Low Cost Airlines in Europe : A Budget Travelers Guide

Low-cost airlines are an excellent and viable option for budget travel within Europe. The greatest advantage of flying is of course the saving in travel time. So if you want to see Vienna and Barcelona, rather than spending a full day on a train, taking a flight across Europe would make better sense. 

Low Cost Airlines

The most popular cheap airlines in Europe are Ryan Air and EasyJet. They are Europe's largest budget carriers and have an extensive network covering both Western and Eastern Europe.

Apart from these major airlines, there are many smaller airlines which cater for few specific routes. Most of these airlines operate very limited flights from a few local hubs. A list of such airlines is placed at the end of this post.

Search Engines

You can also use the meta-search engines to search for airlines operating between the cities you want. The most popular sites are Skyscanner, Kayak, Dohop, WhichAirline, Momondo and FlyCheapo. You can also read my post on How to Fly to Europe for further information and tips on searching for the best flight deals.

What is the Catch?

However, there are a few disadvantages and problems with air travel that you must consider before you decide on your mode of transportation. :-

• Low Fares - But Hidden Charges. The fares may be low, but you will then be charged extra for everything from priority check-in to food to baggage. Cater for these extra charges. For example, you can get a Rome to Paris ticket on Ryan Air for as low as 19 Euros. However, you are only permitted 10 Kg of cabin baggage. If you want to carry check-in baggage, it will cost you 25 Euros for 15 Kg of checked-in baggage.

• No Check-in Baggage. As explained above, the low-cost airlines generally have a very low baggage allowance. You need to buy your extra baggage limit while buying the tickets. If you don't, you will have to pay more than double at the check-in counter. What this means is that you should know how much baggage you will be carrying when buying the tickets itself. Any unanticipated local shopping can prove expensive in more ways than one.

• Airports Located in Outskirts. Airports are generally located in the outskirts of the city, while train and bus stations would generally be close to the city centre. You will thus have to cater for the extra expense of transport to the city centre/ hotel location.

• Obscure Airports. Most cheap airlines use obscure and small airports which are not only outside the city, but probably in a different town. For example, the Frankfurt airport used by Ryan Air is in Hahn, 75 miles away. You may have very limited, and expensive, transportation options to get into the city. That is why many airlines sell airport transfers as an add-on to your ticket. Below, you can see the location of the airport used by Ryan Air in Paris, compared to CDG, the main airport.

• Check-in Time. You will have to check-in at least 60 minutes before the flight. Any delay may lead to you not being allowed to board. On the other hand, you can reach a station to board a train at the last moment. The remote locations of most of these airports adds to the uncertainty as it may be difficult to estimate travel time, forcing you to keep more time in hand.

• Unreliable Schedule. Finally, some of the smaller airlines may cancel or reschedule flights at very short notice.

Conclusion

In conclusion, flying by a low cost airline can be a great option as long as you plan properly. It can save you a lot of time and money, especially when you are traveling light - really light - and the distances are long.

---

List of Low Cost Airlines Operating in Europe

Airline	Hub(s)
Aer Lingus	Dublin, Shannon, Cork, Belfast
airBaltic	Riga (Latvia)
airberlin	Multiple German cities
Air One	Milan, Venice, Pisa
Blue Air	Bucharest, Bacău (Romania)
Brussels Airlines	Brussels
CityJet	London City Airport
Condor	Multiple German cities
Darwin Airline	Geneva, Lugano
easyJet	London, Milan, Berlin, Paris, Liverpool, Geneva, Basel, Nice, Toulouse, Edinburgh, Madrid, and more
Estonian Air	Tallinn
Flybe	Manchester, Newquay, Exeter, Southampton, London (southern England); Jersey, Guernsey (Channel Islands)
Germanwings	Multiple German cities
Helvetic Airways	Zürich, Bern
Icelandair	Reykjavik
Jet2	Multiple British cities
Jetairfly	Brussels, Liège, Ostend (Belgium)
Meridiana	Olbia, Cagliari (Sardinia); Rome and other Italian cities
Monarch Airlines	Multiple British cities
Niki	Vienna, Salzburg
Norwegian	Oslo, Bergen, Copenhagen, Stockholm, Alicante, and London
Pegasus Airlines	Istanbul, Antalya (Turkey)
Ryanair	London, Dublin, and several other cities
SmartWings	Prague, Ostrava (Czech Republic)
Thomsonfly	Connects various British cities to Mediterranean resorts
Transavia	Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Eindhoven
TUIfly	Multiple German cities
Vueling	Multiple Spanish cities, Amsterdam, Florence, Rome
Widerøe	Oslo
Wizz Air	Budapest and many other Eastern European cities
XL Airways	Paris

Source : www.ricksteves.com

**********************************************************************************
Other posts in this series......

Eurotrip 2015 - Our Grand Tour

Eurotrip 2015 Episode 1- Genesis
 
Plan a European Holiday in 5 Easy Steps

How to Fly to Europe on a Budget

Hassle-free Bookings to Stay Within Budget

Planes, Trains and Automobiles - How to Travel Across Europe on the Cheap

Places to Visit - A Guide to Creating your Own Local Itinerary
How to Move Around Town Like a Local

Visa - The Key to the Beckoning Gates

Golden Tickets, Magic Passes and Hidden Entrances