When it comes to travel, people are always looking for the best deal around. Fortunately, many of these "low cost carriers" actually have excellent service and amenities as well. We've looked at the following criteria in determining the best budget airline for US travel: Number of destinations, flight frequency, legroom, in flight entertainment, and food onboard.
It's hard to complain much about the JetBlue experience. The industry's best legroom (2 or 3 inches more than usual) combined with live television in every seat makes for a great trip. And those blue chips will fill you up as well. Only problems? No in-seat power. And they really don't fly to nearly enough places.
It's the same story as JetBlue here. They have a very limited route network (far more limited than JetBlue), but they have an excellent product on the plane. JetBlue has better legroom, but Virgin America has power in every seat and mood lighting. They're also installing wireless internet throughout the fleet. And I'm told the food is pretty good if you're willing to pay for it.
Southwest may not have the best legroom (it is better than average) or inflight entertainment (though wireless internet testing has begun), but they have one thing no other low cost carrier has. They fly nearly everywhere in the US and they have an incredible flight frequency between cities. It's that breadth and depth that makes them one of the best.
Frontier provides an excellent experience as well, though all roads lead through Denver. On most planes, you'll find live television and average legroom, and that's certainly good enough for a top spot on the list.
AirTran has the breadth and the depth, but the onboard experience is mixed. Legroom is extremely tight on many of their planes, and a frequently shifting schedule can be confusing. But there is live radio in every seat, and the price is often much better than elsewhere.