With budget airlines, you can fly between European cities for startlingly low prices. But, is there a hitch to that €20 flight from London to Venice? Maybe. Here’s our quick recap of budget airline advantages and disadvantages.

Some pros

1) You can fly for cheap, especially with advance planning.

How? There are many ways to fly for close to nothing. Lots of airlines offer promotional fares that are essentially free, requiring customers to pay for taxes and incremental charges only.

2) Transportation is quick.

For example, traveling from Paris to Warsaw by train will take a minimum of 15 hours, with many connections taking 20 hours. An air journey takes just two and a quarter hours.

3) Multi-stop holidays in Europe can be effortlessly and inexpensively scheduled.

The low-cost carrier business model is based on one-way fares, not roundtrips. Leisure travelers who don’t have to adhere to strict schedules can flexibly plan very affordable hops around Europe.

4) Approached the right way, the experience can be enjoyable, even exotic.

This is a matter of taste, we suppose, but various aspects of the budget air experience can be recast as enjoyable and interesting, from flight attendant uniforms to in-flight publications and—in the case of SkyExpress—onboard games and lotteries.

Budget airline cons

1) Secondary airports are often quite distant from the cities they purportedly serve.

How far? Oslo Sandefjord is 90km (56 miles) north of Oslo. Stockholm Skavsta is located about 89km (55 miles) from Stockholm. Frankfurt Hahn sits 103 km (64 miles) west of Frankfurt. These are particularly extreme examples, but they serve to make the point.

2) Cancellations are common and passengers will not automatically be rebooked.

Some airlines (easyJet, Ryanair, and Volareweb are among the most notorious) are known to occasionally cancel flights on various grounds. EasyJet offers as its only recourse a telephone line that you must call to rebook or generate a refund—and that charges you per minute. If you live outside of Europe, you may find it to be quite difficult to obtain refunds or rebook given the restrictions and means of communication at hand.

3) Additional charges mount up and make cheap flights far less of a bargain than they appear to be.

Charges are assessed for (optional) insurance, checked luggage (We’ve seen one carrier charge up to €20 for a bag), overweight luggage, priority boarding (see below), checking in at the airport, and using an unaffiliated credit card.

4) Cattle-call boarding process (common to many budget airlines) is unpleasant.

Ryanair and easyJet both sell the right to board early for €6. Many carriers also charge you to select your seat on-line. Even with priority boarding, the hassle and hustle are still no fun.

5) Last-minute fares can be much higher than those on “full-fare” airlines.

Even on so-called “budget airlines,” you can expect next-day fares on popular routes to be anything but cheap. This is especially the case when flying into secondary airports far from the cities they purportedly serve. Getting to and from secondary airports (take Stansted, in the case of London) often involves considerable effort, up to two hours transit time, and additional charges.

Are they worth it? 

So, given all these advantages and disadvantages, are low cost airlines worth it? We think so. You just need to know the rules and know how to avoid extra charges and hassles.

What do you think? Are budget airlines a great deal, or more trouble than they’re worth? Comment below.

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What are the Cheapos reading over lunch today? Here’s a quick Tuesday flip-through:

Flight Reading

When we can’t hop on a plane and jet to Europe, we tend to pick up a good read to quell the urge. So, we were happy to be reminded by The Intelligent Traveler that “The Best American Travel Writing”, 2007 edition, which hit bookstores last fall, is chock full of essays that will take you there.

Travel Gal Pals

We’re excited for the launch of Budget Travel’s new magazine, Girlfriend Getaways. The first issue is out on newsstands now and includes a cheeky article by Ann Hood about how she and a few friends went searching for George Clooney while visiting Italy’s Lake District. We tried to find George too, while at ITB Berlin. But, only got as far as this wax figurine.

Budapest Bets 

Last week, Daily Candy emailed us about Budapest. Not only did they dish up ideas for where to get drinks, soak up the entertainment factor, and eat our hearts out, but they also recommend a few spas. Who wants to play chess in a sauna? We do!

Local Listings

We’re loving Olivia Giovetti’s (aka “High Culture on a Low Budget“) feature “Ask a Local.” This week, she asked Mike from Munich about his cheapest thrills and where he gets his doner kebab. We’ll definitely be following this series!

Popularity: 18% [?]

Having read repeatedly that Brussels, as the center of the EU, was more ”political” and “corporate” than “quaint European,” we anticipated streets filled with bankers and void of much character (save for a small central square and a famous statue of a boy urinating).

Boy, were we wrong! From the bright, grafitti-lined streets to the yummy, chocolately waffles, steamed mussels, and frothy beer, we were drawn in. The locals were friendly, the artistic vibe apparent everywhere, and the multitude of architectural icons loomed—most distinctly in the medieval Grand Place—and all across the metropolis.

