People often think that booking flights through budget airlines like RyanAir and Easy Jet is the easiest and best way to save money when traveling. While this is true in some cases, there are often hidden costs that can make your trip even more expensive than the plane ticket itself…
You may end up spending more money on a checked bag or on transportation to get to the airport. You may have to pay extra for seat selection or for food. There are a number of factors to consider when deciding what airline is best for you. If you’re interested in flying in comfort, eating the entire time, and watching a ton of movies, then move along!
Here are some things to consider when booking a flight with a budget airline:
1. Check to see where the airports you are flying out of and into are
The airports that budget airlines generally fly out of are smaller and therefore often further away from the city center. Make sure you do some research to find out how much buses or trains cost, and how far you’ll be traveling. In some cases, the added travel time and cost just aren’t worth the savings on the flight.
When I fly budget airlines from London, I usually have to travel pretty far to get to an airport. The only times that it’s cheap for me to go to an airport is when the tube is running to Heathrow. Other than that it often costs me up to 25 pounds just to get to the airport– and that’s one way in some cases! So make sure you do your research ahead of time. It might cost you a little bit more to travel from a closer airport, but in the end, it all evens out.
2. Do you need to check a bag?
If you choose to check a bag, you will most likely be paying extra to do so. Some airlines like RyanAir offer two different sizes of a checked bag. If your bag weighs more than the allowance, you will have to pay huge fee (often 10 euro per kilo). If you want to bring a carry on, check the measurements and weight allowance on the website because you don’t want to get to the airport and be forced to check your bag (for an additional cost) if it doesn’t fit.
Now some airlines even make you pay for a carry on bag. Airlines like Spirit, Easy Jet, and WOW want to make sure that you’re paying an arm and a leg to travel with more than one personal item. And other airlines like RyanAir now gate check your carry on bag if you haven’t booked a priority ticket (another added price). In Asia, some of the airlines even weigh your carry on bag and force you to check it if it’s over the alloted weight! Make sure that before you press enter on your booking that you’re checking to see if you have to pay extra for these things!
3. Do you want comfort?
If you’re looking for comfort, DON’T book a budget airline. The seats don’t recline, you have to pay extra for snacks and drinks and there is no in flight entertainment. If you’re just looking for a way to get to your destination, no muss no fuss, then book the cheap flight.
For shorter journeys, it really doesn’t matter if you can’t watch a movie — just bring your own laptop and download something ahead of time if it’s that important to you! And bring snacks from home, but make sure you check the regulations on what you can bring through security.
4. But what’s Basic Economy?
Airlines are really competitive with one another and they want people to book flights with them. That means that major airlines are now offering budget prices. This is considered a Basic Economy ticket. When you book these, you’re able to fly on a major airline like Delta, but you don’t get anything up front. That means you can’t pick your seat until you check in. You might not get any food. You’ll have to pay more to check a bag. And you don’t have any flexibility with your ticket. So if you think your plans are going to change, spend the extra money for a regular plane ticket.
5. So what’s good about flying budget?
I’ll be honest, any flight that I’m booking myself is usually budget. I fly Norwegian from the states to London, and that’s considered a budget airline. But, they have the newest fleet out there, their seats are extremely comfortable, and I don’t mind paying an extra 60 dollars for a checked bag, meal, and seat selection. It often costs that much money just to check a bag on domestic flights in the US anyways.
When you fly budget, you save money, which is probably the best part about it. You end up with more money to spend at your actual destination, which means more fun for you!
So, would you fly budget? And if you do, what’s your favorite budget airline?
The most popular budget airlines are:
AirAsia, Alaska Airlines, Norwegian, EasyJet, RyanAir, Jetstar Airways, WestJet, Spirit, Vueling, WOW Air, Southwest, Scoot, Eurowings, Indigo, Wizz Air, and more.
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Originally published on Apri l24, 2015.
Updated on September 4, 2018.
