"Budget" Airlines
Discussion
Are they really budget any more?
We are booking 2 tickets to fly to Nimes in June. The tickets are 89p each way. By the time you get to the end the total is £131. Now I understand the fees and charges but a £19 handling fee for paying is taking the piss. The manner of hiding charges just takes your customers for fools, they may as well make the flights free.
Having flown to a couple of Western European destinations last year on "proper" airlines with tickets at £60-£80 I cant see the point in sitting on plastic covered seats and having scratch cards flogged to you every 5 minutes.
The smartest thing the budget airlines have done is fly to smaller destinations that no one else does. Otherwise Im not sure people would put up with them anymore.
We are booking 2 tickets to fly to Nimes in June. The tickets are 89p each way. By the time you get to the end the total is £131. Now I understand the fees and charges but a £19 handling fee for paying is taking the piss. The manner of hiding charges just takes your customers for fools, they may as well make the flights free.
Having flown to a couple of Western European destinations last year on "proper" airlines with tickets at £60-£80 I cant see the point in sitting on plastic covered seats and having scratch cards flogged to you every 5 minutes.
The smartest thing the budget airlines have done is fly to smaller destinations that no one else does. Otherwise Im not sure people would put up with them anymore.
When I went to Spain last year, BA were cheaper than all the "budget" airlines, I would get food, a seat (no push and shove), generous baggage allowance and my bike could go FOC, however I would have had to fly out of Heathrow.......... in the end I paid £30 more and flew out of my local airport.
I dont have an issue with them. Just flown Ryanair to Dublin and back for £35 with prioriy boarding
None of the extras are exclusive (ie Priority boarding is available to anyone for £6, so all passengers could be in the same queue). You're sold to constantly from the moment you get to the gate to when you get off the plane but I'm OK with that (the Girls of Ryanair calendar was pretty good)
When they get to having air masks and life jackets as options I'll rethink, but they get you there usually on time, without any fuss and leave you to it really.
I hear Easyjet are lining up a NY flight for €250 return, I dont think I'd take them up on it for fun but as a last chance saloon thats not bad
None of the extras are exclusive (ie Priority boarding is available to anyone for £6, so all passengers could be in the same queue). You're sold to constantly from the moment you get to the gate to when you get off the plane but I'm OK with that (the Girls of Ryanair calendar was pretty good)
When they get to having air masks and life jackets as options I'll rethink, but they get you there usually on time, without any fuss and leave you to it really.
I hear Easyjet are lining up a NY flight for €250 return, I dont think I'd take them up on it for fun but as a last chance saloon thats not bad
Generally not as cheap as they used to be and certainly not the really cheap flights. Now that the charges stick at least £15-20 on top it's near impossible to get the old couple of quid flights for nothing.
The price difference is being chipped at from both ends though and it's as much the flag carriers reducing their prices as well.
I'm not too fussed 'no frills' short hall though and wouldn't pay for the 'privilege' of flying BA etc. Usually it's convenience of the schedule/airports which guides my choices.
The price difference is being chipped at from both ends though and it's as much the flag carriers reducing their prices as well.
I'm not too fussed 'no frills' short hall though and wouldn't pay for the 'privilege' of flying BA etc. Usually it's convenience of the schedule/airports which guides my choices.
Whenever I've flown anywhere, I've always managed to find cheaper tickets on BA. Although last time I flew the Stewards decided my camera bag needed to be moved while we were taxiing and then dropped it on some poor French womans head! They had to then abort the takeoff!
(I had left it under the seat in front where I had always left it on every previous flight and was originally told it was the best place to leave it by a Steward!)
(I had left it under the seat in front where I had always left it on every previous flight and was originally told it was the best place to leave it by a Steward!)
I flew Ryanair for the first time a few weeks ago! It was an interesting experience.
It was a bit like flying in a big crappy taxi. Everything is wipe clean. They have even tried to appeal to the proles by selling scratchcards!
One thing I'll say about them though... they offer great career prospects for girls who look a bit "council".
It was a bit like flying in a big crappy taxi. Everything is wipe clean. They have even tried to appeal to the proles by selling scratchcards!
One thing I'll say about them though... they offer great career prospects for girls who look a bit "council".
chunkymonkey71 said:
I flew Ryanair for the first time a few weeks ago! It was an interesting experience.
It was a bit like flying in a big crappy taxi. Everything is wipe clean. They have even tried to appeal to the proles by selling scratchcards!
One thing I'll say about them though... they offer great career prospects for girls who look a bit "council".
