Ultra-Low-Cost Airlines: What They Are and Who Still Flies Them
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Edited by Adinda Irawan
Edited by What is an ultra-low-cost airline?
TL;DR: Explains how ultra-low-cost carriers (Frontier, Ryanair, Wizz Air, AirAsia, etc.) differ from standard low-cost airlines by charging extra for nearly everything beyond a seat. Details specific baggage fees and notes recent carrier shutdowns (Spirit, May 2026).
An ultra-low-cost airline (ULCC) sells a low base fare that usually covers only your seat and one small bag that fits under the seat in front of you. Everything else costs extra: a cabin bag, a checked bag, a seat you choose, food. A standard low-cost airline also sells extras, but it includes more in the fare and charges fewer add-on fees.
The airlines usually named as ULCCs today are Frontier, Allegiant, Sun Country and Avelo in the US; Ryanair and Wizz Air in Europe; AirAsia in Asia; and JetSMART and Volaris in Latin America. Spirit Airlines, once the largest ULCC in the US, stopped flying on 2 May 2026.
Ultra-low-cost vs low-cost: what’s the difference?
Both kinds of airline keep fares low by leaving out frills and letting you pay only for the extras you need. The difference is how far they go. On an ultra-low-cost airline, the base fare buys a seat and one personal item that must fit under the seat. A cabin bag for the overhead locker, a checked bag and a seat choice are all paid extras.
A low-cost airline such as easyJet works the same way, but its free under-seat bag is bigger and there are fewer fees. By that measure, easyJet, Jetstar, Scoot and SpiceJet are low-cost airlines, not ULCCs.
The table below shows what the base fare includes on four airlines. For other airlines, see our guide to personal item and cabin bag sizes, or the list of airlines that still include a bag.
What the base fare includes on four airlines
Sizes and rules at the time of writing. The Wizz Air and easyJet details are from each airline’s baggage page as recorded on 17 September 2026. Bag rules change, so check the airline’s own page before you fly.
| Airline | Type | Free bag in the base fare | Bigger cabin bag |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ryanair | Ultra-low-cost | One personal bag, 40 x 30 x 20 cm, that must fit under the seat (this size since 4 September 2025) | Only with paid Priority |
| Wizz Air | Ultra-low-cost | One carry-on bag, 40 x 30 x 20 cm, up to 10 kg | A 55 x 40 x 23 cm trolley bag, only with paid WIZZ Priority |
| easyJet | Low-cost | One under-seat bag, 45 x 36 x 20 cm, up to 15 kg | A large cabin bag (56 x 45 x 25 cm) is paid; £60 if added at the gate |
| Frontier | Ultra-low-cost | One personal item, 18 x 14 x 8 in, up to 35 lb | A carry-on (24 x 16 x 10 in, up to 35 lb) is paid; cheapest when added at booking |
How to work out the real price of an ultra-low-cost ticket
The first fare you see is the price for you and one small bag. Before you compare airlines, build the price of the trip you will actually take:
- Note the base fare on each airline you are comparing.
- Add the bags you need. If everything fits in the free under-seat bag, add nothing. If you need a cabin bag or a checked bag, add it at booking, when it usually costs least.
- Add a seat choice only if it matters to you.
- Compare the totals, not the fares. A low fare plus two paid bags can cost more than a fare that already includes a bag.
Here is how the add-ons grow on Ryanair, using its fees as recorded on 17 September 2026. The Priority & 2 Cabin Bags add-on costs €12.49 to €36 (£12.49 to £36) when you buy it with the flight. If you skip it and your bag does not fit the sizer at the gate, the fee is €46 to €75 (£46 to £75). On easyJet, a large cabin bag added at the gate costs £60.
Rules that cost money on the day you fly
ULCCs often have stricter check-in and boarding rules, and each rule has a fee attached. These are the ones to know:
- Check in online. Ryanair requires online check-in. Checking in at the airport instead costs €55 (£55), or €30 from Spain and €40 from Austria (fees as recorded on 17 September 2026). Since 12 November 2025, Ryanair accepts only digital boarding passes in the myRyanair app, so set up the app before you leave home.
- Expect your bag to be checked at the gate. Ryanair uses bag sizers at boarding, and Frontier checks personal items during boarding and charges for anything larger than the free size.
- Pay for bags online. Bags usually cost least when you add them with the flight and most at the gate.
- Book early, but compare totals. Cheap seats sell out, so booking ahead helps. An early fare only saves money if it is still cheaper once your bags and seat are added.
Is an ultra-low-cost airline worth it?
Reasons to fly one:
- The lowest fares, if everything you need fits in the free bag.
- Newer aircraft. Frontier says it runs the largest A320neo-family fleet in the US, with an average age of four years. Wizz Air reports 50.6 g of CO2 per passenger-kilometer for the year to 31 March 2026.
Reasons to think twice:
- Most extras are paid, and they cost the most at the airport.
- When a flight is cancelled, a ULCC may have fewer other flights to move you to.
- Airlines can stop flying. Spirit Airlines shut down in May 2026, Jetstar Asia in July 2025 and Viva Air Colombia in February 2023.
A ULCC suits short trips with a small bag and travelers who can adjust if plans change. It suits you less if you need checked bags, a set seat or a tight connection to another flight.
Ultra-low-cost airlines in the US
The US airlines usually named as ULCCs are Frontier, Allegiant, Sun Country and Avelo. Spirit Airlines, once the largest, shut down on 2 May 2026 after two bankruptcies. On Laters, pay later works on every route that Avelo and Sun Country fly, as it does on Frontier and Allegiant.
