Rate the discount airlines...Please

I have flown RyanAir a few times, and was very happy with their service, however, I want more options when I go to Europe this Fall........

Will You please rate Your top three cheap airlines (ie. EasyJet- RyanAir)

Thanks a million!

Debbie

Destination is more vital than the quality of airline with regards to ratings.

Use something like Skyscanner for guidance to routes.

Think of them as a flying bus. They're no different to jetblue, canjet or southwest airlines. They're all equally liable to air traffic delays. They're all anal about you exceeding baggage size/weight allowances.

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<hr>Will You please rate Your top three cheap airlines (ie. EasyJet- RyanAir)<hr></blockquote>

And do remember that airlines like BA, Swiss, Lufthansa ... often cost less than the no-frills brigade.

unless they were spectaculary cheaper than others i wouldnt use them, particulary Ryanair.

#2 - they're nothing liek buses, you can at least move your legs on a bus, on a recent flight to Luca i couldnt manage this simple act. also they pack in more seats so you cant walk around the plane. budget airlines are for students and backpackers

When it comes to Easyjet/ Ryanair, go Ryanair. I hate both, but will never fly Easyjet again. I would walk or swim before going on their crappy airline.

#2, what buses do you use??? The new Dublin buses are now more generous than years ago, but that only allows the blood to flow to your legs enough to stop them going blue.

I suspect this could become very interesting...

I've flown with a few budget airlines recently: Ryanair, Easyjet, Flybe and Jet2 and, in all honesty they are absolutely fine. I've never had any problems with them, however, when things go wrong, boy do they go wrong. I'm sure you will fine a cornucopia of objections and recommendations on the forums.

#4 - LOL, I flew back to back Jet2 and Swiss a couple of weeks ago. The Jet2 legroom was atrocious. The person in front of me reclined his seat leaving me so little room that I couldn't alter the volume on my iPod let alone read my book (I asked if he minded putting it back to the upright position but he just ignored me - on a short-haul flight like that, why do people insist on doing that, but don't get me started... Luckily there was a spare seat next to Mrs H so I could move). Swiss on the other hand were fine, a lot more legroom and comfortable (and a complimentary small bar of genuine Swiss chocolate to boot!).

All the budget airlines I have tried, and I have tried most European ones, were just fine or really good.

Now that the taxes are so high, and airlines like Ryanair charge you more than they advertise and more than they tell you the ticket actually costs just to carry one small to normal sized bag on your trip, there are only really cheap flights any more if you are lucky enough to get them.

As with last night, when booking a trip, I went with Ryanair which on the same route was almost the same price as the non-budget national carrier, around two months in advance, because I saved a few pounds. I don't see much difference between reasonably affordable non-budget and "budget" operators unless you do get a good price these days. It is still very possible, but you just can't seem to count on getting a budget flight anymore with some of the operators. I think it is more often more a nice surprise, so everything has changed.

In some ways the great days of budget flights are over. Though we still are enjoying the good days. If the two governments of the British Isles have the way publicised in the papers regarding raising flight taxes budget flights will be very limited. I don't understand anyway, the taxes are so sky high mostly.

The worst offenders for me were the charter airlines but I don't use them now.
Budget airlines are ok in my experience if you accept their limitations. Ryanair was a lot worse in its early days during the 1980's when it had only a couple of turbo-props. But since it started using proper planes it has improved a lot. Easyjet has been fine anytime I've used it.

Of the ones I've used:

1. Ryanair - most punctual, friendliest staff. So what if they charge more for bags - add it up. It's all on their website. Without them all fares would be higher.
2. SkyEurope - can't remember anything about them so must have been OK
3. Fly Globespan - OK
4. Monarch - two hours late but flight was OK
5. easyjet - cos I hate Luton airport

#9,
Ryanair staff friendly, thats a laugh!!! They will treat you like an animal if you have a problem.

Globespan, ok, tell that to the people of Knock who were waiting nearly a week for their plane! Click here

Monarch were so stingy when I went on them that they actively moved people from the empty emergency exit seats during the flight.

Easy Jet managed to charge us a few hundred quid more on the credit card. Took ages to sort out and still lost some money.

Sky Europe, never used them.

