Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
No frills on Ryanair.
For cash-strapped travelers, it's hard to find a cheaper way to travel than flying with one of
Europe's budget airlines—especially for long-distance travel. Before you break out your credit
card, you should learn the ins and outs of traveling with low-cost carriers or you could end up
paying a lot more than you should.
There are more than 60 discount carriers in Europe but the big three are Ryanair, EasyJet,
and AirBerlin. Don't expect luxury or comfort from any carrier. What you can expect is to get
from point A to B for a cheap price.
Pricing and extra fees
Each budget carrier has its own pricing scheme, so it's hard to predict the best time to pur-
chase, but in general it's best to book a few weeks in advance. I'd start looking as soon as pos-
sible and monitor the prices until you find a price you think is fair. If the fares seem high then
it may be beneficial to wait a few days and check again. Last-minute bookings will usually
come at a premium but sometimes you may score a cheap seat if you're lucky—doesn't hurt
to check. Furthermore, don't be afraid of cobbling together two one-way tickets as opposed to
booking a round-trip ticket because the prices are usually fairly similar.
I've found that you can expect to pay between $60 and $120 for a one-way ticket for flights
between major cities if booked in advance. The price might be a little higher if you're flying a
long distance or if you're flying to smaller cities. Additionally, some carriers will offer random
limited-time sales via their website. This is when you'll find those amazing $10 to $30 tickets.
These sales are sporadic but more common during the low season, so you'll have to constantly
monitor the websites or sign up for their email newsletter.
However, you need to extra careful about the extra fees that most budget airlines impose
because the fees can easily double the price of the ticket. The trick is to follow the rules pre-
cisely. Basically, expect that nothing is free. Want to check a bag? Pay up. Want a soda on the
plane? Pay up. Want to check in or print your boarding pass at the airport? Pay up. As you can
see, the fees can get out of control. Each carrier clearly states their policies on their websites,
but it's amazing how many people don't bother reading them.
Other budget airline issues
Most budget airlines, especially Ryanair, are very strict about carry-on size and weight lim-
its. This is one reason I stress traveling light because your bag has to weigh less than 22lbs