WTF is looking a bit council?It was a bit like flying in a big crappy taxi. Everything is wipe clean. They have even tried to appeal to the proles by selling scratchcards!
One thing I'll say about them though... they offer great career prospects for girls who look a bit "council".
ianash said:
chunkymonkey71 said:
I flew Ryanair for the first time a few weeks ago! It was an interesting experience.
It was a bit like flying in a big crappy taxi. Everything is wipe clean. They have even tried to appeal to the proles by selling scratchcards!
One thing I'll say about them though... they offer great career prospects for girls who look a bit "council".
WTF is looking a bit council?It was a bit like flying in a big crappy taxi. Everything is wipe clean. They have even tried to appeal to the proles by selling scratchcards!
One thing I'll say about them though... they offer great career prospects for girls who look a bit "council".
chunkymonkey71 said:
ianash said:
chunkymonkey71 said:
I flew Ryanair for the first time a few weeks ago! It was an interesting experience.
It was a bit like flying in a big crappy taxi. Everything is wipe clean. They have even tried to appeal to the proles by selling scratchcards!
One thing I'll say about them though... they offer great career prospects for girls who look a bit "council".
WTF is looking a bit council?It was a bit like flying in a big crappy taxi. Everything is wipe clean. They have even tried to appeal to the proles by selling scratchcards!
One thing I'll say about them though... they offer great career prospects for girls who look a bit "council".
andy-xr said:
I hear Easyjet are lining up a NY flight for €250 return, I dont think I'd take them up on it for fun but as a last chance saloon thats not bad
You can get a normal carrier for less than £300 at the moment, I fail to the point in taking a budget carrier that will treat you like s
t, drop you at hub where you have to transfer airlines to continue on, all to save £60.tinman0 said:
andy-xr said:
I hear Easyjet are lining up a NY flight for €250 return, I dont think I'd take them up on it for fun but as a last chance saloon thats not bad
You can get a normal carrier for less than £300 at the moment, I fail to the point in taking a budget carrier that will treat you like st, drop you at hub where you have to transfer airlines to continue on, all to save £60.ianash said:
tinman0 said:
andy-xr said:
I hear Easyjet are lining up a NY flight for €250 return, I dont think I'd take them up on it for fun but as a last chance saloon thats not bad
You can get a normal carrier for less than £300 at the moment, I fail to the point in taking a budget carrier that will treat you like st, drop you at hub where you have to transfer airlines to continue on, all to save £60.I hope that I never have to use any of them again!
On both Sleazy jet and Ryanair I've been in the check-in queue and ground-staff have come up and said "sorry, it is now 40 minutes before the flight, check-in is now closed!" I asked why they had not opened another position at the counter (they could see that there were still people in the queue) and was told that I should have got there earlier! FFS!
Last week I flew to Basle on Sleazy-jet. One hour forty minutes delay on way out. Coming back I arrived at the airport very early and eventually went through security and looked around a few shops. I went to the gate and ten minutes before boarding we were told that there would be a two hour delay. Long story short, the delay turned to three hours! After complaining we were granted one free drink from the kiosk by the gate!
Thankfully boarding the flight we all looked forward to some refreshments, only to be told that all that was available was a complementary glass of water! Finally landed at Gatwick after 2:00 AM.
Never again!
On both Sleazy jet and Ryanair I've been in the check-in queue and ground-staff have come up and said "sorry, it is now 40 minutes before the flight, check-in is now closed!" I asked why they had not opened another position at the counter (they could see that there were still people in the queue) and was told that I should have got there earlier! FFS!
Last week I flew to Basle on Sleazy-jet. One hour forty minutes delay on way out. Coming back I arrived at the airport very early and eventually went through security and looked around a few shops. I went to the gate and ten minutes before boarding we were told that there would be a two hour delay. Long story short, the delay turned to three hours! After complaining we were granted one free drink from the kiosk by the gate!
Thankfully boarding the flight we all looked forward to some refreshments, only to be told that all that was available was a complementary glass of water! Finally landed at Gatwick after 2:00 AM.
Never again!
My Co. have a policy of using the cheapest flight,but having flown every week for around the 2 1/2 months before Xmas I found that I was better flying BA/BMI etc than the cheapys. Basically what I lost in time getting to Heathrow from Kent I gain by a slicker airport,parking & airline. Like not having to check in 2 hours before. Now scoring lots of BMI points on their Diamond Club & already have a freebie euro flight on it, also the card means free nosh on BMI. Also not a lot of difference in costs especially when you add in Queazyjet & Ryanair extra baggage costs etc.
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