When budget flights actually make good budget sense
2 min read
Some flight deals seem too good to be true. $26 for a one-way ticket from London to Rome? $29 from Boston to Miami? $44 from Denver to New York?
Such flights, all on budget airlines, are popular because they offer fast travel to in-demand locations at a lower price point.
But between the extra baggage and seat fees, the limited flight options and the lack of amenities, the costs of flying budget can become much more than expected. Tom Varghese, owner of the travel agency Travel Tom, said he tries not to book budget airlines for his clients for that reason.
“Sometimes it can work out, if the cost differential can be dramatic, but these days that’s not the case,” Varghese said. “When things go wrong, it can go really really wrong.”
That’s not to say budget airlines are always a bad option. Here’s what travelers should keep in mind when deciding whether to book a budget-airline flight.
What is a budget airline?
According to travel experts, airlines fall into one of three rough categories. Legacy carriers, like American Airlines, Delta and United, offer more varieties of ticket and seat options, and are often higher-end. Low-cost carriers (think Southwest and JetBlue) still provide competitive amenities like WiFi or better legroom.
Budget airlines are the cheapest of the three, offering savings that typically accompany little to none of the usual free flight perks, such as carry-on bags or refreshments. Often, budget carriers also will have less legroom and more limited routes and flight times.
In the United States, popular budget airline options include Spirit and Frontier. In Europe, customers can book EasyJet, Ryanair, Vueling, Wizz Air and a host of other carriers. And in Latin America, travelers can look at Viva Air Colombia, Sky Airline and Amaszonas, among others.
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