The World's Best Budget Airlines

Before deregulation in the late 1970s , a sheet ticket from , say , Dallas to LA could cost more than $ 500 . In 1970s dollars . Today , you only pay that much for the same road if you ’re buying last minute , or are really bad atshopping for airfares . So why , as the damage of everything else has rifle up , has the cost of aviation locomotion plummet ? Well , a lot of factors . But since we ’re not economic expert , we ’ll keep it simple : a big grounds is budget airline business .

These no - nonsense bearer strip down down the fly experience and volunteer cheap fares that the enceinte airlines must then compete with . But despite what you might think after fly Spirit Air , not all low - toll airline put up a totally wretched trip . Nope , in addition to helping revolutionize the economic science of airwave change of location , some of them really provide rider with flight that are pretty much tantamount to their bigger competitors . And while , yes , we to the full acknowledge that people have complaint with EVERY airline in business today , these 10 budget carriers stand above the rest .

Norwegian

base in : Norway ( duh)Where it flee : Again , Norway ! But also the US , Caribbean , Middle East , and Bangkok . Why it ’s more than just cheap : When we tell you aboutmoney - redeem tipslikeflying through hidden citiesandpaying in foreign currencies , this airline is always in the conversation . It ’s been make love as a top low - cost carrier in Europe for years , but now that it regularly offers nonstops from the East Coast to Europe for $ 250 each way , it ’s become a major player in America too . Norwegian also offers reasonably priced fares from the US tothe Caribbean , a destination that is often more expensive to reach than Europe .

Peach

Based in : JapanWhere it flies : Japan , Korea , Hong Kong , and TaiwanWhy it ’s more than just cheap : In true Japanese fashion , the country ’s low - cost carrier operates with staggering efficiency . It ’s in reality reckon out that boarding from the exterior - seats - in is quick than by row . Amazing . Onboard , you may grease one’s palms Japanese specialty food like ramen noodles , curry puffs , and spill the beans ice Milk River , and wash it down with a cold Sapporo .

IndiGo

Based in : IndiaWhere it take flight : India ( 39 terminus ) , Dubai , Bangkok , Singapore , and OmanWhy it ’s more than just cheap : IndiGo has figured out how to be the large and most profitable airway in India . And it took the company less than a tenner to do it . In fact , it carried 40 % of Indian atmosphere dealings in 2015 and credits the success to a combination of foray - down table service – there ’s no first or line of work class , nor are there any airdrome waiting room – and having faster - than - mean turnround times with planing machine that quell in the air nearly 12 60 minutes a Clarence Shepard Day Jr. .

fastjet

establish in : Tanzania / United KingdomWhere it flies : Kenya , South Africa , Tanzania , Uganda , Zambia , and ZimbabweWhy it ’s more than just flashy : For 10 , traveling within Africa was either prohibitively expensive , or prohibitively unreliable . Enter fastjet , Africa ’s first large budget carrier to bring affordable , dependable inter - African flight to six land . Though other carriers have popped up , fastjet remain the biggest ; and it still flies to the most goal . Just do n’t be alarmed when you go to this " low - monetary value " letter carrier and see airfares in the six figures – remember , they ’re all priced in Tanzanian shillings , which are about .0004 / dollar .

easyJet

base in : United KingdomWhere it flies : Europe , North Africa , and the Middle EastWhy it ’s more than just tinny : The UK ’s large airline tout an innovative program called " Inspire Me , " where passenger enter a departure city and easyJet shows them the flash weekend getaway fares to random destinations . It ’s not exactlysigning up for travelling to a mystery location , but it ’s still encourage ad-lib travel through downcast price . Until last year , easyJet had won the World Travel Award forEurope ’s Leading Low - Cost Airlinesix unbowed years .

LAN

free-base in : ChileWhere it flies : South America , US , Canada , and MexicoWhy it ’s more than just chintzy : Not what you ’d expect from a budget air hose , LAN ’s carpenter’s plane rock TVs at each hind end programme with over 100 movies , 42 display , and a 1,000 - certificate of deposit music collection . Between South American state , LAN is often the cheapest pick and also bid nonstop to Miami , LAX , JFK , Houston , and Orlando .

AirAsia

Based in : MalaysiaWhere it fly : Asia , Australia , India , and Saudi ArabiaWhy it ’s more than just cheap : Despite a notorious crash in 2014 , AirAsia has STILL won theSkytrax World Airline Awardfor best low - price air hose SIX straight times . It ’s like the UConn fair sex ’s team of budget airline business , so obviously it ’s doing something right . It tender hot food for purchase , plus drink and light bite , not to mentiona lotof flights at private-enterprise prices . It ’s even pioneered the conception of the " long - haul , low - cost air hose " with AirAsia X – an offset which wait on 19 terminus and has a first - class cabin complete with flatbed seats .

Icelandair

Based in : Ummm , IcelandWhere it flies : Europe , Iceland , Canada , and the USWhy it ’s more than just bum : A few years ago , we can only assume some seer at Icelandair said , " Hmmm … we ’re the logical fillet percentage point between North America and Europe . How about we put up Americans really tatty fares to Europe , and have them stop over in Iceland ? ? Then further them to stay for , like , a calendar week and explode our tourism saving ? ! " And a trans - Atlantic travel revolution was wear . Icelandair offer up disturbingly cheap fare across the pond , most of which include a layover in Reykjavik . That layover can literally last up to a week if you want it to , and the conception has create a touristry boom in a land few visited before .

VivaAerobus

Based in : MexicoWhere it flies : Mexico , Houston , San Antonio , Chicago , and El PasoWhy it ’s more than just cheap : Flying TO Mexico at a price reduction has never been difficult for savvy US travelers . But traveling WITHIN Mexico ? Often be prohibitive . Until VivaAerobus come on the scene , that is . Sure , the in - flight comforts are n’t much , but at least you ’re not crossing the state on a real bus .

Southwest Airlines

found in : United StatesWhere it fly : US , Mexico , and CaribbeanWhy it ’s more than just cheap : Make all the jokes you want about the Greyhound of the skies , Southwest was the only US airline business to remain profitable during the great corner , and it ’s still making money without charge you for bags . America ’s original gravid - scale , grim - toll airline might require you to stop in Tulsa and El Paso on your way from New York to LA , but what Southwest miss in nonstop flight it makes up for in personality . The airline allows flight attendants to divert from the standard book , and even if the jokes are n’t always risible , combine that with a flexible embarkation procedure that actuallyisn’ta pure clustering has given America ’s biggest discount carrier an insanely firm pursual .

Matt Meltzeris a staff author for Thrillist . See copious budget airline business plane - wing selfies on his Instagram:@meltrez1 .

easy Jet airlines