European Budget Airlines

[Mark Grima]

Hey guys,

Am looking for some info on Europes budget airlines. Can any one offer any recommendations, is one airline significantly better then another? Also has anyone not booked internal flights in Europe until they are in Europe, has this saved them any money?

Any suggestions, recommendations, past experiences would be great.

The wife and I are looking at being in Europe for about one month in October. At this stage will need the following internal flights:

London - Stockholm
Gothenburg - Geneva
Geneva - Paris
Paris - Malta
Malta - London

Alternativly has anyone also used a Oneworld or Star Alliance Air Pass? Value for money, ease of booking?

Cheers

M

[Robert S]

Hi Mark,

I've found them alright generally. Some of the airlines I've used there are now defunct, the main surviving one being easyJet which is a fairly standard LCC. Most of my trips with easyJet have actually been operated by easyJet Switzerland who mostly do the flights to/from Geneva. I find them to be just slightly better than the UK based operation. In terms of ticketing etc it's all the same, only difference is Geneva based crews working Swiss registered aircraft.

Ryanair has a poor reputation but I've never flown them. easyJet does too - but I like them as does everyone I know who have used them.

The key is that as long as you accept the nature of LCCs and ensure you check their conditions and requirements and pay for any extra luggage you need etc. to ensure you can fit in with them, then you won't have any issues more than you would with any other airline. They will be stricter than here though.

For example on easyJet the current policy is one piece of hand baggage only per passenger (although they will be trialling a change to this). If you check this on their site, they are clear about it. When I was travelling with my mother they asked her to stuff her handbag into her backpack when passing through the boarding gate to comply with this rule and did say it was fine to revert to normal once on board. We knew this rule, complied with it and travelled comfortably and cheaply. They have their rules to make for a simple efficient operation and yes also because to some extent it's a pay for what you use model, but that's what an LCC is and does. You accept it or you don't.

The other thing to keep in mind is that some of the LCC operations won't be as big as the BAs and Lufthansas (or easyJets) and some of the ports they operate into may be a bit far flung from their main hub. This means if an aircraft goes tech, there is bigger potential for a bigger impact on your travel plans. Where a big airline might be able to dispatch another a/c and get you moving hours later a small airline might not be able to get you out for another day or worse. I've never had this happen myself, but it's something to keep in mind. I always ensure my plans around an LCC flight can wear a little flexibility if it came to it - and I always have travel insurance.

So - all that being said - if you can work with that, book away and enjoy the savings to dart around Europe cheaply. While sales can come around the general rule of thumb is to book as early as you can for the cheapest fares.

The only other thing I would say - for Geneva to Paris be aware that the train is an option, operated entirely by SNCF from the "France" platforms at Geneva. There's a direct TGV service and if you book early this can be had very cheaply directly through SNCF. The following site has lots of good info on how to book online without going through the operators here who will not offer you the best deals and make a sizeable extra profit:

http://www.seat61.com/Europe-train-t...tickets online

[Mark Grima]

Thanks very much Robert.

Also for the hot tip on the train. That is a much better option.

Cheers

M