Europe has a number of low cost airlines, the largest and most established being
easyJet, Ryanair, germanwings and Air Berlin. These airlines have stirred up air travel
within Europe by dramatically cutting fares.
The European Open-Skies Treaty of 1992 blew the lid off the system in place before,
where national government would restrict access to their airspace to expensive 'flag-
carriers', such as British Airways or Lufthansa. This enabled airlines to fly anywhere they
wished in the European Union without government approval.
Ryanair was the first airline in Europe to try this model, and now have many followers
offering low fares across the continent. These are boom times for cheap air travel in the
European Union, with fares on some routes as low as €10 (£7, US$12) one-way
including tax (though average fares for international flights are around €80 one-way).
Tickets and pricing
Most discount airlines in Europe sell their tickets exclusively over their website or the
phone, and tickets are not available via travel agents. Most are ticketless; you simply turn
up at the check-in desk with your passport and confirmation number. A credit or debit card
is mandatory for booking tickets. Most discount airlines sell their tickets as single
journeys only. If you want to fly return you simply purchase two singles, and there is no
requirement to spend Saturday night at the destination, as with many traditional carriers.
The pricing structure is complex, with fares fluctuating strongly according to demand,
often on an hourly basis, and the same rule "get as much money as a traveler is ready to
pay" that invented by traditional carriers. There are no hard rules for obtaining the
cheapest fares. In fact, fares can vary from as little as £1 or £2 on special promotions,
right upto £500 - such as a London-Geneva return flight, during the Feb half-term
weekend (winter holidays in most of the schools).
The following will however increase your probability of obtaining cheap fares:
Do fly in mid-week
Do fly early in the morning or late at night
Do fly in low season (Spring and Autumn)
Do make use of sales. These sometimes appear 3-5 weeks prior to departure, however
this is by no means guaranteed.
Don't fly during public holidays.
Don't book your ticket less than two weeks in advance
Restrictions
Discount airlines are often much more strict about their fares. For example, while in
traditional airlines they usually allow some baggage over the weight limit, WizzAir will
charge you €6 for each kg over the limit. Also, some airlines have lower limits than the
usual 20 kg. A few kilograms of weight can double your ticket price. Check your terms
carefully and weigh your luggage before a journey.
Food is usually not served during the flight, or it is available for a fee. It's best to bring your
own food and water (though with the new EU security rules, you can only carry liquids in
bottles of maximum 100ml. It seems to be possible to bring an empty bottle through
security and fill it up at a toilet - whether this is useful depends on the quality of the water
there. Alternatively, buy bottled water after security check.
In-flight entertainment isn't normally provided either. Again, bring your own (laptop, music
player, book or magazine)--although electronic devices are not allowed during landing
and takeoff, as they are not with traditional carriers.
Most discount airlines try to lower airport fees, so they often use smaller and more distant
airports, sometimes quite far away from the city they state they fly to. For example Paris
Beauvais Airport is some 90 km from Paris, bus costs about €13 one-way and it takes
about 1h15 to get to Paris (taxi would be €130-150 one-way).
Discount airlines do not wait for late running passengers. Idle plane waiting for a
passenger costs money. Check in desks shut promptly at the advertised time. If you are
one minute late, they will not let you check in. Also, if you do not get to the boarding gate in
time, you may find the plane gone and your luggage sitting on the ground. In these
circumstances you will not get a refund, but you may get a transfer to a later flight if there
is room.
Many airlines have changed their schedule with as little as week before departure, so the
flight is up to 10 hours earlier/later than in the original reservation (this applies to: easyJet,
hlx.com, SkyEurope, AirBerlin and some others). Options they typically give are: accept the
change; re-book on a different flight (normally you still have to pay the difference in ticket
price but no fee); or accept a refund. Note that purchasing another ticket with either that
airline or another at a week's notice may be very expensive relative to your original
purchase. When flying low cost it is always better to have good cancellation policy from
the supplier connecting with the flight (next flight in your itinerary; hotel at your destination;
car rental at the destination airport etc).
Many discount airliners are "point-to-point" airlines, and do not sell connecting tickets if
you need to take two planes to reach your destination. This means you might need to
collect your luggage and check it in again for the next leg of the journey. Another risk is that
several low cost carriers do not take responsibility if you miss your connection, even if
your connecting flight is with the same airline. This could force you to purchase a new
ticket for the next flight. Some low cost carriers will help you out though, so check their
rules and extremely high expectations.