And, we got a few crushes along the way.

First up, Hotel La Madeleine.

Hotel la Madeleine
rue de la Montagne, 22 
Doubles: €60-100 

Ah, ma Madeleine. Rooms at this 2-star gem are decorated with a modern, artistic sensibility. Purple and beige walls are accented by sleek furnishings (lamps, wardrobes and desks), and bedspreads are luxuriously thick, with pretty gold and magenta prints. Some triples and larger rooms even have terraces. Downstairs, the Madeleine has a modern, even funky, breakfast room.

Given the hotel’s style and reasonable rates, its central location made it a real value. Rue de la Montagne is just a few blocks from the Grand Place, ensuring you’re never far from a waffle stand, cafe, or metro. We were sold.

Popularity: 15% [?]

You read. You posted. You conquered, Cheapos.

Recently, we regaled you with the story of our lackluster plane trip home from Paris. In short, we had a really crummy seat on an American Airlines flight and were forced to come up with ways to “overcome” the seats. We then asked you for your tips on overcoming such transatlantic trials.

In witty emails, funny blog comments, and some in-person chats, we heard it all. (Including, to our relief, that we aren’t the only ones who’ve posed strategically for photos in order to snap documentation of intoxicated passengers… Thanks Henrietta!).

We also learned some innovative ways to avoid seat discomfort and annoyance, including pretending to be pregnant, tuning out with an iPod, and playing trivia with other passengers. One reader recommended the pharma-approach: pop a couple sleeping pills and say goodnight. Others distract themselves with in-flight movies, no matter how inane (Mouse Hunt, anyone?).

But, alas, there can only be on winner for our Rough Guide to Europe on a Budget giveaway.

“Poetloverrebelspy,” aka Hilary, is our winner. A true Cheapo, PLRS offered countless tips in her post, stuff worth checking out before your next overseas trip. We especially loved her shout-out to SeatGuru, a EuroCheapo favorite for mapping out the right seat before you book your flight.

In her own words:

“I’m an ethnographer at heart, so I pretty much enjoy talking with my seatmates if they’re game. I think people’s lives are fascinating, and anyone traveling across the world generally has a good story to tell. Any flight attendant who’s willing also has a lot of funny experiences and insider insights to share.

One flight I sat next to a man who chewed tobacco and spit into a bottle every five seconds for the entire nine hours.

Another flight I was seated next to a Ukrainian woman who didn’t speak a word of English. Wasn’t she lucky I spoke Russian so I could help her fill out all her immigration forms! Couldn’t I order a vodka from the flight attendant to calm her nerves (it was her first time flying)? Couldn’t I order another to settle her upset stomach? (Thankfully, this story ends here.)

Any flight these days that has a personal video screen, I have no problem finding three movies to entertain myself. I usually have magazines I’m trying to finish, a guidebook I’m scrambling to read or mind puzzles for those long waits on the runway. And there’s always the iPod to drown out the sound of your neighbor’s . . . spit.

As for not getting shafted in the seat lottery, it pays to put the day when seats for your flight open up on your calendar (usually 90 days out) and go pick yours immediately! Use Time and Date’s Date Calculator to quickly figure out which day that is. If you don’t fly often enough to know what’s what on the plane you’ll be flying on, use SeatGuru as your guide.”

Thanks, Hilary. And thanks to all the readers who submitted their tips. Check out the blog for more contests in the near future!

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In the spring of 2006, I was able to score some super-cheap tickets on Ryanair for a last-minute getaway to Barcelona from London, where I was living. It had been a great weekend, made possible by my low-cost flight. I booked a 6 PM flight in order to extend my holiday as long as possible, pushing off the reality of the next morning’s workday. As long as I was in Barcelona, I was on vacation! 

The tickets were basically free—I only had to pay the airport tax. The catch? I had to fly into and out of two less-than-central airports, London’s Stansted and Barcelona’s Girona airport. It was worth it, right?

What follows is a diary of my flight experience en route from Barcelona to London.

4:30 PM: I arrive early at the airport for a 6 PM flight. We all know you have to get to the gate before the other passengers in order to snag the best seat.

5:00 PM: Shortly after check-in, an announcement is made. The flight has been delayed an hour.

Ok, some extra time to score a panini at Girona’s atmospheric café. (In the above photo, do I look like I’m ready for take-off?)

Tip: Stock up on food, just in case. Girona’s airport café closed at 9 p.m. I’m glad I grabbed a sandwich when I did. Others would not be so lucky.

