My family has been planning a European vacation, mostly to visit friends and family members, but also to see some of the sights of various cities in Western and Southern Europe. Since we want to visit cities in Spain, Germany and Denmark, our transportation options range from taking the train, renting a car or flying between the different countries. While our first thought was that flying would be the least economical way to travel, we’ve since found out that there are quite a few low-cost airlines that we might be able to use in order to save money and get to our destinations quickly and conveniently. Here are a few to consider if you are in the situation of needing to travel amongst several European countries:
Ryanair
I’ve heard conflicting things about this budget airline. The prices are very low; for example, I found a flight from Cologne, Germany, to Barcelona, Spain for under 50 euros (about $61) round trip, not including fees and taxes. There are also one-way fares listed as being under 10 euros (about $12) originating in the UK. Ryanair does charge for luggage, though, and some of the hub airports are not actually in the towns listed: Flying into Copenhagan won’t actually get you to Denmark; instead, you’ll be flying into a Swedish town that is about an hour away by car. Be sure to look into all of the details before booking, but this shows promise for cheap, no-frills flights.
EasyJet
Again, reviews vary when it comes to this budget airline. On the plus side, airfares are low in many cases. From Lyon, France, to Milan, Italy, the price is about 16 euros (a little under $20) each way. Some complaints include less-than-stellar customer service, high baggage fees and confusing, disorganized lines to actually board the planes. EasyJet does suggest paying for your luggage fees via their website before the day of travel, as doing so is cheaper (not to mention less stressful) than doing so at the airport. Again, read the fine print before booking.
More to Check
Many cities in Europe have small airlines that offer discount pricing, so depending on where you’re flying out of or into, you might be able to get a great deal with a line you’ve never even heard of. AirBerlin, for example, offers great rates to those flying out of various German cities to other points in Europe as well as North America. We’ve flown non-stop from southwest Florida to Dusseldorf, for example. Some others to look into include Brussels Airlines , Norwegian (several Scandinavian cities), SmartWings (Prague and Budapest), Transavia (Amsterdam), Vueling (Spanish cities), and WindJet (Italian cities). Calling a travel agent or the airport itself will help you to determine which budget airlines service which cities.
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