Have a look at http://www.airlinequality.com/index.htm, which has reviews of most airlines. This confirms my own view that Ryanair is the absolute pits in terms of customer 'service'. God help you if anything goes wrong on a Ryanair flight (and don't even think about complaining as they don't respond to complaints or even pick up the phone). Easyjet has a reputation for being more user-friendly, but as has been pointed out, the budget airlines have far fewer resources (eg spare planes) anyway, so if there are problems things can get very bad very quickly. Also Ryanair's destinations are not always what they seem - eg 'Paris' is not Paris at all. Check the airport location carefully. That said, when things go well - and they usually do - the budgets are fine. I actually find the crew on Easyjet more motivated than the average BA crew in terms of food and drink services. Sure you pay for the extras, but people who compain about outrageous prices clearly haven't had a meal or a drink in most airport teminals.

I went to Galway recently. Out with Ryan Air and back with Aer Lingus. Very little difference in price but massive difference in quality.

The transport links from Heathrow are much cheaper back into london (if you use busses or tube with an Oyster).

I agree with those that say the days of the no-frill are numbered.

a

#10 Dara, I'm sticking to my own experiences rather than repeating anecdotal evidence about other peoples'. I mean the flight crew were friendliest, not the ground staff who are just contractors at Aberdeen.

Last year I had to go from Scotland to a function in Co. Clare, get to Kaiserslautern to see a World Cup match, my two sons had to join me there, then we all travelled back to Scotland. I drove to Prestwick, left car, flew to Shannon, went to function, flew to Hahn, meanwhile sons caught train to Prestwick (half price because of Ryanair ticket) flew to Hahn and after the match we all flew back to Prestwick , picked up the car and drove home.

This sort of thing was just unthinkable before Ryanair started getting into regional airports.
The whole journey, for three of us, was less than £300, because we booked well ahead.
All flights were on time or early.

Otherwise I use Ryanair for Aberdeen Dublin regularly and have no complaints at all.
We also use them to get our Irish employees to and from jobs and have had no problems at all over the last three years.
All the problems we have had have been when using major airlines through busy airports like LHR

OK, bs aside, in all seriousness I fully agree with #11. Ryanair are great until something goes wrong, then god help you (and your supposed legal rights).

They don't have a customer service department. The saving is passed on to you. With our employees we treat Ryanair tickets as throwaways and always have a plan B. However we have never had to use it yet.

"With our employees we treat Ryanair tickets as throwaways and always have a plan B"

Well lucky old you. How many other passengers on the average Ryanair flight are able to do that, do you think? #15 you make some good points but you seem to have a romantic view of this airline. Any savings they make go to their profits as well as to the customers. And no matter how cheap the flight, if it doesn't get you there/loses your luggage/changes times at the last minute, and then gives you no comeback whatsoever, it's a rip-off. I hate the idea, espoused so cheerfully by Michael O'Leary that you 'get what you pay for'. It sounds reasonable, but what it really means is that those in this world with less money should expect to be treated badly and not complain. A horrible way of running a business.

I said it would get interesting...

Just booked return flight on Flybe from Leeds/Bradford to Belfast City. Cost of seat £0.00 (yes zero) each way, cost of tickets including tax and charge for credit card £54.96 now you go figure who is making the most money out of this deal... and I doubt a penny of it will be spent wisely by Messrs Brown, Darling et al.

#15 - You're right, this is the best way to deal with them if you can, but if it's your prime method of going on your once a year holiday, it's a completely different matter indeed. Although I have to say that I've used your "throwaway" plan myself - for e.g. the other week bought a return ticket B'ham to Zurich and a single Stuttgart to B'ham just so I had the flexibility as I wasn't sure how my business trip was going to pan out. Eventually flew back via Zurich but only lost about £45 which I thought was worth it for the added flexibility it gave me.

#16 - Yes, not a good way to run a business, but "you pay your money and take your choice".

Bottom line: I'm still a big fan of the low cost carriers but I've only had good experiences with them, they force the "old guard" to lower their prices and they fly to places that 10 years ago would have cost you a fortune to get to.

Nerb, that was my experience. I have gone on them many times too. In Dublin, the ground crew are Ryanair staff, not contractors. I still say that they are far better than Easyjet though.

