Cheapest Airlines After Spirit's Shutdown: Zip Code Matters

Frontier is the easy answer. It's also the wrong one for about half the country. Here is who actually has the cheapest fares now that Spirit is gone, broken down by where you live.

Spirit Airlines wound down operations at 3 a.m. ET on May 2, 2026, after talks for a $500 million federal bailout collapsed. Within twelve hours, every travel blog had crowned the same successor: Frontier. That answer is wrong for most people. The cheapest airlines after Spirit's shutdown are not a single brand but a regional patchwork, and which one wins for you depends almost entirely on which airport you drive to.

The data on what Spirit's exit costs travelers is already in. A Cirium analysis cited by CBS News found that average round-trip fares jumped 23%, or roughly $60, on routes where Spirit had previously flown. Passenger volume on those routes fell 20%. Spirit's summer schedule had only represented about 1.5% of US domestic capacity at the time of shutdown, but Barclays analyst Brandon Oglenski wrote that industry pricing could benefit "significantly for nearly all airlines" beyond the direct revenue capture, because the floor Spirit set on competitive routes is gone.

So the question of which airline is now cheapest is real, and the answer is not Frontier across the board. The broader rule on flight pricing still holds (book early, fly midweek), but the specific carrier you book on has changed for half the country. Here is the actual map.

Frontier wins by default in Denver and most of the West

Frontier is the closest thing to a one-for-one Spirit replacement, but the comparison flatters Frontier more than it should. The airline is in the middle of a "New Frontier" rebrand: it added UpFront Plus seats with a guaranteed empty middle seat, and it is rolling out a "First Class" product in 2026 (the rollout slipped from late 2025 to spring 2026, and the seats don't recline). The base economy fare is still cheap, but Frontier is moving upmarket fast.

Where Frontier still earns the budget crown is the GoWild Pass. The 2026 Summer Pass costs $199 for unlimited flights from April 22 through September 30, and the 2026-2027 Annual Pass goes for $349 promotional or $599 standard. Per-flight cost is one cent plus taxes and fees, with an early booking fee that runs $0 on most dates and up to $99 on peak ones. For a flexible traveler willing to fly midweek out of Denver, Phoenix, Las Vegas, or Salt Lake City, this is the cheapest unlimited travel product available from any US carrier right now.

The catch is route concentration. Frontier's network is densest in the West and at its Denver hub. Out of Boston, Hartford, or Norfolk, the GoWild Pass becomes a coupon for flights to cities you don't want to go to.

Breeze is the underrated answer for the Northeast and Midwest

Breeze Airways is the airline most people typing "cheapest airline after Spirit" should actually book, and almost nobody is writing about it. Founded by David Neeleman, the same founder behind JetBlue, Breeze runs a point-to-point model connecting underserved secondary airports to leisure destinations. The fleet is wider, newer-generation Airbus A220-300 jets (the type formerly known as the Bombardier CSeries), and Breeze allows free changes on most fare types.

The pricing speaks for itself. Breeze launched 14 new routes in May 2026 with introductory one-way fares from $39 to $49. Skyscanner's recent fare data shows the cheapest current Breeze route, Ogdensburg to Washington Dulles, at $56. The network now covers 80-plus cities, including new service from Atlantic City, Brownsville, Madison, Memphis, and Louisville, with international expansion into Nassau and the Dominican Republic.

If you live in the Northeast or upper Midwest and Frontier doesn't fly your route, Breeze is the answer. If your destination is somewhere a legacy carrier would route you through Charlotte or Atlanta, Breeze probably has a nonstop for less.

Avelo only matters if you live in one of four specific cities

Avelo is the trap. The airline ran a "TRYAVELO" promo with up to 75% off after Spirit's shutdown, and the discount fares look great in isolation. Avelo is also shrinking, not growing. Per Simple Flying analysis of Q2 2026 schedule data, Avelo will operate 3,166 fewer flights this quarter than the same period last year, a 29% reduction. The airline shuttered its Wilmington, North Carolina and Raleigh-Durham bases as of March 6, 2026, and removed Miami, Las Vegas, and Washington Dulles from its network entirely.

What's left are four bases: New Haven (HVN), Wilmington Delaware (ILG), Lakeland Florida (LAL), and Concord North Carolina (USA), with a fifth at McKinney near Dallas planned for late 2026. One-way fares start at $42 for the bases that survived. If you live within driving distance of HVN, ILG, LAL, or USA, Avelo is competitive. Outside those metros, the network has gotten thin enough that there is rarely a useful flight.