7 PM: A second announcement. The flight has been delayed for another hour. All assembled groan and pull out iPods, books and approved electronic devices. One nearby traveler starts clipping his nails over a waste basket, violating all manner of social codes (are clippers even allowed on airplanes?).

8:15 PM: A third announcement. Drum roll, please: The flight has been delayed for another two hours. The announcer says, with a tinge of exhaustion in her voice, “We hope to leave by 11. Thank you for your patience.” The thought of work the next morning was beginning to make me vaguely nauseous. 

Around 10 PM: Boredom sets in. All other flights have taken off. The airport feels empty, save the other poor souls flying to Stansted. With hardly anyone around, I attempt to fit myself, horizontally, into a row of seats in any way that could lead to sleep. I am not successful.

Above: Nothing happening under flourescent lights.

Tip: Bring back-up diversions. That could mean catching up on your trip journal, watching all the TV shows you earlier loaded up on your iPod, making progress on that novel, or even flipping through some celeb mags. In short, have something to do. I had packed ”Madame Bovary,” which only helped put me to sleep.

11:30 PM: All other flights have left the Girona airport, and there’s still no sign of our airplane.  The 20 Stansted-bound passengers are told we will not take off until after midnight. No excuse is given.

Tip: Make friends…if there are any out there. At some point after midnight, I found myself chatting with a couple from Los Angeles. A bottle of vodka became open. (Glad they took advantage of Duty Free when it was open…hours ago.) I pass up a shot (work seems ludicrously close), but others around happily partake. The mood lifts… and distorts.

1:30 AM: We take off, nine hours after my arrival at the airport.

Tip: Know when to go! Turns out there’s more than one good reason not to check any luggage on a budget flight. If you’re delayed, you could risk missing the last bus out of the arrival airport.

2:30 AM: We arrive at Stansted and immediately there’s a mad dash for the bus to London. And for good reason: The last one leaves the airport at 3 am (and sometimes earlier, depending on reasons I couldn’t quite understand). If you miss the last bus, you have to get a taxi, which can cost upwards of £60, or wait until 7 am when the buses start up again. I make the bus.

3:30 AM: I’m dropped off at Marble Arch on Oxford Street. What’s my name? Who am I? And how do I get a taxi? Work the next morning was, well, another story…

In the end, this experience didn’t deter me from flying on budget airlines. Over the next year, I’d often take cheap flights, including easyJet and Aer Lingus, for quick getaways. But I learned something about flexibility that long night in Girona.

Read another Cheapo’s tale of a long night in Stansted. Got a good airport story? Leave a comment or send us a note.

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As part of our CheapoSearch flights launch celebration, we’re spending some time this week discussing common questions readers have about traveling on Europe’s low-cost carriers. A good place to start is with the most obvious question of all:

How can budget airlines be so cheap?

First of all, budget airlines manage to keep their own costs down, which translates into a cheaper ticket price. For example, many low-cost routes fly in and out of secondary airports with low landing fees. Many low-cost airlines have also eliminated conventional customer service departments, replacing them with toll-based telephone numbers that levy exorbitant per-minute charges (see: easyJet).

Additionally, the operating costs of low-cost carriers are quite minimal. Though practices vary, for the most part you’ll find baggage handlers checking tickets, planes being unloaded minutes before they’re filled with new customers, and planes not being completely cleaned during general flying hours. In the photo we snapped above, note that luggage is being removed from the plane at the same time that the next load of passengers is climbing aboard. (Talk about a quick turn-around!)

Budget airlines also make money off of additional products and services, from snacks and scratch-off cards sold in the air to the sale of affiliated services through their websites like car rentals, hotel reservations, tours, transfer services, credit cards, and travel insurance.

Low-cost airlines also charge for a dizzying range of “perks,” including seat assignments, airport check in (what a perk!), and checking bags (ditto). Some airlines charge for bookings not made with the airline’s co-branded credit card.

Do you know of other ways that low-cost carriers keep their prices down? Comment below.

For more frequently asked questions about budget airlines in Europe, check out our article on “budget airline basics.”

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Let’s wind down and settle into our weekend, shall we? Even on a rainy Friday morning, we’ve found inspiration this morning flipping through some other sites. For example:

The web has been busier than the Dublin airspace with stories about Ryanair. Our favorite budget travel rebel at “Less than a Shoestring” last week continued to explain ”Why I Love/Hate RyanAir.” (Let’s say that it has to do with taxes, fees, and working the system. “Dealing with low-cost carriers such as RyanAir is like playing a game. In order to play well, you need to know the rules.”

Meanwhile, over on the other shoe, Spendthrift Shoestring is back from Carriacou and already monitoring the overall health of the low-cost carrier business. Alex points out that Air Berlin and Centralwings have experienced some turbulence, while RyanAir is reporting growth in March. At least some airlines are showing growth. BudgetTravel, reporting on the ATA airline bankruptcy yesterday, suggests that ticketholders check with their credit card company about a getting a refund.

