Have you flown on Allegiant? Avelo? What to know about small airlines | Cruising Altitude

You might have heard of them, or even taken a flight or two, but are small airlines your top choice when traveling?

While all travelers are probably familiar with the big four U.S. airlines − American, Delta, United and Southwest − carriers like Allegiant, Avelo, Breeze and Sun Country may not exactly ring a bell.

Alaska, Hawaiian, Frontier, JetBlue and Spirit are also among smaller carriers, but they’re prominent enough that they compete much more directly with the biggies.

According to Mike Arnot, an aviation industry commentator, smaller airlines fill a niche that’s helpful to many consumers.

“These airlines have determined, and I think Allegiant is the first to have lasered in on it, that people in smaller centers want to travel just as much, and they don’t want to have to connect through a hub,” he said. “To get on a direct flight from your hometown to any sunny destination in particular is a great benefit.”

What to know about flying smaller airlines

There are definitely tradeoffs to flying smaller airlines. Many of the upstarts are ultra-low-cost carriers, which means you’ll find cheap base fares but need to shell out for extras like seat selection or any kind of bag, whether it’s being checked or going in the overhead.

But loyal passengers say that’s all outweighed by the convenience of direct flights from their home markets.

“I like the small-airport aspect. I really like coming in and out of Tweed. It’s small,” Kathriona Rooney, a frequent Avelo flyer, told me, referring to the airport in New Haven, Connecticut, where the airline has a base.

Rooney grew up in Hamden, Connecticut, and now lives in Chicago. She said flying into New Haven when she visits her parents is a lot easier than traveling the I-95 corridor to get to or from a larger airport.

“I was able to go in like every two weeks because of this convenience,” she said. “I just really think they’re great. I really do.”

It’s not all upside, however.

Arnot pointed out that new airlines typically have growing pains, and with small fleets and infrequent service, it can be harder for these newer carriers to recover from bad weather or some other disruption.

“If for whatever reason the flight gets canceled, you really are left with no option but to drive to another city and fly there or take what the airline offers you to fly on the next available flight. That’s not always great for consumers,” he said.

Facebook groups about these airlines are littered with complaints from dissatisfied customers, who faced flight delays and cancellations or baggage issues, but Arnot noted that’s not unique to smaller airlines.

John Lincoln said he regularly flies with Allegiant from his home in Roanoke, Virginia, to destinations in southwest Florida.

“It’s just super-convenient and it’s super-inexpensive. There’s no touching it in regards to price, and it’s also straight. I can get to southwest Florida today in an hour and a half,” he told me. “If I choose Delta or anything else, it’s four, six, eight hours with transfers.”

But he also said the airline has its issues.

“I will say it can be a bit challenging to get in contact with customer service,” he said. “Is it amazingly perfect? No, but it’s really good for the price point.”

How Allegiant, Avelo, Breeze and Sun Country stack up

Allegiant, Avelo and Sun Country are pretty similar operators. They all use the ultra-low-cost model, according to aviation expert Arnot, meaning lots of extra fees stacked onto low base ticket prices.

Breeze, he said, is in a bit of a separate category. He calls it a “premium low-fare carrier,” meaning “their fares are more expensive than Avelo, Sun Country and Allegiant. They’re also offering you more services.” If that sounds like JetBlue’s initial business model, it may be because Breeze was founded by JetBlue’s first CEO.

All four have similar networks that rely on serving smaller airports and connecting them mostly to popular leisure destinations.

Arnot said Breeze and Avelo are becoming more established, and while Sun Country and Allegiant have been around longer, their smaller footprint means they may still be unknown to a lot of travelers.

“New airlines always have growing pains, but these airlines are at least 2 years old now, a lot of those growing pains have been left behind,” he said. “Their reliability is not perfect, but it’s improving and it’s a great option for most consumers.”

Cirium, an aviation analytics company, does not have stats available for Avelo, but the firm’s data shows that Breeze and Sun Country have fairly average reliability performance, and Allegiant’s is only slightly lower.

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What airline is right for you?

It all comes down to your priorities: Are cheap flights from a nearby airport if you live in a smaller city better for you, or do you prefer a larger carrier with more flexibility if something goes wrong?

John Paquette, a decadeslong Delta frequent flyer with Million Miler status, emailed me to let me know why he increasingly flies Allegiant on personal, domestic travel. His main two points were not needing to connect and cheap tickets, paired with declining service and amenities on the larger airlines.

Arnot said a lot of travelers make those same calculations, but it’s a good idea to factor in the purpose of your trip as well. If you absolutely have to be to your destination at specific time or on a specific day, like if you’re catching a cruise, you may want to opt for an airline with a higher number of flights in case your original itinerary goes sideways.

Zach Wichter is a travel reporter for USA TODAY based in New York. You can reach him at zwichter@usatoday.com

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Cruising Altitude: What to know about traveling on smaller airlines