Independent travels in Europe are becoming increasingly popular among Russians. This way of organizing your vacation is chosen by different categories of the population. Only a few years ago, only young people could take the risk of organizing an independent trip to one or more European countries. Now people over the age of forty have come to taste such travels, so many tourists have become interested in the issue of European low-cost airlines in Russia. These airlines often offer tickets at ridiculous prices of ten or fifteen euros. Also quite common are cases when the lucky ones became the owner of a ticket for one euro or even got the opportunity to fly from one point to another for free. Today we will tell you about the main European low-cost airlines and reveal the secrets of their pricing policy.
Loukoster: what is this "beast"
Low-cost airlines include air carriers that sell tickets at the lowest prices in their market segment. Low cost is achieved by reducing the level of service on board - the lack of food and free drinks or, for example, the inability to carry luggage without additional charge. Such business management allows the company not to raise prices for its services and successfully compete with other air carriers.
Low-cost airlines first appeared in the seventies of the last century in the United States. They quickly showed how successful a given business model could be. Therefore, now European low-cost airlines not only fight with large airlines, but also compete for passengers with each other.
What is the success of such companies? And do they have significant flaws?
Pros and Cons of low-cost airline flight
Naturally, the main plus of European low-cost airlines and other similar companies is the low cost of their services. Indeed, often for a purely nominal fee, anyone can afford to fly on vacation to Spain or the Czech Republic. Moreover, he will usefully spend his accumulated money already during the holidays, and not at the stage of booking tickets.
However, do not forget that all European low-cost airlines have many "buts", which you should know about in advance:
- service on board the aircraft will be extremely simple, if not limited - the lack of free power, video panels and folding seats;
- baggage allowance costs extra money, and hand luggage must strictly comply with strict rules;
- seats in the cabin are occupied in order of priority, for an additional fee you can be the first on the list;
- the arrival airport will be small and remote from the city you need for several tens of kilometers, so you also have to arrange a transfer for yourself.
Of course, for some, the nuances listed by us may seem to be significant shortcomings. But most people think that the payment system is only suitable for those services that they are going to use. For this category of Russian citizens, our article on European low-cost airlines will be very useful.
Russia and discount companies
It is interesting that there are European low-cost airlines flying to and from Moscow, but no one has heard of Russian air carriers selling tickets at low prices. Of course. We can name a couple of companies that offer our compatriots flights at a reduced cost. However, so far they cannot compete with recognized masters of air transportation.
What is the reason for this? Are Russians unworthy of cheap tickets? On this score, experts are unanimous in the opinion that the specificity of air travel in our country does not make it possible for domestic low-cost airlines to develop. Indeed, in our country, very expensive service at airports, high fuel prices and difficulties in entering the market.
Therefore, we think that worthy companies will not appear in our country soon, making air travel more accessible to the general population of the country. Having clarified all these nuances, let's return to the topic of European low-cost airlines. Who are these leaders to make the dream a little more accessible and closer?
European low-cost airlines: list
Since most often travelers try to save money on tickets when planning their trip, discount companies are just those “magicians” who give their customers a coveted discount. If you are thinking about a trip to Europe this summer or autumn, then take a look at the lowcosters listed below - perhaps you will use their services:
- Irish Ryanair;
- Wizz Air
- Latvian Air Baltik;
- Turkish Pegasus Airlines;
- Norwegian.
So that you do not get confused in these companies, we will tell you about each of them in the most detail.
Ryairair
This airline is considered one of the largest in Europe. He has practically no competitors and often sells tickets at really ridiculous prices of one or two euros.
Today, Ryanair operates on almost two thousand routes, in many directions it provides such prices that they quite successfully compete with the cost of traveling by intercity bus route.
The company often provides discounts in different directions, usually a discount of twenty percent, and the average cost of air travel in this case will not exceed nine euros. If you do not qualify for the promotion, the ticket will cost you approximately fifteen to twenty euros.