Allegiant is cheapest if you live in a small city and want a vacation

Allegiant runs a model that has nothing in common with how most people think about airlines. It connects dozens of small secondary airports (Bismarck, Bangor, Sioux Falls, Plattsburgh) to a narrow set of vacation destinations: Las Vegas, Orlando, Phoenix, Florida beach airports. Routes typically operate fewer days per week rather than daily, which keeps base fares low for travelers willing to plan around the schedule.

For travelers in small markets where mainline carriers don't fly nonstop to Florida or Vegas, Allegiant is often a fraction of the cost of an itinerary requiring a connection through Atlanta or Charlotte. For travelers in major metros, the network is irrelevant.

Southwest and JetBlue are the cheapest mainline options, sometimes

The "mainline carriers are now cheaper than ULCCs" claim has become a recurring travel blog theme, and the Southwest data complicates it. Southwest ended its "bags fly free" policy in May 2025, then raised the first-bag fee from $35 to $45 effective April 9, 2026, citing the fuel cost spike from the Iran war. Second bags now cost $55. A-List members and Southwest credit card holders still get free bags, which is the only reason a Southwest economy fare reliably beats a Frontier base fare on equivalent routes for casual travelers.

JetBlue is the more interesting story. The airline announced 11 new routes from Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood (FLL) within hours of Spirit's wind-down, including international service to Cali and Barranquilla in Colombia plus first-time JetBlue cities like Columbus and Indianapolis. JetBlue also offered $99 one-way rescue fares to stranded Spirit passengers and capped Blue Basic fares at $299 on select routes. The expansion will push JetBlue's FLL operation to nearly 130 daily departures this summer, more than 75% above 2025 levels. For travelers in the Northeast or out of FLL, JetBlue is now positioned to undercut Spirit's old routes on schedule density alone, even if the base fares are slightly higher.

What to actually do

The framework that works in May 2026 is not "find the cheapest airline" but "find which ULCC flies your specific city pair, then check if a JetBlue or Southwest fare with bag fees beats it." Google Flights lets you filter by airline; running the search twice (once with Frontier, Breeze, Allegiant, and Avelo selected, once with mainline carriers) usually surfaces the answer in two minutes. The era when a single yellow plane was the floor on every route is over. Jet fuel hit $4.69 per gallon in early April, up nearly 88% since the Iran war started in February, and that pressure is showing up on every airline's price page. The cheapest fare for your trip exists. It just lives at a different airline than it did six months ago. The hotel side of the same trip rewards the opposite playbook (book later, not earlier), so the smart traveler now runs two different timing strategies on the same itinerary.

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Frequently asked questions about cheap airlines after Spirit

What is the cheapest airline after Spirit's shutdown?

The cheapest airline after Spirit Airlines wound down on May 2, 2026 depends on which airport you drive to, not on a single national winner. Frontier is the easy answer and the right one in Denver, Phoenix, Las Vegas, and Salt Lake City, especially with the GoWild Pass at $199 for the 2026 Summer Pass. Breeze Airways tends to win in the Northeast and upper Midwest, with introductory one-way fares from $39 to $49 on its 14 newest May 2026 routes and the cheapest current route at $56. Avelo is competitive only near its four surviving bases (New Haven, Wilmington Delaware, Lakeland Florida, Concord North Carolina). Allegiant is cheapest for travelers in small cities flying to Las Vegas, Orlando, Phoenix, or Florida beach airports. For Northeast travelers and anyone flying out of Fort Lauderdale, JetBlue's expanded post-Spirit schedule (130 daily FLL departures this summer, 75 percent above 2025 levels) often undercuts the ULCCs on equivalent routes.

Did airfare go up after Spirit Airlines shut down?

Yes. A Cirium analysis cited by CBS News found that average round-trip fares jumped 23 percent (roughly $60) on routes where Spirit had previously flown. Passenger volume on those routes fell 20 percent. Spirit's summer schedule had only represented about 1.5 percent of US domestic capacity at shutdown, but Barclays analyst Brandon Oglenski wrote that industry pricing could benefit significantly for nearly all airlines beyond the direct revenue capture, because the floor Spirit set on competitive routes is gone. Jet fuel hit $4.69 per gallon in early April 2026, up nearly 88 percent since the Iran war started in February, which is showing up on every airline's price page on top of the Spirit-shutdown effect.

