Getting
around in England by plane is still an expensive
option but within the United Kingdom it
is a viable option. People under 25 (and
students under 27) can get discounts. Within
Europe the most discounted flights can be
cheaper than long distance rail or bus tickets
due to the recent deregulation within the
European Union. Established companies like
British Midland or British Airways have
matched the prices offered by the new operators
and on the popular routes the air traveller
is spoilt by choice. In fact on many routes
you would be crazy not to fly. The new airlines
save money by not serving meals and cutting
the commission paid to the travel agent.
New airlines such as London Luton based
easyJet, Brussels based Virgin Express,
Irish carrier Ryanair are behind the move
to force the established carriers into a
competitive marketplace. Secondary airports
such as London's Luton and City Airports
and Rome's Ciampino have experienced record
growth as new airlines secure landing slots.
BUYING A TICKET
Tickets between London and Paris and other
major centres around England can be as little
as £5. Air England also offers one
way charter fares from Paris to Rome, Athens,
Dublin, Istanbul and Madrid.
Return tickets are usually cheaper a good
defence against immigration officials who
want to be assured that you are going to
leave the country. Get a ticket with an
airline that allows you to make changes
to the ticket without any problems. If you
are working or studying in England for more
than one year you may wish to get a one-way
ticket and utilise the cheap tickets out
of London to come home.
Students or travellers under 26 years should
always ask for youth / student fares. If
you are flying from Australia or New Zealand,
ask about stopovers to break the journey.
Buying tickets with a credit card can double
your frequent flyer points and is an insurance
against dodgy travel agents. This way you
have time to check you have a ticket and
can cancel the charge if there is a problem.
If you are arriving late or departing early
check to see if the airport is open all-night
so you can catch some sleep on comfy sofas
before heading off again. Some places can
close down and public transport services
stop for the night.
TRANSPORT TO/FROM THE AIRPORTS
There are shuttle buses or even trains running
to english airports from all main train
or bus terminals.
Easyjet www.easyjet.com
To contact the easyJet reservation centre
by phone, please call: in the UK, 0870 6
000 000, in Spain, 90 229 9992
in Switzerland, 0848 888 222, in the Netherlands,
023 568 4880
in England, 0825 082 508, in Greece, 967
0000.
Ryanair www.ryanair.com
Easily the best discount airline for flights
from England to England. Signup to their
regular e-newsletter for updates on the
best deals.
CHEAP DEALS
See our pages for cheap
flight tactics for more information.
Many of the cheap airlines cut their prices
by reducing services i.e you will not be
served meals or drinks. They also offer
online reservations which cuts out the commissions
normally paid to travel agents. Most travel
agents as a result will boycott booking
for these airlines.
If you would like to book using a charter
or courier go to our links pages for helpful
links. Charter buy blocks of tickets in
advance and resell them to consumers. Flights
can be crowded, inflight service compromised
and schedules can change at the last minute
or be delayed. Courier flights are a better
way to travel however it means you have
very small baggage allowance and it is usually
impossible to travel with a friend unless
you can meet up when you arrive. However
the length of your trip may also be determined
by the flight, you may be required to serve
as a courier on the return trip.
For other cheap flights check the ads in
major newspapers, student newspapers and
the free / alternative press.
Many of the cheap airlines cut their prices
by reducing services i.e you will not be
served meals or drinks. They also offer
online reservations which cuts out the commissions
normally paid to travel agents.
Ryan Air www.ryanair.com
Ryan Air flies to locations all over Europe
and the United Kingdom from London Stansted.
For flexible travellers these cheap flights
are a big saving. However special deals
are offered only during certain periods,
check their website regularly for details.
Flights can be booked by credit card and
tickets are picked up at the airport. Ryan
Air does not refund cancellations and only
20 kilograms are allowed as weight allowance.
Usually one piece of hand luggage is permitted.
EasyJet
Also operates out of London but has more
limited flights than Ryan Air throughout
Europe. easyJet is a ticketless airline,
so all you need at check-in is your confirmation
number and positive proof of ID (a passport
for International flights).
For Further information visit the easyJet
web site: www.easyJet.com
Here
are some tips to surviving air travel:
* Avoid areas with young
children
* Put a request in for seats with more leg
room (these are often reserved if someone
with a disability requests them)
* Suck on lollies or inhale sachets of eucalyptus
(both provided by the airline) if you have
ear trouble with ascent or descent.
* Bring an array of activities to keep you
occupied eg. Books to read, work to do,
letters to write etc
* Request to be moved if you can spy a series
of empty seats or request that the seats
next to you be left empty until needed
* Don’t hesitate to tell other passengers
if they are talking too loud when you are
sleeping, have their chair too far back
or are generally disrupting your comfort.
* Walk around the plane regularly for exercise
once the seatbelt sign is released. If you
hang around the hostess area long enough
you may even score a few perks – drinks,
visits to the cockpit etc.
* Get in early using the bathrooms as these
can deteriorate rapidly on some flights.
* Alcohol does not help with jet lag affects.
* If you’re hungry ask for more food.
There are often spare meals that are only
discarded.