Keep in mind that Ryanair is active in the UK, Ireland and Eastern Europe. Unfortunately, this European low-cost airline does not fly from Moscow , so you will have to look for connecting flights with a departure from European cities suitable for you along the route.
The rules of the low-cost airline allow carrying on board hand luggage no heavier than ten kilograms and one bag.
Wizz air
This Hungarian company has been on the air transportation market for about thirteen years. Initially, the low-cost airline could not boast of an abundance of routes, but at the moment, airliners fly in four hundred directions. It is nice that this carrier also departs from Moscow. Particularly seductive prices are provided for flights on the route Moscow - Budapest. Literally for twenty euros you will find yourself in the center of Europe, from where you can get to any country that interests you.
A club card is very attractive for travelers, which allows you to receive a discount of ten euros from each ticket purchased. It also applies to baggage. Many tourists note that on board Wizz Air planes they always sell very cheap perfumes, and they offer an interesting magazine as an entertainment for passengers.
An essential disadvantage for some tourists of this low-cost airline is the extremely stringent conditions of baggage. For example, only those bags that do not exceed forty centimeters in height fall into the category of hand luggage.
Air baltik
This airline cannot be reliably attributed to low-cost airlines. But Air Baltik offers such seductive prices for flights, which seriously competes with other European and Russian air carriers.
Russian travelers are happy to buy tickets to Europe with a change in Latvia for twenty to thirty euros. In addition, this airline weekly holds a large sale of tickets to various destinations. Buyers positively evaluate such stocks of the company. It is interesting that in some cases a passenger can pay for his flight in several stages. This offer increases the demand for Air Baltik tickets among Russians who do not always have enough money to fully pay for their trip.
The rules of baggage allowance at the airline are identical to the conditions put forward by low-cost airlines - you can fly for free with a small carry-on luggage and one handbag. Anything over the established limits is paid extra.
Pegasus airlines
The Turkish low-cost airline has mastered not only routes in Turkey and Egypt, but also throughout Europe. The average ticket price ranges from thirty to fifty euros, including baggage allowance. Of course, this is far from the lowest cost per flight, but Pegasus Airlines often holds promotions and makes seasonal discounts that can be tracked on the company's official website. For the convenience of our compatriots, it has a Russian-language version, so buying tickets through the Internet will not bring any inconvenience to future passengers of Pegasus Airlines. Russian buyers appreciated this advantage.
The Turkish low-cost airline flies from many cities, including Moscow, which further increases its attractiveness in the eyes of our compatriots. It is interesting that this year Pegasus Airlines services are very popular among tourists who decide to travel independently to Turkey on vacation. Sometimes such a trip costs several times cheaper than a regular tour.
Norwegian
The low-cost airline from Norway has established itself as a punctual and inexpensive air carrier. Last year, Norwegian was recognized as the best low-cost airline, which significantly raised its rating in the list of European low-cost airlines.
Basically, this company flies from the countries of Northern Europe to almost all corners of the world. There are even African destinations, but it is still best to use the Norwegian services when traveling to the Scandinavian countries. In this case, you will get the lowest price possible.
Interestingly, the Norwegian low-cost airline has a rule not to reduce the ticket price already raised once. For example, if you saw a great offer on the site at a suitable price, then immediately make a purchase. In a couple of days, the cost of air travel can double in size and will not return to its previous level.
A little more about low-cost airlines
In today's article, we told you only about the largest and already established discounter companies with a wide geography of flights. But in addition to the carriers we have already listed, there are others that offer fairly good prices for flights across Europe. Among them are:
- German low-cost airlines Condor and AirBerlin, which fly even in the Asian direction;
- Transavia, the oldest European discounter, working in this field for more than fifty years;
- Spanish company Volotea, which has its own loyalty program;
- the low-cost airline Meridiana, which offers fairly cheap tickets not only to European countries, but also to Cuba and even to Africa.
Summing up everything written, we can say that independent travels in Europe are no longer the lot of the rich. Indeed, thanks to low-cost airlines, everyone can fulfill their cherished dream and visit almost any country in the world.