#11, sometimes, not going to the main city airport is an advantage. You tend to get out of the airport alot quicker and can still make time savings. Some people claim going to Beauvais was faster than CDG when it was just the Dublin flights going to it. Having said that, I waltzed through CDG with no problems. Going to Campiano in Rome is alot nearer than

Sorry, pressed send by mistake! Campiano is nearer to Rome than FCO, even thoughg FCO is easier to get to by train.

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<hr>Cost of seat £0.00 (yes zero) each way, cost of tickets including tax and charge for credit card £54.96 now you go figure who is making the most money out of this deal... and I doubt a penny of it will be spent wisely by Messrs Brown, Darling et al.<hr></blockquote>

The tax take on that is ten pounds or less. The balance goes to Flybe, who think that "taxes and charges" sounds better than "air fare".

Sometimes I think that more established airlines have paid people to grumble on Lonely Planet about cheap fare airlines.

Or maybe it is just a place of pretentious snobs.

Each cheap fare airline I have tried was at least fine each time, often very good.

For example, I haven't a clue what apapa in #12 is talking about: "massive difference in quality" between Ryanair and another airline I have used.

I have preferred Ryanair to Aer Lingus at times, and at times the opposite.

The seat room, only on some planes, may be slightly more with Aer Lingus or other operators. I don't see what a massive difference could be. With Ryanair you pay for the food and drink, which is what you expect for a cheaper ticket (services don't grow on trees) and it is good and I like that.

On Aer Lingus you get a small plate of food and a drink. Where the prices are similar, then, yes, of course, Aer Lingus is better on those occasions, and despite what I wrote in #9, the prices are usually more cheap enough to make a good difference, even if less rel budget prices are seen today.

Regarding geniality of the cabin crew, I have always found Ryanair staff to be fine, sometimes not smiling as much as some other airlines, but that is all a matter of taste. Different staffs are instructed in different ways. This is not a "massive difference in quality". It is slightly noticeable, if that, and can be easily to the preference of the traveller. That we have the option of budget flights is great. And that more frequent flyers have the options of two slightly different modes of service is fine.

#16 - I'm no more lucky than anyone else and I'm certainly not romantic when it comes to dealing with airlines of whom I have had much experience over 30 years of travel, business and social, including plenty of bad experiences (none with Ryanair yet though).

I'm realistic and my comments are based on my direct experiences of Ryanair and those of my two employees who live in Ireland and whose costs we monitor closely. We also monitor timing and reliability since they have to be sure of arriving at a job in time, often at short notice.

With all due respect, I suspect I have much more experience of this airline than you do. With all the negative publicity surrounding Ryanair, it's not as if people can say they aren't forewarned anyway, should something go wrong.

Ciampino for example, is very handy in some circumstances, as Dara points out, and allows our guys to save about an hour of faffing about when working in Southern Italy as it is much quicker to collect luggage and get a rental car and is then right on the A1 for heading south.

I have no particular brief to defend any airline but I am concerned about the distorted picture being put about which is not helpful to prospective travellers. Your comments are not unusual unfortunately, they have practically become received wisdom, and deserve further scrutiny:

1. "Any savings they make go to their profits as well as to the customers".
- of course they make a profit, unlike some of their competitors who try to match their fares. Their margins are relatively thin though and they rely on volume, gained by discounting, and reliability - better than most - as well as paring down services, to maintain profits. Do you really care, as a customer, when choosing an airline, about the company's profits?

2. And no matter how cheap the flight, if it doesn't get you there/loses your luggage/changes times at the last minute, and then gives you no comeback whatsoever, it's a rip-off.
- If it doesn't get you there ("there" being the point-to-point destination airport, as is made clear, not onward travel) Ryanair's policy to give a refund but not compensation for other difficulties. Show me a budget airline that is any different. Even flying BA on a full fare ticket costing many times the Ryanair fare, you can be delayed up to six hours (or longer on long haul flights) without compensation, as long as they get you to the stated destination eventually. Anything else is down to "customer relations" which is built into the fare structure of a full-service airline.

