Are discount airlines really any cheaper?

A question I’m sure many often have when booking a holiday!

Well, I’m on my way.  About 2 months ago, I made arrangements to head back to the UK & Europe.

Being a freelancer gives me a lot of flexibility.  Working through the digital channel allows me to work remotely – seeing the world but still satisfying the needs of my clients and also ensuring a steady flow of income in my bank account:).

The original reason behind this trip was to get away to one of the Spanish islands in the Canaries.  We are headed there for a bit to get a bit of R&R.  It should be a really good time and make for some great blog posts too – stay tuned.

Before I go to paradise, I’m heading back to my favourite spot – Jersey!! I know, surprise surprise.  You can’t tear me away for that long, can you?

Before I booked my flight I found out that there was a discount carrier who flew from Tel Aviv to Manchester.  Manchester offers me a bit of a benefit when heading to Jersey as instead of having to take a shuttle between London Heathrow to Gatwick I can grab a flight direct to Jersey from the MAN airport.

I booked on the discount airline, Jet2.com.  I had never heard of them before if I’m honest.  Funny enough when we bought our tix to Gran Canaria we realized the flight over there was with Jet2 too.  So this is going to be three week of Jet2-ing.

Flying with discount airlines, in my opinion, is always a hit and miss experience.  I’ve flown with some that are brilliant and others that are really bad.

I’m in 2 minds if they are really cheaper in the end than a commercial airline as you have to pay extra for so many things.

The main items that get added on are checked baggage, in-flight meals, check in (my personal favourite), extra baggage weight at the airport and soon-to-be released charges for the use of the toilet.  I’ll take each of these in turn.

Checked baggage is a huge source of revenue for these discount airlines.  Typically the charges can be anywhere from 7-18 pounds – it varies so much between airlines and it often depends on if you book it in advance or at the airport.  This charge I can somewhat understand definetly more so than the others.

Charges for in-flight meals became popular after 9/11 in my opinion.  As airlines struggled, they started to remove these now “perks” and offered meals at a cost.  In my view, I never opt for buying food on planes.  I’ll just bring something with me from home or buy in the airport before boarding.  You are bound to get something tastier and cheaper.

The new one that astonishes me is paying for check in.  I can understand charging people for checking in at the airport as this costs the airline money for hiring more staff to check you in.  When I booked my Jet2 flight they actually charged me 6 pounds for checking in online.  I don’t understand how they can charge for checking in online.  Essentially customers are paying for their website as we are checking in online and printing out our own boarding passes.

Where these airlines really sting you is on extra baggage.  When you book your holiday, sometimes months in advance, most of us have all the intentions of staying within the 20kg limit.  Then something happens when we are packing.  We pack those souveniers, gifts and we have to bring our favourite pair of pumps for those nights out.  Then all of a sudden we break the 20kg threshold and it goes downhill from there.  I can’t complain, when I checked in on my flight from Tel Aviv to Manchester yesterday they didn’t charge me a dime but I know very well when the scale read 22.5 kg that could have costed me a lot.  Some extra baggage fees can range between 10-20 pounds per kilo.  Not good for the pocketbook without even getting on the plane.  This one is a classic for airlines as you are stuck at the airport so you have to pay – unless you suddenly decide to throw out 2.5kg of stuff into the garbage bin.  They know they’ve got you and you’re going to pay for it.

The latest and greatest is a story I heard from the notorious pioneer of discount airlines, Ryanair.  Last year in 2009 it hit headlines that its owner Michael O’Leary wanted to start charging passengers for going to the toilet on the flight – 1 pd / 1 euro per visit.  When I first read this headline I actually thought it was a joke but I found it was true.  What is even more amazing is that it apparently is going to move forward.  A recent article in the Daily Mail stated that Ryanair will start charging for use of onboard toilets.  I think I’ve seen it all.

Am I the only one that thinks this is out of line?  Please let me know how you feel!!

On the whole, I am not against discount airlines – actually I’ve flown some pretty decent ones including Thomas Cook, First Choice and will now say the same about Jet2.com (so far).  The main reason I fly with discount airlines is if they make life more convenient for me – flying into a better airport for the most part – not really for the cost savings.

Another positive of a discount airline is that they keep the big guys – the likes of El Al (Israel’s airline), British Airways (everyone’s favourite) and Air Canada – on their toes.  The competition of discount airlines creates an environment for better prices.

I must be speaking with my marketing hate on but don’t you agree?

I’m curious to hear what others think about the discount airlines out there.  I’ll keep you posted on my experiences with Jet2 in the coming weeks and also give you more thoughts on how I feel about discount airlines but for now tell me your views.

And now I’m off to Jersey…stay tuned…