Is Frontier the cheapest airline now that Spirit is gone?

Sometimes. Frontier is the closest one-for-one Spirit replacement, but the comparison flatters Frontier more than it should. The airline is in the middle of a "New Frontier" rebrand: it added UpFront Plus seats with a guaranteed empty middle, and is rolling out a 2026 "First Class" product (the rollout slipped from late 2025 to spring 2026, and the seats don't recline). Frontier's network is densest in the West and at its Denver hub. Out of Boston, Hartford, or Norfolk, Frontier's base fares are competitive only on a small set of routes. The GoWild Pass keeps Frontier in the budget conversation for flexible travelers, but for one-way fares the cheapest carrier varies by city pair.

What is Frontier's GoWild Pass and is it worth it?

Frontier's GoWild Pass is an unlimited-flights subscription that competes on cost-per-flight rather than per-route. The 2026 Summer Pass costs $199 for unlimited flights from April 22 through September 30, and the 2026-2027 Annual Pass goes for $349 promotional or $599 standard. Per-flight cost is one cent plus taxes and fees, with an early booking fee that runs $0 on most dates and up to $99 on peak ones. For a flexible traveler willing to fly midweek out of Denver, Phoenix, Las Vegas, or Salt Lake City, the GoWild Pass is the cheapest unlimited travel product available from any US carrier in 2026. Out of cities Frontier doesn't fly densely (Boston, Hartford, Norfolk), the pass becomes a coupon for flights to cities you don't want to go to.

What is Breeze Airways and where does it fly?

Breeze Airways is a point-to-point ULCC founded by David Neeleman, the same founder behind JetBlue. Breeze connects underserved secondary airports to leisure destinations using a fleet of newer-generation Airbus A220-300 jets (the type formerly known as the Bombardier CSeries) and allows free changes on most fare types. Breeze launched 14 new routes in May 2026 with introductory one-way fares from $39 to $49. Skyscanner's recent fare data shows the cheapest current Breeze route, Ogdensburg to Washington Dulles, at $56. The network now covers 80-plus cities, including new service from Atlantic City, Brownsville, Madison, Memphis, and Louisville, with international expansion into Nassau and the Dominican Republic. Breeze is the underrated answer for travelers in the Northeast and upper Midwest who don't have a useful Frontier route.

Is Avelo Airlines still operating in 2026?

Avelo is still operating but contracting fast. Per Simple Flying analysis of Q2 2026 schedule data, Avelo will operate 3,166 fewer flights this quarter than the same period last year, a 29 percent reduction. The airline shuttered its Wilmington, North Carolina and Raleigh-Durham bases as of March 6, 2026, and removed Miami, Las Vegas, and Washington Dulles from its network entirely. What is left are four bases: New Haven (HVN), Wilmington Delaware (ILG), Lakeland Florida (LAL), and Concord North Carolina (USA), with a fifth at McKinney near Dallas planned for late 2026. Avelo ran a "TRYAVELO" promo with up to 75 percent off after Spirit's shutdown, and one-way fares start at $42 for the surviving bases. If you live within driving distance of HVN, ILG, LAL, or USA, Avelo is competitive. Outside those metros, the network has gotten thin enough that there is rarely a useful flight.

Are Southwest and JetBlue cheaper than ULCCs after Spirit?

It depends on the city pair and whether you have status. Southwest ended its "bags fly free" policy in May 2025, then raised the first-bag fee from $35 to $45 effective April 9, 2026, citing the fuel cost spike from the Iran war. Second bags now cost $55. A-List members and Southwest credit card holders still get free bags, which is the only reason a Southwest economy fare reliably beats a Frontier base fare on equivalent routes for casual travelers. JetBlue is the more interesting story. The airline announced 11 new routes from Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood (FLL) within hours of Spirit's wind-down, plus $99 one-way rescue fares for stranded Spirit passengers and Blue Basic fares capped at $299 on select routes. JetBlue's FLL operation will hit nearly 130 daily departures this summer, more than 75 percent above 2025 levels. For travelers in the Northeast or out of FLL, JetBlue often undercuts the ULCCs on equivalent routes on schedule density alone, even if the base fares are slightly higher.