Some good Web resources for finding budget airlines worldwide

by Jeffrey White on

Six years ago, I wrote a piece about easyJet for the Washington Post‘s travel section in which I described a five-leg trip I took through Europe on the airline for the price of a long-distance train ticket.

The flights were so cheap, if I recall, that the question is this to good to be true? underpinned the journey. I was looking for the catch in flying a cheap-o airline and was pleasantly surprised when I did not encounter one.

EasyJet had been around for about 10 years at the time, but American travelers were only just becoming aware of it and awakening to the possibility of seeking out low cost airlines as a viable, cheap alternative. Since then the budget airline industry has exploded with growth in pretty much every region save Africa, and they are now pretty much the only choice for travelers looking to cover great distances quickly and affordably. They’ve also helped drive down fares at major carriers; it’s not impossible to get a better prices these days on Germany’s national carrier, Lufthansa, than on Germanwings or Tuifly, two German budget airlines.

And as major carriers worldwide bleed money in the current economy, budget airlines are among the only ones in the industry posting consistent, if in some cases meager, profits and boasting of increasing passenger numbers and future expansion plans.

There are a few good Web resources to check out as you plan your next trip. Wherever you are going — Europe, Asia, South America — chances are there is a reputable budget airline that can help you save both time and money.

  • Skytrax publishes its annual World Airline Awards, and the ones that focus on budget airlines are a good place to start if you’re researching the best carriers in a given region. And the rankings are reputable: Skytrax surveys more than 4 million travelers. EasyJet won top honors for 2008.

  • Skytrax also publishes comprehensive reviews and customer comments on all airlines. If you want to find out about a particular low cost carrier, go here and type the airline’s name in the search bar.

  • The Flight Safety Foundation publishes a reliable information on airplane safety. Not sure whether a budget carrier is reputable? See what this site has to say.

  • WhichBudget is a useful site that culls the cheapest flying options between two destinations you choose.

  • Low Cost Airline Guide is a great, easy to use resource for digesting budget airline options between destinations in Europe.

Airfarewatchdog’s 2009 tips for saving on airfare

by Grant Martin on

Our friends over at Airfarewatchdog are still working hard, day and night, finding cheap tickets for America. Their grass root efforts have gained them a cult following, and these days, most people I know subscribe to their newsletter.

To help us in our daily scouring, George and the team put together a list of 10 tips for saving on airfare in 2009. With the evolving airline industry, crazy oil fluctuations and new carriers on the market, this sort of stuff is important to keep track of every year.

AFWD’s tips range from the simple, like “use flex searches” to the subtle, like using direct airline websites instead of booking engines, but each of the points is relevant, significant and important to keep in mind while doing your fare searching. Make sure you stop by and take a look at the entire list — it could save you a bundle!

Fare alert! Seattle is on sale!

by Grant Martin on

We’re a couple of days late to the party because, well, of all of the partying, but these fares were just too good to not tell you about.

Southwest Airlines (WN), the great low cost carrier based out of Dallas, TX, has done it again, launching a 50% off fare sale from and to Seattle, WA, originating anywhere that WN flies from.

Tickets are rocking as low as $150, with some of the best deals on transcons. You can get back and forth from Baltimore for about $185, less than the cost of a one way most of the time.

And the best part of this fare sale? Most airlines without their heads up their asses matched or lowered their prices, so if you have another favorite carrier, want to fly direct or just want a seating assignment the fares should be similar on other airlines.

Thanks for resetting the market on this one, Southwest. This weekend I’m taking advantage of November’s $98 fare sale to Salt Lake City for some Snowbird, Sundance and hedonistic Mormon parties.

Book your ticket TONIGHT if you want to take advantage here!

Fly OpenSkies in the new year on new sale rates

by Grant Martin on

If you’re still itching to get in on the new premium airline, OpenSkies but have so far been a little gun shy at the cost of tickets, you now have a new excuse to indulge: with the new year, the airline put their Prem+ cabin on sale, cutting the fare down to only $1,000 round trip.

Through January 26th and for travel through the spring you can take advantage of the offer, which puts you in plush, leather seats and a quiet, personal cabin with superior service on your transatlantic journey.

Why pay a few hundred bucks more than the competition to fly on OpenSkies? Quality. Overnight economy flights on other carriers leave you uncomfortable, tired and unhappy when you touch the ground in the EU. With these tickets you can hit the ground running, refreshed, happy and well taken care of. It’s an easy call if you have sensitive work to do the next day.

Check out their homepage at flyopenskies.com to book tickets.

Travel Alert! Southwest launches 50% off sale to Vegas

by Grant Martin on

Down to the last $1000 in your 401K? Why don’t you take it all to Las Vegas and put it on black? The nation’s largest low cost carrier just kicked off a fare sale to Sin City from ALL of it’s departure cities for flights through March 11th, meaning prices have officially reached “dirt cheap.”

With the Vegas economy in the dumps right now, it’s also a great time to score some cheap hotel rooms and package deals for your stay, so once you’re on the ground you can also save cash.

The fare sale runs ONLY from today until tomorrow, December 31st, and you have to travel by March 11th, so get your itinerary together quick, make a decision and pull the trigger.

Heck, you might even see some snow while you’re there.

Southwest Airlines not your style? Many of the legacy carriers matched the fares that were just published, so if you want to earn your precious miles, fly in first or skip a connection, make sure you check with your favorite airline as well.

Also, you can ONLY get these fares directly from Southwest — traditional online agents like Kayak and Orbitz don’t quote their prices, so make sure you go directly to the Southwest website to cash in.

[Thanks to George over at Airfarewatchdog for pointing us out to the sale.]