The end of an era -- cheap flights in Europe soon to be no more

[jashermd]

Hello,

Many of the European budget airlines such as Ryanair, EasyJet, Flybe, and bmibaby are following the lead of US carriers in introducing fees for carrying luggage. However, in this case people will need to pack even lighter than in the US as there is no free bag -- passengers will be charged for placing any bags in the hold. Ryanair also charges people for checking in at the airport, and people who try to avoid the checked baggage fee by stuffing thier carry-on will be hit with overweight luggage fees to the tune of 6 per kilo.

Here are a few of the current fees -- more are being introduced all the time so if you plan on flying with one of these airlines I'd strongly advise checking through all of the fine print before booking.

RYANAIR:
Bag check-in: 16 per bag
Passenger check-in at the airport: 8 (return)
Priority Boarding Pass: 8
Musical instrument or sports equipment check-in: 50

EASYJET
Bag check-in: 10 per bag
Priority Boarding Pass: 10-15
Musical instrument or sports equipment check-in: 16.50 - 23

FLYBE
Bag check-in: 9.98 per bag
Pre-assigned seating: 10
Sports equipment check-in: 40

BMIBABY
Bag check-in: 6.99-12 per bag
Sports equipment check-in: 15 - 22.50

As you can tell, the fees will add up quickly, making the 'budget' carriers much less of a bargain than they once were. They're still a good deal if you can live out of a tiny carry on for the duration of your trip (hence fine for Europeans wanting a cheap weekend away) but if you are on a longer trip you may not save any money by booking with them. Given that many of the budgets also have rather poor on-time records and a high number of flight cancellations it's definitely worth checking out what the normal airlines (with free baggage allowance and check-in) are charging on your route before making your booking -- you may find that the cost difference is minimal.

Cheers,
Julian

[mary-j]

Also Globespan have started charging 20 for checking in bags. On the subject of low-cost business only carriers. I see it is not only Eos who have gone bust, Silverjet are about to go down the same road.



That's a pity because the had excellent prices for Dubai.



Maryjo

[nomadbea]

I'd like to think that era ended a few months ago.

[jashermd]

Hello,

EasyJet, Ryanair, and the other European budgets are doing their best to make it seem as if nothing has changed -- their adverts for cheap fares are as ubiquitous as ever. What they aren't advertising is these stealth charges which can turn a bargain into an expensive mistake.

Cheers,
Julian