A low-cost airline is a low-cost airline that offers a very low fare in exchange for refusing many traditional passenger services. What are the best low-cost airlines in Italy? How are they good? You will find answers to these and other questions in the article.
Occurrence
How did low-cost airlines appear? The concept of low-cost appeared in the United States. From there, it scattered across Europe in the early 1990s, and then to many other countries of the world. The term "low-cost" in many languages of our planet is borrowed from the English language, where at first it applied to all airlines with a lower construction of working costs than their competitors.
The term "low-cost" is often applied to any airline with low ticket prices and a narrow range of services regardless of their operating versions. But low-cost airlines do not need to be mixed with regional air carriers that work without service on short flights. Or with full-service airways, but limiting the range of services.
Italian low-costers
Italy's low-cost airlines are very popular among travelers. In this country there are only three budget carriers:
- Meridiana fly is the second major Italian low-cost airline. The airline carries out both interethnic and domestic transportation.
- Air Dolomiti - envelops the route network almost the entire country. Also makes flights to European countries.
- Blu-express - flies both on transnational routes, and on domestic.
It is these three budget airlines that are considered the best in Italy.
It is known that low-cost airlines Raynair and EasyJet fly to this country. Other low-cost airlines also carry passengers from Italy : Vueling, Norwegian, Germanwings, airBerlin, airBaltic.
What are budget airlines?
Many tourists like low-cost airlines in Italy. Consider them as detailed as possible. These are airlines with cheap tickets, additional paid services and new airplanes. The cost of low-cost tickets includes only a minimum of baggage and a flight. For choosing a place, transportation of hand luggage, meals in flight and registration at the airport you need to pay separately. Only new aircraft are located in the fleet of these air companies, since they have less fuel consumption and do not need frequent maintenance.
Thanks to these airlines, you can fly for one ruble or one euro, but such tickets are very rare and are sold only on shares. Flights for 25 euros or 999 rubles are quite possible to purchase. On average, people pay half the cost of a flight by budget airlines.
Luggage
For Italian low-cost airlines, a small amount of baggage is included in the ticket price. But it also happens that the carriage of all registered hand luggage is paid, and the cost of its transportation can be twice as high as the ticket price.
If you have a lot of luggage, it is better not to use the services of low-cost airlines. Overpayment for hand baggage will increase the cost of a flight many times over. Before purchasing cheap air tickets, it is necessary to clarify the rules of baggage transportation with airline employees.
Best Italian low-coster
What is the best Italian low-cost airline Air Dolomiti? This Italy airline was based in Verona. It is based at Munich International Airport and Verona Airport . Since 2003, 100% of the company has been owned by Deutsche Lufthansa AG.
History and Data
Low-cost airlines in Italy are especially revered by travelers. The airline we are considering was founded in January 1989. The name of the company comes from a mountain range located in the Eastern Alps - the Dolomites (Italian Alpi Dolomiti).
It is a leading regional airline in Northern Italy. It has the following data:
- IATA Code: EN.
- ICAO Code: DLA.
- Address: Via Paolo Bembo, 70, Frazione di Dossobuono, Villafranca di Verona, 37062 Italy.
- Fleet: Embraer 195.
- Base airports: Trieste Friuli Venezia Giulia, Munich.
The second famous Italian low-coster
Meridiana SpA, operating as Meridiana (formerly known as Alisarda SpA and Meridiana fly SpA), is an Italian private airline headquartered in Olbia. Its main base is located in the air harbor of Olbia Costa Smeralda.
The airline operates charter and regular flights to domestic, transnational and European destinations from several Italian bases. Some of its operations are carried out by a subsidiary of Air Italy under the brand name Meridiana.
Annals
Meridiana SpA was established with the name Alisard in March 1963, Prince Aga Khan Karim al-Husseini, with the goal of developing tourism in Sardinia. In 1964, the planned flights began.
35% of the new shares to strengthen the company were issued by a new shareholder in 1989, and the name Meridiana was adopted in 1991, on May 3. The first international services were sold later in 1991 in Paris, Barcelona, Frankfurt and London.
At the end of February 2010, Meridiana fly was the second largest carrier in Italy. It was created by merging the Eurofly company, which specializes in long-range charter flights to holiday destinations, and Meridiana, the planned operator of European and national flights, with the main goal of connecting the basic Italian airports with Sicily and Sardinia.
In October 2011, Meridiana fly completely bought Air Italy, a chartered Italian airline that now operates on behalf of Meridiana.
On January 16, 2013, the Board of Directors of Meridiana SpA confirmed an agreement to acquire Meridiana SpA all common shares of Meridiana that belonged to former shareholders of Air Italy Holding Srl. Today, the group is led by Meridiana SpA Holding, which controls 89% of Meridiana fly, including 100% Air Italy. The remainder is on the Milan Stock Exchange.