Frontier, known for the animals on its aircraft tails, is one of the US airlines named as an ultra-low-cost carrier. Every fare includes one personal item up to 18 x 14 x 8 in and 35 lb. A carry-on (24 x 16 x 10 in, up to 35 lb) and checked bags (up to 62 linear in and 40 lb) are paid extras and cost least when added at booking; see Frontier’s bag options page.
Allegiant connects smaller US cities with vacation destinations such as Las Vegas and Orlando. On 13 May 2026 it completed its purchase of Sun Country Airlines. Together they have 195 aircraft, nearly 175 cities, more than 650 routes and about 22 million customers a year, but for now the two airlines fly separately, with their own brands, bookings and loyalty programs. Allegiant was No. 10 in the Skytrax World’s Best Low-Cost Airlines 2026 ranking.
Ultra-low-cost and low-cost airlines in Europe
Ryanair and Wizz Air are the European airlines usually named as ULCCs. easyJet is a low-cost airline: its fare includes a bigger free bag. For more airlines and fees, see Europe’s low-cost airlines compared bag by bag.
Ireland’s Ryanair calls itself “Europe’s No.1 airline”. Its Winter 2026 schedule has 1,700 routes across 35 countries, and it carried 20.1 million passengers in September 2026, with 89% of flights on time. The fare includes the 40 x 30 x 20 cm under-seat bag; priority boarding, a second cabin bag, extra legroom and checked bags are add-ons.
Hungary’s Wizz Air is the largest operator in Central and Eastern Europe by seats, with a 25.3% share. It carried a record 69.7 million passengers in the year to 31 March 2026 and had 262 aircraft at year end. In the same year it closed its Abu Dhabi base and wound down its Vienna base. Frequent flyers can join the Wizz Discount Club.
Low-cost airlines in Asia-Pacific
Of the airlines below, AirAsia is the one usually named as a ULCC; Scoot, Jetstar and SpiceJet are low-cost airlines. Two of them lead the Skytrax World’s Best Low-Cost Airlines 2026 ranking, which is based on a passenger survey: AirAsia came first and Scoot second. The rest of the top 10 were Vueling, Eurowings, Iberia Express, Volotea, Transavia France, Flynas, IndiGo and Allegiant Air.
For more airlines in the region, see low-cost airlines in Asia.
Scoot is Singapore Airlines’ low-cost arm and was No. 2 in the Skytrax World’s Best Low-Cost Airlines 2026 ranking. It flies its long-haul routes with Boeing 787 Dreamliners, and short and medium-haul routes with Airbus A320-family and Embraer E190-E2 aircraft. Meals are an optional extra. On Laters, pay-later plans for Scoot are tied to Singapore checkout with Grab or Atome.
Jetstar Airways, a subsidiary of Qantas, connects travelers across Australia, New Zealand and the Asia-Pacific and is known for frequent sales. Jetstar Airways and Jetstar Japan keep flying, but the Singapore-based Jetstar Asia stopped flying on 31 July 2025. On Laters, you can pay for Jetstar flights later with Afterpay, Zip, Klarna or PayPal.
India’s SpiceJet is a low-cost airline flying within India and internationally. Passengers aged 60 or over get up to 14% off the base fare on direct domestic flights booked on spicejet.com or through SpiceJet’s reservation center; taxes and fees are charged in full. That discount is only for bookings made with SpiceJet directly.
Ultra-low-cost airlines in Latin America
Viva Air Colombia stopped flying on 27 February 2023. Two ULCCs that fly in the region today:
- JetSMART is a Chilean ULCC founded in 2016, with units in Argentina, Peru and Colombia. It flies only Airbus A320-family aircraft and is controlled by Indigo Partners, which also invests in Frontier, Volaris and Wizz Air.
- Volaris is a Mexican ULCC and Mexico’s largest airline by passengers. On Laters, pay-later plans for Volaris are available on eligible Mexico or US bookings.
In December 2025 Volaris agreed to combine with Viva Aerobus under one holding company, Grupo Más Vuelos, with both brands kept. As of 6 September 2026, US regulators had approved the deal and Colombia had cleared it, but Mexico’s competition authority had not yet decided. At that date the deal had not closed, and the two were still separate airlines.
Can you fly long-haul on a budget airline?
Yes, on a few airlines. These low-cost long-haul airlines fly in 2026:
- Scoot flies its long-haul routes with Boeing 787 Dreamliners.
- Norse Atlantic Airways, founded in 2021, flies Boeing 787-9s. For winter 2026-27 it suspends London Gatwick to New York and Rome to New York from late October. That winter, Gatwick to Orlando is its only transatlantic route, and flights to Thailand (Bangkok and Phuket) make up about 70% of its capacity.
- AirAsia X, the long-haul airline of AirAsia.
What if your low-cost flight is cancelled?
When Spirit Airlines stopped flying on 2 May 2026, it cancelled every flight and ended customer service the same day. The US Department of Transportation (DOT) worked with other airlines to rebook stranded passengers.
On flights to, from or within the US, a DOT rule from April 2024 says airlines must give an automatic cash refund when they cancel or significantly change your flight and you do not accept the change or an alternative. A significant change includes a time change of more than 3 hours on a domestic flight or 6 hours on an international one. Refunds are due within 7 business days for card payments and 20 calendar days for other payments. The rule may have changed since 2024, so check DOT’s refund guidance before you rely on it.
If you bought an onward flight on a separate ticket with another airline, that ticket is not protected when your ULCC flight is cancelled.
Book an ultra-low-cost flight and pay later
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Pay later works on every route of Ryanair, Wizz Air, easyJet, Frontier, Allegiant, Sun Country, Avelo, AirAsia, JetSMART, SpiceJet, Viva Aerobus and Norse Atlantic. Read how to fly now, pay later on flights, or see every way to pay at checkout.
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