Budget airlines and Disney Adults don’t seem to be vibing right now…
While budget airlines cater to travelers looking to save some cash, it appears that folks are increasingly being turned off by these travel options — Disney Adults included. Per a report, several factors could be at play when it comes to the decline of this transportation option.
According to a report by the Orlando Sentinel, budget airlines are really struggling in 2025.
The report states that a worsening economy on the surface should spell out good news for budget-friendly airlines, but folks who typically can’t afford to fly aren’t “trading down” but instead opting not to fly altogether.
As budget airlines make moves to venture into the leisure air travel space, other, more expensive airlines have opted to offer lower fares — making things difficult for the cheaper airlines.
Still, domestic travel is down thanks to the uncertainty of the American economy at the moment, and it doesn’t help that budget airlines are already facing an uphill battle when it comes to their relationship with the average consumer.
In the Orlando Sentinel report, Jim Wahlen, a 42-year-old in commercial property maintenance, said, “I am honestly just done with them overall for our major family trips. I have flown Spirit, Frontier and Allegiant in the past, and it is always just stressful on what they are going to charge you for and when.”
As it turns out, thanks to hidden fees and added stressors, budget airlines really aren’t saving you as much as you think, especially with other airlines currently lowering their fares.
Hidden fees, timeliness issues, higher cancellation risks, and overall rougher flying experiences have soured passengers on flying budget airlines over the past several years.
“A bottle of water? Assigned seat? Printed boarding pass? All subject to additional fees,” stated the report. “Spirit even pulled the plug on its toll-free customer service number to save money under thrifty former CEO Ben Baldanza. Executives at its headquarters near Fort Lauderdale, Florida, were responsible for emptying trash cans and vacuuming their own offices.”
Yes, there is such a thing as too much minimalism. At a certain point, you’re no longer “budget-friendly” but instead cheap, greedy, and lazy. Since the pandemic, budget airlines have seen significant money losses each year and the era of the “ultra-low-cost model” might be gone for good, as being less consumer-friendly just isn’t “flying” anymore.
Market changes like this just don’t happen all of a sudden overnight, and the relationship between consumer and budget airlines has been dwindling for some time.
We’ll continue to monitor the status of this mode of air travel — especially how it relates to travel to the Disney and Universal theme parks — so keep it posted right here at AllEars for all the latest updates.
6 Important Rules to Know Before Flying on Spirit Airlines in 2025
If you’re looking for a travel agent to help with your vacation, we recommend our friends at Mouse Fan Travel. They’re experts in the field with over 20 years of vacation planning experience, and they can help take a bunch of the stress out of the entire booking process for you!
Need a vacation from planning your vacation?
Feeling overwhelmed planning your dream Disney vacation? Our friends at MouseFanTravel.com have got you covered! They’ll wait on hold for HOURS to get discounts you haven't even read about yet. Plus, they'll help you create an itinerary that's absolutely perfect for you, because their agents are Disney pros and know ALL the inside tips. I mean they are friends with us after-all.
The best part? They take all the stress off your shoulders, so you can kick back and truly enjoy your vacation. Their services are 100% free, so what are you waiting for? Get a quote from their amazing team today!
Join the AllEars.net Newsletter to stay on top of ALL the breaking Disney News! You'll also get access to AllEars tips, reviews, trivia, and MORE! Click here to Subscribe!
Let us know where you stand on “budget-friendly” airlines in the comments below!
Just a FYI, Mr. Baldanza left Spirit in 2016 due to health reasons which he passed away from at the end of last year. Maybe not the best of quotes. He did, however take a struggling Spirit in 2016, change the business model from a more full service carrier to the low cost model. Spirit has since struggled again and is rebranding towards three levels of service more akin to the legacy carriers. Hopefully it works out and provides needed competition to the big three airlines.
I fly Allegiant multiple times a year from Indiana to Florida. Can’t beat the cheap rates! And at about an hour and 45 minutes, I can do without a bottle of water.