Cheap International Flights - Navigating the World's Discount Carriers
Discount airlines may have first taken root in this country; but they have hardly been limited to America in their popularity. Air travel in Europe got a complete makeover when EasyJet from Britain and RyanAir from Ireland took over the skies there quite in the way JetBlue and Southwest did over here. The concept of inexpensive no-frills travel has really caught on in the price-sensitive Asia and South Pacific regions of the world as well. No matter what part of the world you head out to, cheap international flights are now a reality. The discount airlines have completely taken over the world. Here's what you need to know is to use international discount airlines to the best advantage.
Have you heard of how star chefs in every major city in America, often just create a restaurant in passing, try some experimental cooking for their fans and then close down the restaurant a week later? Discount airlines that deal in cheap international flights do a lot of experimenting too. Just because you know you've traveled on a specific route on a specific airline once, doesn't mean that the airline will carry that route forever. Discount airlines change their routes and schedules with a great deal of frequency.
Many discount airlines do try to offer you a proper airline experience by giving you seat assignments when you check in, just like the full-service airlines do. Other airlines try to take away as much of the niceties involved in air travel - perhaps just as a way to lower expectations and to get by on as little as possible. There are no seat assignments on these airlines; to get a good seat on a flight on any such airline, you need to get to the head of the boarding queue as quickly as possible. In Europe and Asia especially, you really shouldn't expect much orderliness. You can expect quite a bit of jostling at the gates from people who try to get to the plum seats as quickly as possible.
A slot at a large and established airport costs money; since the discount airlines are all about delivering for as little money as possible, they often try to operate their flights out of the smaller subsidiary airports. Sometimes, they'll fly out of alternative airports in the suburbs or another city close by. If they do fly out of or into a major airport, you can usually expect them to use gates in the farthest nooks of the airport. You can expect quite a walk to the gates. And then a bus ride to the airplane. You'll probably want to carry an airport map with you to make sure you get the to your gate on time.
To be able to deliver on the promise of cheap international flights, these airlines usually have no baggage or transfer agreements with the major carriers. If you need to transfer to another flight, you'll usually have to receive your baggage at the carousel and go check and for the connecting flight all over again.
And finally, it isn't sensible in Europe to assume that the train will be cheaper than flying. RyanAir for instance, often has ultra low fare sales - of no more than 2 pounds. Flying is always the cheaper option in Europe; however, do be aware that the major booking sites may not always feature the discount airlines.
