Low cost airlines(Again Again) They're not all bad are they?

[markwilding]

Someone wrote this
"Re Easyjet, Ryanair or whatever, I'm fed up to the back teeth of people who are (apparently) "living the dream" but sadly are unable to afford to get there (or back) if cheap is what you buy then cheap is what you get, stop whingeing."

And I thought maybe we do whinge too much about these airlines, when in fact not everything is bad about them, so I thought in the interest of fairness why not have a thread about positive things they do?
I remember paying 300 pounds per person to travel to Spain in 1988 , and there have been delays with both Iberia and British Airways, whereas I have'nt had too many with Easyjet, so it's not all bad. I can't comment about Ryanair as I have never used them.

[Campo Steve]

To me, airlines like Ryanair and Easyjet should be thanked. Like them or like them not, a few years ago fares were much higher. The budget airlines have forced air fares across the board to come down. OK, they don't have free food or drink, but major airlines such as BA are going down that route as well. Iberia charged for food on their London Malaga route several years ago and to be honest, the service was no better than on a budget airline.

OK, some of their practices, such as charging separately for checking in may seem a step too far but, believe me, all airlines factor that into their fares. They just don't list it separately. So what is the difference at the end of the day?

The budget airlines are also operating routes that didn't previously exist. If you want to fly direct to Glasgow you have to go by budget airline. If you don't want budget airline you have to go via somewhere else.

I often hear complaints about Ryanair etc. But, when I do, they are often complaints that apply to the traditional airlines as well. It is easy to jump on the bandwaggon and knock the budget carriers.

[Bongtrees]

I remember paying 300 pounds per person to travel to Spain in 1988 ,

really?

dont people wax lyrical of how cheap flights were then?

20 pound package to Spain including flight and hotel?

isnt that why Spain has never been able to shake of its cheapo destination image?

[markwilding]

Bongtrees/ regarding paying 300 pounds for a ticket: I suppose I have cheated a bit. I live in Bilbao and have been coming here for more than 20 years(This is the reason my view on Spain is bit different from yours,) I have never been on a package tour to anywhere not because I did'nt want to, but because of circumstances
There never been charter flights here and it was always more expensive to come here. when Easyjet started flying here it was a godsend, Ryanair have started flights fom Santander and Biarritz which means I have even more options than before.And I'm sure other parts have benifited too

[Campo Steve]

London to Glasgow 20 years ago did cost £250 return. That's why we used to drive it. Then along came the budget airlines and down came the fares.

[julian]

"And I thought maybe we do whinge too much about these airlines"
more than whinging about airlines I think it´s a case of whinging about anything and everything.

[sassy]

I remember paying 350 pounds return from Bristol to Malaga in 1996/1997, 1 flight per week, take it or leave it. Made no difference if you booked months in advance either back then. I hardly ever get to go back to UK these days, far too expensive with 3 kids in tow plus accommodation, however have booked a bargain of a flight for December for 400€ for 4 of us, most impressed

[gus]

Bongtrees,

My FIRST holiday abroad was in 1982 with my wife and two kids - paid for out of a "relocation" package associated with my work. (my wife had had a serious illness - pulmonary embolism - and I thought "what the h*ll", lets enjoy it while we can!)
That cost £250 per head for 10 days in Mallorca per head.
Cheap enough at that time but I can beat that now (if I had to).

I've had flights for as little as £40 return recently and have NEVER had to pay more than £100 return since we bought our holiday home in Spain 8 years ago. That is the benefit of "low-cost" airlines as far as I am concerned!!

I spent several years flying once or twice a week within the UK as a requirement of my job until I retired "early" 10 years ago and have never paid as little in real terms for flights than I do now - I only ever compare the total cost for all aspects of my flights rather than headline rates. That's all that matters in the end, as far as I am concerned

Gus

[Lavanda]

" ... more than whinging about airlines I think it´s a case of whinging about anything and everything."
Just about right, as usual, Julian!

EasyJet, for me, have never done anything wrong; always nice staff, easy check-in, good flight, pleasant cabin crew, decent flight times, cheap prices, no problems. That's pretty positive!

[BENIDORM]

The first budget airlines that I used was Laker Airways to New York in the late 1970's, and Freddie Laker was the first to offer low air travel, it was great, giving everyone the chance to travel at a realistic price, and I used the service many times to New York and Miami.
I had no complaints about the service , it was basic but good value, usually it was on time and apart from one emergency landing , because of a fire on board, no mishaps whatever.Laker Airways were then' seen off' by British Airways, but it did open up the way for airlines such as Ryanair, Easyjet etc..

I've used Ryanair and Easyjet many times and have flown into many European destinations with them, including all of the major destinations in Spain, and smaller airports ,like Santiago de la Compestelo, in Galicia.
I've never really encountered any major problems with the budget airlines in well over 50 flights with them, but they are extremely irritating with the way that they constantly change the goalposts, by cancelling destinations and adding extra- charges , sometimes with very sneaky methods.

