world. The airline’s fleet consists of only Boeing 737’s that fly extensively throughout the continental United States, along with newly added destinations in the Caribbean.
What you’re going to be looking for with Southwest if you want ultra low cost flying is their ‘Wanna Get Away’ pricing. This is non-refundable but is drastically reduced. With Southwest, you actually get two free checked bags – something you will not get on other low cost carriers.
Official website: Southwest Airlines
Spirit Airlines
Around since 1980, Spirit Airlines has an all Airbus fleet with a mix of A319’s, A320’s and A321’s. To avoid conflicts between passengers on the tight fitting seat configuration of their planes, Spirit has seats that do not recline. I wish all airlines would install these.
With Spirit, you get one carry-on free with your ticket. All checked luggage is an additional cost. Typically, the cost is $21 for the first checked back and $31 for the second if pre-ordered online. It will cost more if you want to pay for the extra luggage at the ticket counter.
For those in the Greater Toronto Area wanting to use Spirit out of Buffalo, it should be noted that the airline uses the Niagara Falls airport (IAG).
Official website: Spirit Airlines
Allegiant Air
I’m intrigued by this airline as it flies out of smaller airports, a la RyanAir in Europe. Allegiant flies out of Niagara Falls where, I’ve heard, parking is free. However, this seems to be a ‘can’t get there from here’ airline. When you order online, their website will not create connections and you can only order direct flights. This means, if you want to get to Detroi from Buffalo, you have to buy your ticket to Florida then buy your next ticket back north to Detroit.
Destinations are limited and Allegiant does not quite compare to Southwest or Spirit. With Allegiant Air, passengers get one carry-on free with fees for all checked luggage. The airline has been around since 1998 and has 70 planes flying to 90 destinations.
Official website: Allegiant Air
Let’s compare prices…
Remember, we’re using the test date of Saturday, January 10, 2015 for one adult buying a one-way ticket. We’ll compare prices on flights from Buffalo/Niagara to Ft. Lauderdale, Florida and Las Vegas, along with flights from Detroit, Michigan to Los Angeles, California and Dallas, Texas. We’ll then compare those prices to the lowest available fare on Expedia. The prices are in U.S. Dollars and include taxes.
Buffalo, New York to Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Southwest and Spirit come in very comparable. With Southwest Airlines, there are three different flights available at $98.10. With Spirit Airlines, there is just one flight and the price is $98.59. However, if you flew with Spirit on the 8th at 2:38am, the fare is an incredible $29.60! Remember, Spirit flies out of IAG while Southwest flies out of BUF.
Air Allegiant flies out of Niagara Falls (IAG) and the closest it gets to FLL is Punta Gorda (PGD) on the other side of the peninsula. Allegiant doesn’t fly this route on the 10th and on the 9th it would be $139.50 if paid with debit card. It paying credit, the price goes up to $143.50.
The lowest price available on Expedia is $122.64 via Delta Airlines. There are three different flights, all with one stop.
Buffalo, New York to Las Vegas, Nevada
Southwest has one flight at $248 and four at $256 on our test date. The flight at $248 is non-stop to sin city while the more expensive makes one stop in either Chicago, Tampa or Phoenix. Note: when flying this route, it looks to be about $50 cheaper from Sunday to Wednesday.
Spirit Airlines have just one flight and it’s a bit of a pain. The price is better at $189.09 but you leave at 2:38am and make two stops. First, you fly all the way south to Fort Lauderdale. Then, it’s back north to Detroit before heading southwest ot Vegas. For ten dollars more, you can leave at the same time, doing the Niagara to FLL leg then connecting in Dallas instead of Detroit. This will get you gambling nearly two hours sooner.
Allegiant Air – can’t get there from here.
Expedia’s lowest price is the winner on this route. For $177.92 you can get from Buffalo to Vegas with just one stop via U.S. Airways.
Detroit, Michigan to Los Angeles, California
Southwest has four different flights at $150 on our test date. The rate goes as low as $146 on nearby alternate dates.
Spirit is the winner with a $34.10 non-stop flight, leaving at 6pm. Spirit has three others that day for $160 that either connect in Houston or Las Vegas. The $34.10 price is obviously a deal that should be taken advantage of right away or it will be gone.
Allegiant Air flies out of either Toledo, Ohio or Lansing, Michigan but not out of Detroit. The only destinations out of these two airports are in Florida.
The lowest fare on Expedia is $172.08 via American Airlines. There are several flights, all with one stop along the way.
Detroit, Michigan to Dallas, Texas
Via Southwest Airlines, the cheapest flight available is $131 and makes a stop in Chicago but you get to stay on the plane. The flight goes from Detroit Metro (DTW) to Dallas Love Field (DAL).
Spirit is the big winner with one flight at $93.09 and it’s direct from DTW to Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport (DFW). There are four more flights that day at $125.59, all with one stop at either Atlanta, New York City, Orlando or Denver.
The lowest fare on Expedia is $160.72 via United Airlines. There are four different flights that day, all with one stop.
Who’s the winner?
It all depends. How far ahead are you planning your trip? Are you involved with a particular airline’s points program? How much luggage will you be taking? How important is comfort to you over a 3-5 hour flight? Do you have time constraints? There are websites out there that claim to be the magic all-in-one solution but the truth is, if you want the best, you have to do a bit of your own leg work.
For Canadians in the GTA, the advantage to taking a flight out of the U.S. is obviously price. Other good things include clearing customs in the comfort of your own vehicle and considerably cheaper parking fees.
One thing’s for sure, you should use Hotels Dot Com to book your accommodations at your destination! Here’s a secret: it’s owned by Expedia. However, clicking on the link right here and booking your hotel could earn us some money to help keep It’s About Travelling alive. When booking a hotel, we’d really appreciate the love! In a recent article, we compared Hotels Dot Com with Booking.com and the advantage was definitely with Hotels.
