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:

• Amsterdam
• Athens
• Barcelona
• Edinburgh
• Geneva
• Glasgow
• Madrid
• Malaga
• Nice
• Zurich

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:

1. 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.
2. Consider flying midweek if this is possible - weekday flights are often cheaper.
3. Get in early - there are cheap seats out there, but don't expect to get a 'headline fare' the day before you fly!
4. Double-check that you have the best fare by calling the airline information number - inexplicably there are sometimes better rates available over the phone.
5. 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).
6. 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.
7. 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!