In just the last nine months, three carriers with distinct identities, Spirit, Southwest, and JetBlue have significantly shifted but public perceptions might be harder to change.
We cling to airline stereotypes like old luggage—worn out, busted at the zippers, but somehow comforting in their familiarity. Spirit is the ultra-low-cost carrier that nickel-and-dimes you into submission. JetBlue is the plucky disruptor with TVs (live) in the seatbacks and snacks worth hoarding. Southwest is the folksy, fee-free alternative to the big guys, where bags fly free and middle seats aren’t that bad.
Except none of those identities are quite true anymore. In fact, many of them are flatly false.
The last five years—particularly post-COVID—have reshaped the U.S. airline landscape, and some of the most dramatic transformations have occurred not among the Big Three, but in the second tier: Spirit, JetBlue, and Southwest. If you’re still evaluating these airlines with a 2015 lens, you’re missing the plot entirely.
Spirit: From Bottom Barrel to Barely Recognizable
Spirit Airlines has long been the airline everyone loves to hate. Bright yellow planes, Saver fare clubs, and seat pitch that feels better suited to a dentist’s waiting room than an airplane cabin. But while the memes may endure, the reality has evolved.
Spirit recently overhauled its Free Spirit loyalty program, and—brace yourselves—it’s good. Not “good for Spirit,” but actually competitive with mainline carriers. Elite members can now enjoy perks like free checked bags, seat selection (yes, even Big Front Seats), and priority boarding. And unlike American’s loyalty points or Delta’s SkyMiles circus, Free Spirit Status levels that award these perks are available at lower thresholds than any of the major carriers. Spirit also offers more nonstop flights from secondary cities than the other carriers. For airports like my home airport in Pittsburgh, it’s often the only nonstop option or is more competitive in markets like New York (though it’s since discontinued flights between Pittsburgh and the New York market.)
The airline still charges fees (let’s not kid ourselves), but its la carte pricing is no longer drastically different from the “basic” offerings of United, Delta, or American—who now proudly sell you a middle seat with no carry-on and call it a deal. Spirit’s biggest problem today isn’t the product; it’s the perception. Its pivot to premium, offering European-style first class with an open middle seat in “comfy” class, or the latest changes which are equivalent on paper to American, United, or Delta for Gold tier flyers is a huge boost, but also a huge challenge to reintroduce itself to the market.
JetBlue: The Boutique Airline That Might Just Be a Bride
JetBlue’s identity crisis has been playing out in public for years. Once the darling of New York with quirky charm and customer-friendly touches, it’s now veering toward full-service ambitions—and inching closer to becoming someone else’s acquisition trophy as Matthew has covered in great detail.
Mint launched as a bold experiment in transcontinental luxury and has since evolved into one of the best business class products flying domestically, and frankly across the water. They’ve struck partnerships with foreign carriers like Qatar Airways and Aer Lingus, made a splash in the transatlantic market with reasonable fares and high design, and generally positioned themselves as a boutique premium carrier with a value spine.
But then there’s the lingering tension with American Airlines (remember the NEA?), the failed Spirit merger, and the ever-circling rumors of a JetBlue-United tie-up. You don’t need to be an airline analyst to see what’s coming—JetBlue doesn’t seem long for independence. Whether it gets swallowed by United, moves into an international joint venture, or folds itself into a bigger portfolio, its days as the independent rebel with TVs in the seats may be numbered.
Still, if you’re booking JetBlue expecting “low cost,” you’re missing the point. It’s not Spirit. It’s not even Frontier. JetBlue is becoming something else entirely, and it’s time to evaluate it as such. It’s a network carrier and while the network remains limited, it’s growing.
Southwest: The Original Disruptor Is Now the Establishment
Southwest once built its reputation on doing things differently—free bags, no change fees, open seating, and a quirky corporate culture that bordered on endearing. It was never about being the cheapest—it was about being the most transparent.
But flash forward to 2025, and that value proposition has eroded.
Change fees? Technically still free, but now they’ll gladly keep your fare difference as a travel credit (and if you forget about it? Their gain as they have reduced the eligible period for those credits). Wanna get early boarding? Pay for EarlyBird. Seat assignments, baggage charges (something a few choice commenters said would never happen when I called it out months ago) are all extra now just like they are at every other carrier. Southwest is no longer the rogue alternative to the majors—it is a major, and it behaves like one. What’s worse is that Southwest went from underperforming but profitable to underperforming and posting losses in some of the highest demand periods on record.
The charm is fading. So is the differentiation. Southwest is just like every other carrier in the US but it has a disadvantage: it’s lack of an international market. It sought to change that this week, filing for every market in which OpenSkies agreements apply, along with its recent tie up with IcelandAir. It knows the problem, but can Southwest start flying to London from Boston with its current 737 fleet? Maybe, but does the market need more capacity? Probably not.
Conclusion
It’s time to retire the old assumptions. Spirit is no longer the industry’s bottom feeder. It has a serious loyalty program, a viable premium product, and pricing that’s often not as egregiously different from mainline carriers as people assume. It’s going for premium value and might be the best choice before it starts charging premium fares, especially for point-to-point opportunities.
JetBlue is no longer the budget airline it was born as—it’s aiming upmarket, globally aligned, and quietly positioning itself as a merger-ready prize. The sassy, premium airline is now trying everything it can to be a network carrier, or potentially to join one.
And Southwest? It’s not the anti-airline anymore. It’s just another airline.
In this reshaped landscape, the lines between value, legacy, and low-cost have blurred to the point of irrelevance. Booking decisions should be based on actual value, not outdated reputations. Consider the route, the product, and the perks—not the livery painted on the tail. Airlines have adapted. Maybe it’s time passengers did too.
What do you think?
JetBlue’s loyalty program and credit card offerings need a serious overhaul. American’s EP delivers better value (if the SWUs clear) and is easier to get than JetBlue’s Mosaic 3 or even 4. Delta Platinum (assuming you have all four Amex DL cards) or United Gold have way better benefits with less effort than JetBlue’s top tiers.
I get it – if you are a free agent, JetBlue is excellent. But for anyone with a status on AA, AS, DL, UA or even SW, they would would be worse off to switch, even if B6 flies 80% of their routes. The math simply doesn’t work in JetBlue’s favor. Their premium product is solid, but their rewards structure and CC offering is poor.
Every airline is a turd, it just depends what kind of turd one prefers.