Bargain
Travel Europe guide to Europe Travel on
a budget for budget vacation holiday destinations, cheap
airfares, airline deals and secret spots missed by
travel tours.
CHEAP
AIRFARES TO EUROPE
Bargain Air Fare Search
Finding discount airfares to and around Europe requires some comparison shopping. Travel sites often offer the same seats at about the same price, sometimes the airline offers the best deal, but there are some unique discount airlines to consider.
FINDING BUDGET AIRFARES
Looking
for a budget airline flight in Europe. UK based Skyscanner
is
the tracker of Europe's discount airlines.
Condor and German
Wings are
German based low cost airline alternatives to Ryanair and EasyJet.
Condor offers the advantage over the more well known discount airlines
of flying into major airports at Lufthansa gates. LTU is
another airline familiar to Germans as a long haul tourist airline
and has new discount flights from the US to Germany, connecting with Air
Berlin for flights throughout Europe. bmi
through
is the second largest airline to Heathrow and flies direct to Manchester.
With RyanAir or EasyJet, If you're trying to fly legs between two different cities, they don't each go to the same ones, so you might have to switch around choosing a "low cost" airline option. And as outlined below consider baggage fees. RyanAir now charges £5.00 per checked bag but a maximum of 15 kilos per passenger and a limit of 10 kilos of carry-on which must be only one item. Over 15 kilos they charge an additional £5.00 per extra kilo. EasyJet allows 20 kilos per person and charges for all checked bags at £2 each. Easyjet only allows one carry-on item, whether that's a purse, a briefcase or a bag. Air Berlin allows a 22 kilo per passenger total weight before charging.
Caution about baggage weight restrictions article below.
BEWARE
RYANAIR AND OTHER DISCOUNT FARES
Tickets might be cheap but watch out for baggage charges
While larger
carriers like BA are getting competitive, Discount Euro air carriers
like Ryan
Air, EasyJet and Condor can
be an inexpensive way to get around Europe when your budget is
stretched or you want to get
just that much extra out of your European journey. But beware of those
excess baggage fee bumps!
If you’re stopping in London for two weeks but want to hop
over to Rome for the weekend, Ryan Air can get you there and back
for a 14 dollar ticket.
Or if the only ticket to Berlin from New York is $1,800, you can fly in and
out of London on British Airways for $400 and take Easy Jet to Berlin and back
for only an extra $100.
But there are things to take into consideration when making your clever bargain
plans. These airlines utilize secondary airports which are often farther away
from the city than the primary terminals. So should you be planning to transfer
from a major airline like United or British Airways, you will have to transfer
from one airport to another which can take a few hours and cost twice as much
as your bargain discount airfare. And on arrival in your destination, a long
expensive cab or train ride to the city of your dreams. So think about the
additional transportation costs when making plans.
Budget Airfare Tip - Travel light!
Ryanair offers their discounted rates
with allowance for one carry -one item at a weighed 10 kilograms and for
a charge - checked baggage weight of 15 kilograms per
bag per person, which is about the weight of one 12 x 24 regulation carry-on
loosely packed or one small Schnauser with wet fur. Should you want to bring
your ski outfit and boots in a portmanteau, the luggage surcharge may cost
as much as a non-discount seat. So you might as well grab a local and take
them with you so they can carry your bags.
One tip: pick your ports. With a trip to Milan a choice of flying
into Bergamo, the closet airport available or Brescia, about an extra 20
kilometers
away.
The waiting
line to board the Bergamo flight is 60 people deep, all complaining about
their
extra
baggage charges, the gate to Brescia has two lonely souls waiting. Arrive
early, and plan on a four hour transfer across town from Heathrow. And check
the baggage rules before you buy a ticket.
EasyJet's prices are higher than Ryanair, but you're more likely to get hit with extra fees on RyanAir. EasyJet allows 20 kilos checked-baggage per passenger while British Airways allows 23 kilos, but has instituted a standard £40-60! flat excess baggage fee.
Price
Comparison Discount Airline Ecomony Fares - Nice/Milan area to
London.
35-85 Euro on EazyJet from Nice to Gatwick
1-18 Euro on RyanAir from Bergamo (Milan) to Stansted plus 40 Euro landing
fee (41-68 Euro)
62 Euro on British Airways Milan to Heathrow
RyanAir is the cheapest but with transfer costs, higher airport fees and getting to departure it may be worth it to take BA, especially if your trying to catch a connecting flight and need a specific flight instead of the lowest fare. If you're going to secondary airport like Midlands, the discount carriers might be a little better. © Bargain Travel Europe
These articles are copyrighted and the sole property of Bargain Travel Europe and WLPV, LLC. and may not be copied or reprinted without permission.
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