Low Cost Airline Tips

So, the day started with Lovemoney.com sending an email telling me that ‘budget does not always mean cheap’ when looking at budget airlines. As usual, Ryanair, which seems to consistently being the ‘whipping-boy’ in the media does not fair well.

 

The article does actually read very well, and if you read it understanding that it paints the worst possible reflection of low-cost airlines it is worth the effort.

 

But, it does miss a little balance. I admit, there is no such thing as a "50p flight". But even with charges, you can still be considerably better off than you would using mainline air carriers.

 

The article also misses more pertinent points. Here are our top 5:

 

1. Plan ahead – often Ryanair will offer deals when flights are announced. If you book your summer flights in December like we did you can save a packet. Our return flights to Alicante in July (school holidays not term time) for 4 cost less than £500.00.
2. Fly midweek. Often weekend flights are more expensive.
3. Accept what you get. If you are happy for a ‘flying taxi service’ go low-cost, if not, don’t. But don’t moan about the lack of service etc if you make the choice.
4. Shop around – and I don’t just mean comparing Easyjet to Ryanair to Jet2 and so on. Consider where you travel from – if you live in London, are you willing to drive to Bristol rather than Gatwick to save money (sometimes as much as £200 for a family of four).
5. ‘Package’ the ‘unpackaged’. You may have just spent £80 on flight costs, but you will still be saving hundreds on your holiday.