Booking with any budget airline is like playing 'Snakes and Ladders', one wrong move and it costs you money, you have to be in 'alert mode' when completing their online booking, before booking I fasten my seat belt and don't touch any alcohol before I trust myself to touch the keyboard.!

However I now treat them as a 'bus service', not the nicest of experiences, but a necessary evil, and were I can I would rather make the slow drive down through France and Spain...

Are the budget airlines here to stay....I would say YES they probably are, but everyone will have to put up with see-sawing price structures and try to beat them at their own game by having an in-depth and up-to-date insight into their proceedures...
Bonne Chance..

Regards,
Gordon

[Campo Steve]

Benidorm.

Exactly. I also treat any flight under, say, three and half hours as a bus service. There is no need to eat or drink on short haul flights so why pay the high prices?

Longhaul is a different matter. I haven't flown longhaul with a low cost airline, apart from Laker 20+ years ago, but look more closely at what is included. Long haul a meal is more necessary. Not sure I would fly Ryanair across the Atlantic, which is seriously being considered, for that reason. Then I am looking for a bit more in the way of comfor and service. Frequency of flights also comes into the occasion. A weekly flight could leave you stranded if a flight gets cancelled, as has happened with Globespan to Canada and US, when a replacement plane was not available.

[casita-bonita]

London to Glasgow 20 years ago did cost £250 return. That's why we used to drive it. Then along came the budget airlines and down came the fares.

I well remember when it cost £250+ to fly from London to Scotland and it had to be a very good prospect to go up there for a business meeting. These days, I can, or well could before I retired earlier this year fly to Scotland and back for less than a standard return train fare from Basingstoke to London and back.

Whine as people do the low cost airlines have certainly stirred up air travel and as long as you don't expect too much from them you won't be disappointed. Until we moved over here earlier this year we used to fly over at least once a month using Easyjet, Monarch and sometimes Tomson. Other than the occasional delay never had a real problem with any of them.

[hillybilly]

Here is a positive. We've got return flights with Ryanair from Sevilla to Fez next month for 2€ return! So I'm not complaining!

[Paula]

I think they offer a fantastic service at a low price. It's just I still like to have a choice, like book my seat etc, which I would willingly pay more money for if it were available. I'd also pay money if possible to stop the whole "animals r us" experience that goes hand in hand with travelling budget.

[Free at Last]

What annoys me is that if some low cost airlines can manage to provide a decent standard of service and comfort, combined with low prices, why can't they all do it?

We flew back to Manchester this weekend for a family wedding. Our outward flight from Malaga with Monarch was absolutely fine with pleasant, efficient crew and good legroom. They were substantially cheaper than Easyjet for a comparable flight time. Unfortunately the return flight with Jet2 was a different story. More cramped and as the first trolley service was selling alcohol only (no water or soft drinks) due to where we were sitting we ended up having to wait 90 minutes into the flight before we were able to buy a bottle of water. When my OH complained and pointed out all the publicity about the dangers of dehydration when flying, the male cabin crew member he spoke to was very defensive and basically said hard luck, it was company policy to serve the alcohol first. He obviously hadn't been very well trained in handling customer complaints and said they didn't carry customer satisfaction or complaint forms on board. I wonder why?

If I have to fly Jet2 again (chosen because they were the only airline to offer an afternoon departure time) I'll make sure I take my own water on board next time!

[katy]

The "cheap" airlines aren't always so. I have said before sometimes BA works out cheaper. I booked an Easyjet flight in July which cost £168 one way Admittedly BA was more expensive that time. I do hate not having a seat no. though, not bothered where I sit it is all the pushing and shoving that goes on, really brings out the worse in people! Why does it take them so long to check people in when they don't have to give them a seat no. whats all that about

In defence of Easyjet we booked a weekend in Nice for £42 each return. Also clicked on their Hotel site and was directed to Late rooms site. Got a super hotel for half price. Was amazing up in the hills near Grasse. Well done Easyjet

Everytime I am in an Airport Monarch flights always seem to have a delay, BA often has a short delay, Iberia are crap, always delayed. Rarely been delayed with EJ.

[Retro P]

Markwilding: it was me that wrote it, I was, somewhat tongue in cheek referring to the fact that if you opt for a no frills air journey of basically no more than a couple of hours why moan about it, some of the moaners purport to have property in Spain yet complain about luggage allowances, like one doesn't keep a seperate set of clothes, make up, tooth brushes, hair lacquer etc at ones holiday home
On the other hand if you take a long haul flight of more than say 7 hours then you really need to be picky and if necessary pay extra, I travel to Thailand every year, sometimes more than once and always go club class, I don't want to spend 12 hours trapped like as sardine so I'll pay and b***** it!

[markwilding]

Markwilding: it was me that wrote it,!

Retro/ I got your point and I wasn't being negative about what you said, I actually thought you had good and interesting point which I thought was worth starting a new thread to see if others thought the same, And reading some of the posts other people agree with you as well.
If you read my post in the other thread you will see it is also tongue in cheek

Katy/I have to agree that you need to check all the Airlines before buying a ticket because the so called lowcost airlines aren't always the cheapest on a paticular day