Yep. And from a city like ATL you've got neither DL nor WN matching, so Spirit (on the few routes that overlap) is the only price competitor. Though WN may be the better option still for families and anyone who needs the checked-bag allowance or who flies infrequently and will be shocked negatively by the modern-day experience.

I'm actually finding Frontier preferable to the legacies IF you have status and IF you're used to traveling light. The stretch seat is something like E+ on legacies and the full carry-on makes a big difference (much easier to pack for a standard rolling bag than just a rucksack, though I DID go to Cancun and Costa Rica on the latter).

And...here's the rub...if you're flying someone like AA and in Zone 6 (regular economy, no status), the bin situation with them is so bad that you can almost count on your carry-on bag getting force-checked. Whereas with F9 I get to be part of the pre-board and the bins don't fill out as badly anyway (because they're charging other pax, though enforcement varies).

That leaves the drink, which I DO often get (as a diet Coke) on the transcons. You can bring your own bottle and fill it post-security, I s'pose. Frontier is also the only airline I know that regularly does that announcement about you not being able to consume your own alcohol in flight (Freedom! USA! USA!)

It all depends of status, though, and Frontier having a status that makes the flying more tolerable. Spirit doesn't have anything like that and isn't much into rewarding loyalty with anything. With the legacies I'm burdened with having caught them in a golden age (gold or higher 1992-2016 on somebody) and knowing full well how the experience has deteriorated for most pax. DL has gotten just one flight out of me (a former self-funded plat) since going revenue-based, and it was a one-way out of JFK tied in with an international flight and a throwaway of the last segment. F9 awards or WN are the leading candidates for positioning flights for international trips where I need to check bags.