Often people fly on the budget airlines to get the cheapest possible price on their airplane ticket. Often people do save a lot of money on the budget airlines. However, there are some specific things you must need to consider when you fly on the low cost airline carriers.
1.) Inflight Meals Will Cost Extra
In order to keep the costs low, most low cost airline companies will charge extra for the inflight meals. Therefore do not expect that the food will be free, and be prepared to pay if you intend to eat their meals on the plane. If you do not wish to pay, then it is best to pack your own snack on board, such as a sandwich.
2.) Check in Luggage Will Cost Extra
Another reason why budget airlines can keep their prices low is that for check in luggage usually they will charge you extra. Usually if you book from their websites, after paying for the main airplane ticket, they will try to up sell you by encouraging you to have check in luggage instead of carry-on luggage (which is usually free). Therefore if you intend to have check in luggage, do be prepared to pay an extra fee on that. One tip that some people do is that if you are traveling with another person, you can split the check in luggage cost and share one luggage together for check in.
3.) No Inflight Entertainment
A big item to consider is that most cheap airline operators do not have inflight entertainment services, as again, this is to keep costs low. This is usually okay for short journeys where it is only 1 to 2 hours long. However if you intend to fly on a long haul flight, then it is recommended to bring a laptop or tablet computer to keep you entertained as much as possible during your flight, as there will be nothing else to do.
4.) Service Is Only Average
Don’t expect to be receiving a first class service, because you are paying for what you get. I wouldn’t say the service on these low cost flights to be terrible, but just don’t expect too much. At most it will be probably average or “okay” service.
Flying on budget airlines has a lot of advantages in terms of cost savings. However before you book that flight; you just need to consider the above mentioned factors as some of them will add on to the cost of the flight. That being said, most of the time even if you add on all the additional costs above, it will still be more economical than flying with the mainstream carriers.
Ultimately There Are Two Sides Of A Coin
For the difficult days when traveling around the world seems like a dear dream, budget airlines can turn out to be amazing in every manner. On the surface, a lot of people have created their own image of these low-cost airlines. Some can’t look beyond the cheap fares, while others can’t get over the average services provided by the airlines.
No matter what you think, millions of passengers opt for these airlines for flying around the world. Even though there are many travelers who don’t consider these to be safe, hardly any airlines have been part of any air mishaps. Let’s look at both the sides of flying with these airlines.
Pros of Choosing Low-Cost Airlines
Of course, the low fare makes it an obvious choice for traveling. If you book early, the fares get even better for the travelers. This is a huge advantage for the frugal flyers that make ends meet to fulfill their desire of traveling around the world.
Because the low budget airlines have a strong competition, they introduce promotions every now and then for the travelers. But since these will be available only for a limited period, travelers need to stay alert if they don’t wish to miss out.
When you save through those airlines, you can spend more money on the actual trip. This means you could probably explore more destinations or shop if you fancy.
With all these benefits, there are a few compromises that travelers will have to make when they opt for these budget airlines. Here are some of them.
Cons of Choosing Low-Cost Airlines
No matter how much you’re tempted to think, you aren’t compromising over your safety high up in the air when choosing kind of airlines. However, there are plenty of hidden fees that you might fall victim of.
Budget airlines are often criticized for charging low fares and compensating these through taxes, insurance cost and other hidden charges. Before you book, ensure that you’ve gone through all these and know what you’re paying for.
As you are paying lesser for the ticket, it might mean you may have to fly at really odd timings. Most of the budget airlines have a very odd schedule, mostly early mornings or midnight.
Baggage restrictions are a common problem when choosing these low-cost airlines. Most of these only allow you a carry-on, that too with specific restrictions. If you are checking in any bags, you might have to pay a dear amount to get it through.
When flying with budget airlines, you have little flexibility. However, the airline might still enjoy this. A lot of travelers face the misery of last minute rescheduling done by these airlines. They might even end up changing your seat because of certain reasons.
In times like these, it’s best to stay updated so you don’t have to face any last minute misery when you travel. End of the day there are still many ways to save some funds for future use. However, rainy days do happen so should there be such a day, and there is no one to turn to during emergencies, you can always apply for fast cash and quick personal loans to get through the rough time.