Other points to consider
Do check out deals from the traditional carriers as well, especially on return trips they may
have offers rivalling those of the discount carriers. Following competition from discount
airlines, traditional carriers such as BA have also cut their fares on competing routes, and
are often only about 20% more expensive than discount airlines, a price worth paying if
the journey to the airport is cheaper and faster. Sometimes they can even be cheaper than
discount airlines, especially during public holidays.
Contrary to public perceptions, most budget airlines have an excellent safety record.
The flight frequency and departure/arrival times are usually worse on discount carriers
compared to traditional ones.
Traditional carriers will rebook you on the next available flight for free if something
happens. Low cost carriers often charge for this or force you to buy a new ticket.
easyJet
easyJet carried 30.3 million in 2005 making them just smaller than Ryanair and the 7th
busiest airline in Europe. Fares are priced as single segment one way trips. Their
website allows you to book multiple flights simultaneously however, and even allows you
to exchange a flight you have purchased for a different flight of your choice on their website
providing a partial refund (e.g. changing to a flight on a different date and/or with different
passenger names). If you change planes at an Easyjet hub you must collect your luggage
and check it in again at the hub. You can book a return at the same time as the outbound
but you get no discount for doing so. Some of the advanced features on the Easyjet
website are only available if you create an account for yourself on the website.
Following Ryanair, easyJet has no free weight allowance for luggage, and charge for all
checked luggage.
EasyJet has hubs in 3 London airports (Gatwick, Stansted, Luton) as well as Basel,
Berlin, Bristol, Dortmund, Edinburgh, Geneva, Paris (CDG and Orly), Liverpool and various
other UK and European airports. As well as these hubs they serve 70 other airports
throughout Europe and Morocco, with over 260 routes.
EasyJet operate an ever-expanding network, keep your eyes peeled to their site. Unlike
Ryanair, easyJet tend to operate out of principal airports, such as Barcelona rather than
Barcelona Girona, in Spain.
Tickets can range from €20 to €420, all inclusive one-way.
There are no advance seat assignments. However, Easyjet offers the option for pre-
boarding for a small surcharge. This is well worth the money.
Ryanair
Ryanair is Europe's largest budget airline with 49 million passengers in 2007 making
them Europe's 3rd largest airline and 14th in the world. Ryanair carries more international
passengers than any other airline. Fares are priced as single segment one way trips. If
you wish to change planes in a hub then you must book the two segments separately,
and there is no transfer of luggage. You can book a return at the same time as the
outbound but you get no discount for doing so. Ryanair charges a credit card fee of €3 per
person and segment with the exception of some debit cards. If you miss a second flight
due to a delay in the earlier Ryanair flight, you will not get a refund for the missed flight
and will be forced to buy a new ticket.
Ryanair has a lot of add-on fees such as €4.50 per bag, up to 15kg before excess
charges apply. There is no free checked baggage allowance on Ryanair.
Ryanair operate a huge network in Europe, and are generally (but not always) the
cheapest airline on the routes where they compete with another airline. They have 27
hubs: in Shannon, Dublin, Glasgow (Prestwick), Liverpool, London (Stansted & Luton),
Brussels (Charleroi), Düsseldorf (Weeze) Frankfurt (Hahn), Stockholm (Skavsta), Milan
Bergamo, Rome, Barcelona and add more practically monthly. They serve 142 European
destinations as well as Morocco, with 627 routes.
Ryanair uses small airports that can be quite far from the the city they purport to serve so
check carefully your travel time and costs estimates.
Ryanair keeps extremely low prices by setting a standard customer behaviour (typically an
airport to airport travel without on flight meal and hand luggage only) and placing
additional fares for every addition you need. So you'll be able to catch a €20,- fare for a
London - Milan flight, but you'll be heavily charged for on flight meal, excessive luggage
weight and so on. If you need a basic and cheap transport service, Ryanair is definitely a
good choice.
In order to give a faster check-in to passengers with hand luggage only, Ryanair allows to
check-in in advance via their website and a fixed fare €7.00 return per checked bag, if
booked in advance (else doubled at the airport). Luggage weight limits are 10kg for hand
luggage and checked luggage is paid for in 20 kg increments.
Compared to most other budget airlines, Ryanair provides very limited compensation in
the event of flight cancellations, despite the EU regulations. Typically, Ryanair will only
provide a replacement seat on a later Ryanair flight (which can depart up to 3 days later
than the original flight), or a full refund of the single journey price. Alternative travel
arrangements and accommodation is not normally provided by Ryanair. Passengers
wishing to return on the same day are normally forced to purchase a new non-advance
ticket with a different airline, which can easily exceed the price of the original ticket by a
factor of ten. Therefore, it is not advisable to travel with Ryanair if you're not insured
against flight cancellation or if you have important work commitments the day after the
return flight.
