[Buckeye Native 001]

I remember when Southwest had $29 flights from the LA-area airports (LAX, SNA, ONT, BUR) to Phoenix. Super convenient for weekend trips back to Arizona when I was in college in Orange County back in the early 2000's.

The problem with ultra-low cost airlines like Frontier and Allegiant are that while the flights themselves are cheap, you end up paying more for overhead storage, seat assignments and, I suspect in the future, trips to the restroom (Ryanair tried that about a decade ago...). And the legacy carriers are even getting in on that with basic economy as opposed to economy.

I just booked a flight from Flagstaff to Cincinnati (layovers in Denver) on United in November. Basic economy (overhead storage, seat assignment) round trip fare was $244, whereas regular economy was $314. I sprung for the economy fare.

At least with the $29 one-ways on Southwest, you weren't charged to store your luggage in an overhead bin and checked baggage was included with your fare. Then again, Southwest still uses a cattle call system...