I booked a Frontier flight to save money, but it backfired. I spent hundreds to switch airlines during my layover.

• I booked a Frontier flight from Miami to Salt Lake City with one stop in Denver.
• After hours of delays, I decided to pay out of pocket for a Delta flight in Denver.
• It cost me an extra $283, but it was worth it to get to my destination on the right day.

I had my first experience with Frontier this summer, flying from Miami to Salt Lake City, and it was quite a baptism by fire.

I'd heard anecdotal stories about the budget airline and knew WalletHub ranked it as the least reliable in its April annual review. But it had a fairly cheap $286 ticket for a one-stop flight that landed in Salt Lake City at 1 p.m.

My plan was to pick up a rental car for a 10-day road trip through Utah and Arizona — a hiker's dream getaway. Arriving earlier in the day was a big bonus as it would give me several hours of light for driving.

Since all the details were lining up, I decided to take a gamble and book with Frontier for the first time. Leaving some buffer room, I set my rental-car pick-up for 4 p.m. and hit purchase.

Shortly after finalizing my booking, though, I received an email informing me that my second flight would now depart late and land at 4:24 p.m.

I debated changing it immediately, but the car rental had a one-hour window of flexibility, so I figured I'd email ahead of time and hope for the best.

The first half of the trip was relatively smooth, but things went downhill fast

My flight from Miami to Denver was no different from the low-cost European carriers I knew and loved. There weren't any bells and whistles, but that didn't really make a difference in the four-hour trip.

The first big hiccup on my travel day was being stuck on the plane for an hour while deboarding in Denver.

Some other passengers with connections were getting restless, but it wasn't a huge inconvenience for me since I had a few hours to kill until my next flight.

When I finally entered Denver International Airport, though, I started to panic. Delays were listed on nearly all of Frontier's flights across the departure boards.

Just as I was breathing a sigh of relief that mine appeared to be unaffected, I got an email from Frontier. Although the boards didn't change, according to the message, I wouldn't be departing until 5 p.m. now to allow for plane maintenance.

Eventually, I started looking for other flights

By now, it was 1 p.m., and I was staring at a board of gradually changing Frontier flights. By 2, the dreaded yellow flashing "delay" sign officially popped up next to mine at the airport.

A representative from Frontier confirmed that the flight was delayed for two hours and 36 minutes due to maintenance issues.

Concerned I'd now lose my car reservation and have to drive alone through rural Utah in the dark, I booked the next available option — a $283 Delta flight departing at 2:40 p.m. and landing at 4:14 p.m.

I notified Frontier that I wouldn't be boarding the delayed flight and requested a refund.

Well and truly done with the mental exhaustion of traveling, I enjoyed my two-hour journey with Delta in comfortable seats with in-flight entertainment. It was so worthwhile.

Cheap flights don't always save in the long run

After arriving in Utah, I was able to forget about my flight troubles. And luckily, the car-rental company was incredibly flexible throughout the process.

It wasn't long before I was blasting music on Route 15, heading south to Bryce Canyon National Park.

In hindsight, I just wish Frontier had consistent communication about the delay. If it had been confirmed at the airport earlier, I would've booked a replacement flight sooner.

Furthermore, Frontier informed me that it only issues refunds if flights are delayed by at least three hours. Even though my total delays were over three hours, since the changes happened at two different times (right after booking and on the day of), it evidently didn't count. I wasn't able to get my money back.

Nearly $300 worse off, I'm definitely wary of booking with budget airlines. I understand all airlines experience delays, but I wouldn't fly Frontier again unless I had wiggle room in my itinerary.