Also bear in mind that Ryanair is very strict about checking in no later than 40 min prior to
the scheduled departure time. Passengers arriving at the check-in desk even one minute
late have been known to be refused boarding, even if they only carried hand-luggage and
despite the flight being delayed. When flying with Ryanair it is advisable to get to the
airport early.
Tickets start from €0.01 all inclusive one-way during promotions, however always check
the full final cost of the fare including all "taxes" and "fees" before booking. Most Ryanair
flights that are advertised for €0.01 end up costing at least €10 after such taxes.
Air Berlin
Air Berlin, Europe's third largest discount airline, operates a huge network between
Austria, France, Egypt, Germany, Hungary, Portugal, Spain, Tunisia, Greece and the UK.
Tickets can be booked one-way at no penalty. They are also one of the few European
budget airlines offering connecting flights, i.e. via their hubs in Nürnberg, Germany (NUE)
or Palma de Mallorca, Spain (PMI). Also one of the very few low-cost-airlines which serve
free beverages and food on their flights, even short ones, and to allow seat reservations,
even prior to check-in. Works in an alliance with Fly Niki and Germania Express.
Tickets start from €29 all inclusive one-way.
Other low cost airlines
There are 62 low cost airlines in Europe, and this number is rapidly changing. Here are a
few of the biggest, grouped by their base country.
Scandinavia
Sterling Airlines operates from bases in Denmark, Norway and Sweden to city and sun
destinations across Europe. On the Scandinavian routes Sterling often compete with SAS
by offering the same service at much lower prices. Maersk Air has been merged into
Sterling.
Denmark
Sterling
Finland
Blue 1 operate routes within Europe (mainly from Helsinki) and eight different cities in
Finland.
Norway
Norwegian operates out of Norway.
Sweden
FlyNordic operates from Stockholm to mostly Scandinavian places but also to Europe
Central Europe
Sky Europe operates out of Bratislava, Krakow, Prague, Vienna and Warsaw. Sales
online, in some travel agencies and at airports. (from €14 all inclusive, one-way.)
Austria
Lauda Air operates out of Austria to many European destinations.
Niki operates out of Austria to many European destinations. Serves free beverages and
food. Has an alliance with AirBerlin.
Czech Republic
Smartwings operates out of Prague.
Hungary
Wizzair is a Hungarian airline which operates out of Poland and Hungary (fares are from
€20 all inclusive, one-way.) Following RyanAir, they have no free weight allowance for
luggage, and charge for all checked luggage.
Poland
Centralwings operates out of Poland (Warsaw, Krakow, Katowice) to several European
destinations. It is a daughter airline of LOT Polish Airlines, the national operator, and
generally makes use of LOT's fleet, and thus is probably safer (eg. less likely to go
bankrupt), but more expensive than others. Booking by Internet and phone, as well as
through some travel agencies (additional fees apply).
France
L'avion low cost business fares Paris to New York.
Belgium
Brussels Airlines, the successor of SN Brussels Airlines and Virgin Express, operates
from Brussels to destinations in Italy, Spain, Greece, Germany, Switzerland, the UK and
other countries. With B.Flex, fares start at €49 all inclusive, one way. Brussels Airlines
also has an extensive network of destinations in Africa.
Germany
Air Berlin (see above)
LTU operates out of Germany. Europe and worldwide destinations. Has recently been
taken over by AirBerlin (see above)
Condor operates out of major airports in Germany (doesn't use obscure airports) and
sells tickets starting at 29,00 € one-way within Europe, putting it into the discount airline
bracket as well. Offers free food and beverages catered by Lufthansa parent.
Germanwings operate a large network out of German airports Berlin, Cologne-Bonn,
Hamburg, and Stuttgart. The airline also offers guaranteed connection flights between
some of its destinations. (from €20 all inclusive, one-way, to all destinations.)
TUI Fly former Hapag-Lloyd Express operate a large network out of Stuttgart,
Cologne/Bonn, Hanover, Hamburg and Berlin. Flies as far as Greece and Israel. (from
€20 all inclusive, one-way.)
Greece
Aegean Airlines operates from Athens to the Greek islands and the biggest cities of
Europe.
Iceland
Iceland Express operates out of Reykjavik to 13 airports in Europe including London,
Berlin, Paris and the Nordic capitals Copenhagen, Stockholm & Oslo.
