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

Hi Sean, Europe has some 100 low-cost airlines, and if you hadn't heard of excellent Zurich-based airline Helvetic then I'm guessing many of you may not realise that the Middle East and Asia also has scores of superb low-cost airlines too. And as yet with very few hidden costs, aside from excess luggage and meals. Many of the outstanding Scandinavian, Baltic and Eastern European airlines will even give you a simple lunch tray.

I'm a Dubai-based travel writer so I'm pretty much on the road constantly - 2.5 years for this last stint - so I jump on and off airlines around the globe like most people take a bus. Taking low-cost airlines around Europe is far cheaper than taking the train. (Sean, I'd love to know the countries where the trains are cheaper than planes.) Local trains are certainly cheaper, but they're slower and simply don't get you to where you want to go. Carbon footprints and wonderful landscapes aside, you can bounce around Europe for a fraction of what you'll pay to train it. Even in some of the eastern European countries where train travel is cheaper than it is in say France or Germany, when doing comparisons at best I have found the price is the same but the airlines are obviously faster.

I've used www.attitudetravel.com for many years to search for flights, and then obviously go direct to the airline's website for the cheapest fares. It's important for readers to know that with low-cost airlines the flights will ALWAYS be cheaper on the airline site than through a second party (unlike some of the larger airlines, although that's changing too) because this is what their business model is based on - eliminating staff, hard infrastructure and complex administration arrangements.

Are these airlines safe? Well, are any airline safe and how do you know? There are plenty of resources on the web for checking. You should look firstly at what planes they're using for the flights you're booking, then you could either go to the 'About', 'Our Fleet', or 'Press' page - a lot of new airlines are proud of the fact that they're starting with brand new planes or have just received orders and will be proud to tell you so. There are also myriad sites on airline and airplane model safety. I used to love to check "Am I Going Down?" although it did, unfortunately.

Posted By lara_dunston on June 5, 2008, 2:24 AM

RyanAir and easyJet and MonarchAir and the like have taken me all over Europe over the past 4 years. With "full cost" airlines cutting most amenities anyways, I don't see people's issues with budget airlines. Read the fine print, follow the rules, pack light, and away you go!

Airlines frequently have 10€, 5€, even 1 cent sales. If you're going to be spending any time in Europe, it pays to subscribe to the top companies' email newsletters.

For searching, I've had great luck with www.skyscanner.net. www.whichbudget.com isn't perfect and doesn't list all companies, but gives a good idea of what's on offer.

Posted By Emily on August 28, 2008, 1:12 PM

I used Flybaboo from Geneva and was very impressed by their service, price snacks, etc. I recommend it highly. It flies to a few cities. Try Flybababoo.com
Russy

Posted By Russy on August 28, 2008, 1:14 PM

I've used www.whichbudget.com quite a few times although I'm not sure how it compares to the other suggested sites.

Posted By Laura on August 28, 2008, 1:40 PM

I agree with Laura. WhichBudget is very good for identifying the airlines that fly specific routes. You have to know your geography, though, since some of the cheap airports for many cities (e.g., Paris and Milan) are not actually located in those cities.

I've had pretty good experiences with the European discount airlines that I have used (AirBaltic, AirBerlin, EasyJet, others). At worst, most are no worse than United or US Airways, though RyanAir is definitely in its own category for additional fees and low service.

Posted By Bluevoter on August 28, 2008, 2:14 PM

Having taken multiple budget airlines within Europe, having another resource to weigh options is certainly worthwhile. I'm not affliated with any airline,travel agency, etc. but have had good experiences on this off-price airlines. You do need to weigh flying in/out of airports that may or may not be your "standard" hub cities. One website I've had good luck with (to see what airlines might be going to/from a destination) is www.flybudget.com. As to safety? I agree with other writers that it is fairly easy looking at flight statistics, history of the company, etc. to make some reasonable assessment.

Posted By Kaye on August 31, 2008, 5:50 PM

With what the Airlines are doing to their passengers (or not doing for them), why would anyone in their right mind take a flight within Europe. The rail system is fantastic. Much less expensive & sometimes quicker, since one does not have to wait to check in for a flight, wait for ones luggage at the end station, and face the bus, U/S Bahn or taxi ride into a city.

Posted By gregor on September 9, 2008, 2:08 PM

I've finally earned a free ticket to Europe on US Air, but, they only fly non-stop from Charlotte, NC (where we live) to Frankfurt, Germany and we want to go to France. We've checked rental car to Strasbourg but drop-off charge is outrageous; so is train. Will appreciate ANY IDEAS, like discount airline. (We've had terrible experiences flying US Air to Europe thru Newark or Philly).

Posted By charles on March 10, 2009, 11:06 AM

We want to go from Frankfurt, Germany to Strasbourg, France in April. What is best, most economical way to go? Thanks for your ideas.

Posted By charles on March 10, 2009, 11:09 AM