The Pros and Cons of Choosing a Low Cost Airline

Posted by Rachel in Travel Tips on 04 8th, 2011 | Read Comments(1)

When you’re planning a holiday and need to book flights, it’s understandable to look for the best deal possible. With so many low cost airlines in existence now, there are more chances of finding budget flights, if you know where to look. But despite the lure of a cheap ticket, there are still some potential hidden costs and downsides to low cost flying. We take a look at the pros and cons involved in choosing a low cost airline.

Pros of low cost airlines

Here are some of the benefits of flying with a low cost airline:

One of the obvious pros of choosing to fly with a low cost airline is that you’ll save money. When you’re on a budget and have limited funds to start with, this means you may well be able to afford to spend more on better accommodation, or extra sightseeing.

If you don’t want to take loads of luggage and can fit all your holiday needs in a single carry-on bag, you can successfully make the most of travelling on a budget plane.

Budget airlines are a good option if you’re travelling in an off peak time, as you can often secure a really good deal.

Cons of low cost airlines

Budget airlines do have their downsides though:

Low cost airlines often have stricter rules on luggage, so you may need to be prepared to pay more to take an extra bag with you or even to check-in luggage at all.

The food on budget airlines varies considerably and often costs extra, so if you’re what you’re going to eat concerns you, it may not be such a good deal. Likewise, it could be tricky if you have a special diet or food allergy.

Seats on budget airlines can get booked up very quickly, especially when a good deal is available, so if you don’t book a seat quickly, you may not get one on your deal flight.

Sometimes flights aren’t as cheap as they initially seem – remember that there may well be taxes and charges to add on to the final price.

Have you flown with a budget airline? Would you do so again? Share your views and experiences with budget airline travel in the comments below!