I'd be interested to hear of any cases where any point-to-point budget airline has lost luggage due to its own negligence. Baggage handlers are employed by airports, not airlines. Having had lost luggage with BA (I mean lost, not just delayed) I can tell you that they pay only the tiny statutory amount and you have to chase the rest from your insurance, same as you would with a budget airline. I have frequently had delayed luggage with BA and have never received ANY compensation. And unlike budget airlines, BA employs baggage handlers at Heathrow directly, so it is their responsibility.

Changes times at the last minute - I don't know of any budget airline which will compensate you for changed times.

A "rip-off" is when you don't get what is stated in the terms and conditions of your fare, not when you don't get what you imagined you would get.

3. "but what it really means is that those in this world with less money should expect to be treated badly and not complain."
"those in this world with less money" are precisely who have benefited from budget airlines like Ryanair .
"Treated badly" seems to be very subjective when it comes to airlines and depends on expectations.

The message of all this is: when using budget airlines, study the conditions and have realistic expectations

Just to show that there is no post on this branch that can't be turned into an anti-Aussie rant.

top stuff iday! "it's not us whingeing pointlessly about Ryanair, it's all those Aussies and Canadians"

I'm sorry #24, but why can't people use it like that? When I've used Ryanair, for example to fly to Dublin, it's a bit like getting on a bus, albeit with a lot of queuing and the rest of the faffing around you have to do. Jump on, grab a seat, fly, get off. Surely that is the whole point of "budget" airlines.

We joke about the Americans "doing" Europe, but at least they get off their backsides and do it rather than talk about it. I'd much prefer to see 5 European cities in a week than not see them at all. And what is wrong in expecting them to be reasonably on time and your luggage to arrive at the same time as you do.

As I said before, I've used them a lot and haven't had any problems - yeah the odd delay, but I've been delayed more often with BA than I have with all the budgets put together - anyway, Mrs H doesn't mind short delays, it gives her more time to spend in duty free buying yet more perfume and bloody sunglasses...!!!

airlines of whom I have had much experience over 30 years of travel, business and social, including plenty of bad experiences (none with Ryanair yet though).

#23 Well then you can't possibly comment on what happens when Ryanair messes up, can you? God almighty. Wake up!

Tell us what happened to you then. No repeats of what you've heard, what happened to you?

Tell us what happened to you then. No repeats of what you've heard, what happened to you?

Sure. STN- Perpignan last year. Flight 'couldn't land' because of bad weather - odd, as other airlines were at the time - 'not authorised to waste fuel circling', a better explanation perhaps? - diverted to Montpellier, where the Ryanair office was deserted. No information/back-up at all. Can you picture the scene? And no, it doesn't 'happen with other airlines', most of whom maintain some sort of airport presence. Eventually (after three hours) a Ryanair person arrived and a coach was ordered, and turned up eight hours after we landed. I later heard that the outgoing passengers at Perpignan had to wait two days for a flight - because, of course, Ryanair has no agreements with other airlines and would certainly not stump up the money for an alternative flight. Phone calls at the time and later (and emails) went unanswered. And I mean unanswered. See the website I mentioned above for further examples.

Thank you. This sort of information is far better than undetailed rants. People need to be aware that cheap fares don't pay for huge back-up organisation on the ground, and the small regional airports used by budget carriers can't conjure up staff and buses etc at short notice.

Furthermore, cheap airlines keep costs down by negotiating very tight landing slots and turnarounds so are more easily disrupted. This model is followed by almost all budget airlines and isn't unique to Ryanair

When bad weather hits, it can mean that landings are spaced out much more, so that only a third of the scheduled flights may land in a given day, as happened at Heathrow last winter. The fact that other flights can land isn't proof of evil intentions by an airline that doesn't.

But, yes, it does happen with other airlines - and no, they don't all maintain some sort of presence, especially in regional airports, and especially if they only have one flight slot every day or couple of days.

I would be just as mad as you in the situation you quoted, but: It even happens with full fare airlines, especially if you have to fly from/to a relatively remote regional airport (as I do )where it's hard to get spare planes quickly and most airlines don't have their own staff.

#30 One of the budget items with Thievingirishair is the navigation equipment. They have a lower spec which means that they can't land in conditions that wouldn't affect other airlines

WOW! Did I open a can of worms....LOL

Thanks everyone. After reading all your posts .....There is a LOT to consider.