But, back to RyanAir. How does the airline make you feeeel? Europe A La Carte muses about whether travel brands are important, pointing out that “Ryanair has a pretty negative brand image but loads of people (including me) book with them because of the choice of direct flights and low prices. So do brands matter at all?” We think they do, but price might still be the deciding factor.

On the ground, James from About.com’s Europe Travel challenges visitors in Florence to stop and reflect on the number of American tourists crowding the city. “If you close your eyes and listen closely, you could be in Cleveland. Well, except maybe for the quality of the gelato.” He’s pushing for trips out of town, to the hills surrounding Florence.

And for amusing insider-y kvetching, you should treat yourself to Rick Steves’ blog, where the author recounts his adventures updating his Lisbon and Portugal guidebook. Anyone who has been “on the ground” updating a city guide will laugh (and cringe). Our favorite note: “Hotel Lisboa Tejo: Our room was extremely spacious and clean–but street on the west side of the building was full of young and very busy prostitutes.” Ah yes, how to deal with the “prostitute factor” when deciding whether or not to include a great budget hotel. We’ve been there!

Looking out at a rainy morning, we’ll happily swap for any prostitute-lined street in Lisbon. We’ll take Florence, even with the tourists. Heck, we’ll even take Cleveland, if it’s sunny…

Have a nice weekend.

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(tap, tap)

Is this thing on?

Ladies and gents, we’re thrilled to announce the newest addition to EuroCheapo: CheapoSearch Flights, our great, big search engine for researching budget airlines in Europe.

We’re big fans of European budget airlines, in all their quirky, bargain-ticket glory. How else could you fly from London to Rome for £10? We felt, however, that there weren’t enough reliable resources on the web to find, compare, and research the carriers and routes.

Thus, we built CheapoSearch Flights. Don’t know your Aer Arann  from your WizzAir? We’ve got you covered.

What’s special about CheapoSearch Flights?

Our flights guide includes 43 low-cost airlines in Europe, reviewed by EuroCheapo’s editors, and includes company profiles, pros and cons, luggage and boarding policy information, and direct links to their websites. While we include well known budget airlines, such as Ryanair and easyJet, we also features lesser known regional carriers, such as Intersky and ClubAir.

But wait, there’s more!

Budget Airline Route Finder: Travelers can search for budget routes between thousands of European cities and, when there isn’t a budget route available, receive suggestions for alternative routes at nearby airports. Search results also display flight times and ticket prices for tickets bookable through our reservation partner wegolo.com.

Airport Mapping: CheapoSearch Flights maps out all departure and arrival airports for each route, so travelers can better understand distances between airports and cities. This provides a better understanding of the travel time (and transportation cost) for cities with multiple airports, and presents other airport options within a 65-mile radius.

Airline Price Comparison: In addition to budget airline prices, CheapoSearch Flights also allows travelers to easily compare airfare on major airlines that fly the same route. After all, sometimes these carriers offer lower prices or fly into more centrally-located airports.

So, cruise around on CheapoSearch Flights. If you have any comments on how we can make it better, please let us know!

Many, many thanks to the Cheapos who contributed to the creation of CheapoSearch Flights, including Alex Robertson Textor, James Ellis, Mike Cargian, and the extended EuroCheapo family who provided constructive feedback, invaluable advice, and hours of free bug testing!

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2-star hotel
19, rue Monsieur le Prince
Paris, St. Germain des Prés
Doubles: €79-100

Ahh… Paris is the city of love. And, we’ve got lots of it for the charming two-star Villa des Princes. In fact, you may recall that we mentioned Villa, the tiny 12-room gem in the middle of the trendy St. Germain des Prés neighborhood, a few days ago.

First, a little history. Back in the days of King Louis XIII, the 17th-century home was actually a dormitory for school teachers and was called the Hotel des Ecoles. Today, many out-of-town teachers and professors choose the Villa as their headquarters, because of its close proximity to university life (the Sorbonne is just blocks away) and its reasonable rates.

Each room is trés petite, and outfitted with comfy beds and spotless bathrooms. The hotel has named each room after a different neighborhood of Paris. We stayed in the “Marais” during our last trip. For those steamy summer nights, the Villa des Prince offers air conditioning, often over looked by other cheapo-friendly hotels.

One word to the wise: The hotel’s home-cooked buffet is worth splurging for, but don’t oversleep! We woke up too late on our first morning, not realizing that a lovely woman had been up since the crack of dawn making fresh breads and egg dishes. We’re still sorry about missing that meal!

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