Legacy vs. Budget Airlines

What a week this is going to be! What a week to be alive! Wow! I may have had too much coffee. Nevertheless, Mike D. from Rochester, NY wrote me a short email asking me to explain the difference between United Airlines and Spirit Airlines. No problem…where do I begin? The easiest answer is. All passenger airlines essentially fit into one of two categories, a legacy carrier or a low cost carrier. The legacy carriers were in business before deregulation in 1978 and they include: American, Delta, United, Alaska, Hawaiian and Southwest. Some may argue that Alaska, Hawaiian and Southwest belong on the “low cost airline” list but I digress. All other US carriers are either a charter airline with scheduled service (think Sun Country or others) or a low cost carrier. Avelo, Breeze, JetBlue, Allegiant, Spirit and Frontier. Fleet size is one of the most important factors when comparing airline to airline. I am putting up a graphic for your consideration. I hope this helps! Have a fantastic week!