Cheap Airline Guide
The Main Players
Ryanair is an Irish-owned 'no frills' carrier,
perhaps most famous for its rock-bottom single figure
fare offers. Key destinations include:
- Biarritz
- Brussels
- Cork
- Dublin
- Hahn (Frankfurt)
- Salzburg
- Pisa
- Turin
- Treviso (Venice)
Ryanair flies out of London Stansted airport
principally and has recently absorbed the lamented
Buzz.
Website: www.ryanair.com.
easyJet is perhaps the most 'in your face'
of all budget airlines - thanks in part to its 'celebrity'
status on the Airport programme and the high
profile marketing campaigns. Key destinations include:
easyJet flies out of London Luton and Stanstead
airports.
Website: www.easyjet.com.
Cheap Fares - At A Price?
How can budget airlines offer such cheap fares? The
answer is simple - they cut costs. This may
or may not be important to your choice of airline,
but you will generally find that these 'no frills'
airlines:
- Provide no in-flight meal
- Charge for food or drink consumed on board
- Charge extra for surfboards/bikes (which
would normally be included as part of your weight
allowance on most major airlines)
- Have less desirable airport locations and gates
- possibly both departure and arrival (which can
add to time, cost, and effort considerations)
- Require you to recheck your own baggage at
each connection
- Provide limited assistance if you miss
connections, your flight is delayed, or you arrive
'out of hours'
- Have less staff available to provide assistance
Getting The Best Deal
Getting the best deal is important, but you will
have to do a little bit of research:
- The best starting point is the website of
each airline (these are included above for you).
These are very easy to use, and allow you to get
online quotes and scheduling information.
- Consider flying midweek if this is possible
- weekday flights are often cheaper.
- Get in early - there are cheap seats out
there, but don't expect to get a 'headline fare'
the day before you fly!
- Double-check that you have the best fare
by calling the airline information number - inexplicably
there are sometimes better rates available over
the phone.
- Give the competition a chance - call perhaps
one or two major carriers. (We've obtained better
fares on major carriers simply by ringing them up).
- Make sure you're not missing a great deal by
checking a 'late deal' portal such as www.lastminute.com.
These sites get 'leftover' seat deals from airlines.
- Book over the internet - generally you'll
get a discount for doing so.
Ask Yourself...
Before pushing that 'purchase' button, have you asked
yourself:
- Is the fare difference between a major carrier
and the budget airline greater than any extra
transport costs I may incur getting to Stansted
or Luton?
- Will it cost me several hours extra out of
my holiday if the departure and/or arrival airports
are remote?
- Do I need special assistance?
- Will an alternative means of transport
- such as a train - get me there cheaper and in
similar time? This is true for Paris and Edinburgh
from London, for example (when airport check-in
time, average delays, location etc are accounted
for).
In many cases, the cheaper deals will still end up
being the best alternative to fulfill your transport
needs - but don't leave it to luck.
Safe Travels!
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