When the merger of Air Italy was completed, in April 2013, Meridiana fly reverted to its former, shorter name, Meridiana.
In 2014, the airline continued to change its brand, sending international flights to Moscow, Kiev, London and other cities, and confirmed its leadership in Sardinia, focusing on Catania, Naples, Milan, the Verona airport for domestic flights.
In July 2016, it was announced that Qatar Airways had acquired a 149% stake in Meridiana.
Fleet
So, you already know which low-cost airlines fly to Italy. Meridiana has entered into code-sharing agreements with the following airlines:
- Air Malta
- Air Berlin;
- Blue Air
- Air Moldova;
- S7 Airlines;
- Iberia
- British Airways;
- Blue Panorama Airlines.
In total, the fleet of the company has 39 aircraft.
Low cost airline
Blue-express is a budget Italian airline based in Rome. It performs international and domestic flights, is a link in the parent airline Blue Panorama Airlines.
Blue Panorama Airlines Owner - Distral & Itr. Agree, Italy's low-cost airlines are very interesting to study.
As of September 2009, the fleet of the airline under consideration consisted of the following aircraft:
- three Boeing 737-300 aircraft;
- three sides of the Boeing 737-400 of the parent airline Blue Panorama Airlines.
Prices
What prices do lowcosters of Italy offer for their services? We have already said that the Meridiana airline is one of the largest in Italy. Today, his planes carry passengers in the 51st direction. One of the residences of the airline is located in Russia. Domestic flights of the airline are represented by such megacities: Catania, Lampedusa, Napali, Palermo, Olbia, Rome, Milan, Cagliari, Turin, Verona, Rimini, Bologna, Genoa.
The average price of a ticket for one traveler on domestic flights in the country is 40-50 euros one way.
The domestic flights of the Blue-Panorama airline are represented by such megacities of Italy: Ancona, Rome, Genoa, Florence, Bologna, Milan, Lampedusa, Pisa, Perugia, Verona, Venice, Treviso, Turin, Reggio Calabria.
Domestic flights here cost € 30 almost any way per passenger.
Tickets
Italy's domestic low-cost airline is almost always full of passengers. The cheapest tickets for one ruble or one euro are sold in advance for new flights for advertising purposes. Low-cost airlines sell tickets at low prices to their first customers, as the aircraft is full, the ticket price increases.
Low-cost airlines include a return on flight price of 60-70% of tickets, so about 30% of tickets are sold at a low fare. When the plane is full, the airline arranges a sale of tickets in order to earn extra services and to complete the flight.
When choosing the date, place of arrival and departure, be careful, as tickets for low-cost airlines can not be handed over! Some low-cost airlines offer to hand over a ticket, change the name of the traveler or the date of the trip, having previously paid for it. But this significantly increases the price of the flight. Very often, penalties for such changes are equal to the acquisition of a new ticket.
Typically, low-cost airlines choose when only a flight is needed. Take few things, be patient without food, register online, do not choose a place in the cabin of the aircraft - then the ticket will be really inexpensive. It must be remembered that the policy of low-cost airlines is aimed at reducing costs and earning additional services.
Nutrition
Meals on board low-cost airlines are always paid. Some offer only water for free. On average, the duration of flights of low-cost airlines does not exceed three hours - at this time it is not difficult to refuse food. If this is difficult for you, take a bag of cookies or nuts with you.
Seat selection
Choosing a seat in the cabin of low-cost airlines is paid. When booking a ticket you will be offered a seat based on the workload of the aircraft. If you want to change it, then you have to pay. Front row seats and spacious seats are sold at higher prices.
registration
If you fly with a low-cost airline, you will have to register online for the flight yourself. Clearance in the air harbor may be paid due to the reduction in labor costs for employees at check-in counters. You need to print out your boarding pass in advance, as this can also be a paid service.
Air hubs
All airlines pay airfares service charges: handling hand luggage, checking in travelers, cleaning the cabin, delivering to the plane, and so on. Not all major air hubs offer low fares to low-cost airlines.
As a rule, to save money, low-cost airlines do not fly to the central air berths, but choose those that are away from megacities. To reduce the size of the collection of the air hub, low-cost airlines refuse services: they do not use buses or “sleeves”. Passengers on foot are landing.
Low-cost airlines do not pay for long-term aircraft parking. After boarding and hand luggage issue, cabin crew prepare the plane for flight and immediately take travelers for the next flight. In order to save money at low-cost airlines, night parking is provided only at the air hubs. For this reason, airlines do not fly long distances.
It should be noted that the cabin interior of low-cost airline companies is equipped with a huge number of seats with a small distance for legs, some low-cost airlines cannot recline the seat, there is also no business class.