The 14 Cheapest Airlines in North And South America

Southwest Airlines

Benet J. Wilson

 

This Dallas-based carrier is considered the granddaddy of low-cost carriers, starting service in 1971 when U.S. airlines were still regulated by the government.

Southwest avoided government regulation by flying intra-Texas flights, mainly to Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio. Today, Southwest flies to 101 destinations in the United States and eight countries with more than 3,900 flights a day during peak travel season, all using Boeing 737s.

 

It touts its low fares and two free bags on these flights, the last of the legacy U.S. airlines to do this.

Viva Colombia

 

This low-cost carrier is the first and only one to operate in Colombia. The airline started operating in 2012. It was created as a graduate business project at Stanford University by founder William Shaw, who wanted to build a 100 percent budget airline in Colombia.

 

The civil aeronautics agency granted its approval for the creation of VivaColombia. Since then, the carrier has built up a fleet of 10 Airbus A320 narrowbody jets, flying 23 routes within Colombia and four international destinations to Panama, Quito, Lima, and Miami.