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Save/ShareEurope has its own versions of JetBlue and Southwest, and these discount airlines can save you money when you want to hop around the Continent. The website EuroCheapo, best known for its guides to budget hotels and inns, has just launched a guide to budget airlines in Europe: eurocheapo.com/flight. On the left of this page, you'll find a column with a list of the 43 discount airlines in western and central Europe, from the ones you already know (easyJet, Ryanair) to the ones you've never heard of (Helvetic, for instance). Click on an airline name to read the review.
Each review hits the pros and cons and runs down the routes that the airline offers. I particularly like how the site invites reader feedback on each airline's carry-on luggage policies. This is a weighty issue for Americans because U.S. airlines have more generous weight limits for carry on items than most European low-cost airlines.
Of course, there's a fare search engine, too, powered by Wegolo.com. Like all search engines, it's not perfect, but at least this one allows you to compare the fares it fetches on the same screen with fares from major booking agencies such as Orbitz, Kayak, and so forth.
I wish EuroCheapo made it easier to find their listing of routes by country. For example, if you to eurocheapo.com/flights/countries, you can scroll to the bottom of the page to see a box "find flights within Europe by departure country." You can click on a country (say, Ireland) and see a map of its major airports, all budget flights from Ireland (by arrival city and by arrival country). If you're like me, seeing the routes on a map is a faster, more intuitive way to figure out if one of Europe's low budget airlines could be of use to me as a traveler.
Overall, kudos to EuroCheapo.
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In the blog it say there is a list of 43 discount airlines which I do not see. thanks.
Posted By Colleen Heater on April 3, 2008, 12:17 PM
Hi, Colleen,
To answer you question, please visit eurocheapo.com/flight. On the left of this page, you'll find a column with a list of the 43 discount airlines in
Thanks,
Sean
Posted By Blog Editor on April 3, 2008, 12:20 PM
I still can't see the list of 43 European discount airlines. Have they disappeared from the web site? Thanks for your assistance.
Posted By Travel Dude on April 3, 2008, 5:59 PM
I doubt that this site is . much good for finding bargain basement flights in Europe. Ryanair and easyJet, for instance, don't take bookings through the travel search engines that are called up when you seek a fare. I tested it for a flight from London to Berlin and got quotes for several hundred dollars - but the last time I went with easyJet it cost me $60. I suspect that Germanwings and Wizz Air - and probably others - are also excluded. The best way to find the cheapest fares in Europe is to do a bit of intense Googling and then go direct to the airline websites. Be very careful when you book to study the booking conditions and options - Ryanair, in particular, is devised with the cunning of Satan to part you from more money than you might expect. Beware of paying for "priority boarding" - on some flights, all passengers had paid for this, which made the option meaningless. Also, be aware that these airlines will charge you for every ounce of excess baggage. One other thing: within Continental Europe, it is often quicker and cheaper - and much pleasanter - to take the train than to fly.
Posted By ian chandler on April 4, 2008, 6:17 AM
Two questions: How safe are these airlines? If fares are so cheap are they saving money on the plane maintenance or what? And, isn't it risky to use a lesser known airline when even the big airlines often surprise people by going into bankruptcy and canceling flights?
Posted By C.P. on April 4, 2008, 4:09 PM
Hi, C.P., Thanks for your comment. Well, the past five years have been records for air safety, with tiny discounters in Europe having no more accidents than major airlines in Europe. The cheaper airlines still have to meet the same certification processes that the brand-name airlines must meet. They save money instead by cutting other services, such as meals, and by charging for excess luggage.
Thanks,
Sean
Posted By Blog Editor on April 7, 2008, 9:53 AM
Hi all -
Thanks for the helpful and constructive comments regarding our new budget airlines search engine, we truly appreciate them.
We agree with Ian's point that researching budget airlines can be an arduous task. Each carrier has its own set of rules and guidelines that can easily make a "cheap" ticket quite expensive.
This time-intensive research is what we seek to simplify within CheapoSearch Flights. We've profiled each carrier and display our review of their pros and cons, baggage policies, boarding process and other aspects. We feel this research is a real time saver.
Also, our search engine shows which low-cost carriers fly between cities in Europe, and gives one-click access to their websites. This also simplifies the task of figuring out who flies where.
Please keep the comments coming, we'd love to hear more feedback and recommendations for how we can improve further. I can be contacted at: pete at eurocheapo.com.
Thanks,
Pete Meyers
EuroCheapo.com
Posted By Pete Meyers on April 9, 2008, 11:42 AM