Ireland
Aer Lingus operate many routes to and from the Republic of Ireland. Fares as low as €1
on certain routes mean that flying to or via Ireland can be very cheap. (from €28 all
inclusive, one-way.)
RyanAir (see above)
Italy
Meridiana operates out of Italy to many European & Italian destinations.
Wind-Jet operates out of Italy to many European & Italian destinations.
Myair operates between several French, Italian, Turkish and other European airports.
Latvia
Air Baltic have a wide variety of cheap fares from Riga, which can be used as a transit
point. E.g. it is cheaper to travel Odessa-Riga-Kiev with airbaltic than Odessa-Kiev directly
with regular-fare airlines. (from €14 all inclusive, one-way.)
Lithuania
Air Baltic might be used to find some flights from Vilnius.
RyanAir has some cheap flights from Kaunas (second biggest city in Lithuania).
FlyLAL sometimes has good offers.
Netherlands
MartinAir operates out of Amsterdam, offers worldwide destinations.
Transavia (former BasiqAir), Operates out of Amsterdam to many European destinations.
Romania
Blue Air operates 24 routes
CarpatAir operates flights to Italy, Germany, Grece, Ukraine
Spain
Air Plus Comet Based in Madrid, travels several places in Western Europe and Latin
America.
Clickair operates out of Spain to 35 European & Spanish destinations, with main hubs in
Barcelona, Sevilla and Valencia. It's a subsidiary of Iberia and some of Clickair flights are
shared with Iberia.
Spanair operates throughout Spain and to a few other European destinations. Owned by
SAS and a member of Star Alliance.
Vueling operates out of Barcelona (Spain) to many European destinations.
Switzerland
Helvetic operates out of Zürich to mainly destinations around the Mediterranean.
Turkey
Corendon operates out of Turkey to Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands
Easyjet operates from Istanbul to Basel/Mulhouse (from around 30 euros).
Onur Air operates a Turkish domestic network.
United Kingdom
BMI Baby, a subsidiary of bmi, have bases in Teeside, Cardiff, Manchester and
Nottingham East Midlands. They operate domestic flights to Scotland and Northern
Ireland, and also have a small number of flights out of Gatwick.
EasyJet (see above)
FlyBe operates out of the UK to many European destinations
FlyGlobeSpan based in Scotland (Glasgow, Edinburgh) with cheap flights over Europe; a
few cheap flights to Canada and direct service between Sanford/Orlando Florida and
Glasgow.
jet2 operate out of UK airports Belfast, Blackpool, Edinburgh, Leeds/Bradford, Manchester
and Newcastle to destinations throughout continental Europe. The airline has been given
an award for 2006 by consumer review site, Review Centre, based on customer ratings of
the airline.
Monarch Operates scheduled low-cost flights from London Luton, London Gatwick,
Birmingham and Manchester airports to various destinations in mainland Spain, the
Balearics, Portugal, Gibraltar, the Canaries and Cyprus.
Silverjet low cost business fares London to New York.
Thomsonfly Operates from many UK airports to destinations across Europe and Northern
Africa.
Southall Travel Online travel agent to book cheap flights.
Based outside Europe
Canada
FlyGlobespan is an Scottish airline which operates from Toronto (YHM/Hamilton) to the
UK and Europe (fares are from $99 all inclusive, one-way.)
FlyZoom is a Canadian airline which operates from several Canadian cities (Calgary,
Halifax, Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, Vancouver & Winnipeg) to the UK and Europe (fares
are from $99 all inclusive, one-way.) Zoom also flies between the US cities of San Diego
and New York (JFK) and Gatwick airport in London.
AirTransat is a Canadian airline which operates from several Canadian cities (Calgary,
Halifax, Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, Vancouver & Winnipeg) to the UK and Europe (fares
are from $99 all inclusive, one-way.)
Low cost airline comparison sites
These meta search engines look through many of the websites above and compare
prices on one page.
Cheapflights.co.uk Price comparison from the UK and Ireland.
FlyCheapo Low-cost airline route search and news.
Flylc European discount flights search engine.
FlyLowCostAirlines.org Search engine of low-cost airlines' flights.
HareFares Low cost european airline route search.
The Low cost Airlines Blog lists the latest offers from discount airlines.
Kayak Popular flight search engine which includes some European low-cost airlines.
Kelkoo's section on cheap flights Travel section of the Kelkoo shopping search engine.
Momondo Low-cost airline search engine.
Skyscanner Europe wide flights.
Cheap Flights Find cheap flights from every UK airport.
