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Flying is now a realistic option for budget travelers. Airfares within Europe have plunged due to European Union reforms and deregulation, and new no-frills airlines are taking off. And some well-established carriers continue to offer discounts (or air passes) for flights within Europe to travelers who fly with them from North America. These days, before buying any long-distance train ticket, check with a travel agent (at home or in Europe) or the budget airlines' Web sites (see below).
Flight versus Train?
While airfares have dropped, a railpass is still usually a lot cheaper than flying. But if you're short on time or have long distances to cover, flying is worth considering. By taking a quick flight, you can easily visit two countries far apart from each other (say, a week in Norway and a week in Italy). For cities close together, the train is more practical. From London to Paris, the Eurostar Channel train can be faster than flying when you consider the train zips you directly from downtown to downtown (tel. 800/EUROSTAR, www.eurostar.com).
While the actual flight between the cities is faster than the train, you must factor in the time it takes to get between downtown and the airports, and the extra time needed for check-in and security. Train and car travel, unlike flights, keep you close to the scenery, to Europe, and to Europeans. Ground transportation is also less likely to be disrupted by bad weather or mechanical problems. But if the distance from Point A to Point B is long, flying is an attractive, affordable option.
Budget Flights
Romancing in Paris, sunning yourself on a beach in Malaga or Alicante, taking in the historic wonder of Prague or off for a few pints of the black stuff in Dublin. With so many fantastic destinations less than a couple of hours away, there is no excuse for not exploring all these lovely places.
Budget flight prices have made these cities more accessible to more people. Cheap flights are easy to find within Europe with the arrival of the budget airline phenomenon. Europe has become a lot smaller for everyone. With all of these airlines battling for your custom, this can only be good news for you, the customer. Airline tickets being offered for 1p where you only pay the taxes, are now common place. This means that you can travel to some of the most beautiful cities in Europe for less money than it costs for a return rail trip to some cities in the UK.
While travel agents can book some of these inexpensive flights for you, it's best to do it yourself (via the Internet or phone and credit card). To get the lowest fares, book long in advance. Cheap seats sell out fast, leaving the pricier seats for latecomers. A good website to find cheap flight is Skyscanner, the website compare prices on cheap flights with the major budget airlines in Europe
Some of the more established budget airline are Virgin Express, www.virgin-express.com), Ryanair (www.ryanair.com), easyJet (www.easyjet.com), and Buzz (www.buzzaway.com). To give you an idea of the price flying with a budget airline, flying one way from London to Madrid could cost €30 - €70 (including tax) depending on when or which London airport you are flying from. A one way from Amsterdam to Rome could cost €40 - €75 again depending on when and where you are flying.
You'll find the best deals flying out of an airline's hub. But keep in mind that budget flights sometimes use obscure airports. For example, Ryanair's England hub is Stansted Airport, the farthest of London's airports from the city center. Ryanair's flights to Frankfurt actually take you to Hahn, 62 miles away, and their service to Copenhagen, Denmark, lands you in a different (though nearby) country: Malmö, Sweden. These are still safe and legal airstrips, but it can take money and time to reach them by public transportation
With cheaper airfares come new pitfalls. These budget tickets are usually non-refundable and non-changeable. Some airlines take only online bookings, so it can be hard to track down a person to talk to if problems arise.
When exploring low-cost airlines, be creative. For example, let's say you need to get from Amsterdam to Rome. After a quick search you may not find quite the flight you need, but you discover that Virgin Express flies to Rome from Brussels for €75. It makes good travel sense to take a 2.5-hour train ride from Amsterdam to Brussels to catch the 2.5-hour flight to Rome. The train from Amsterdam to Rome would have wasted 20 hours of your valuable vacation time, and cost you $250 ($230 second-class fare + $20 for an overnight berth). The train-plus-flight connection gets you there in a third the time (including transfers) for less than half the price.
All of these low-cost European airlines offer one-way flights without a cost increase or penalty. Consider linking cheap flights, either with the same or different airlines. If you're traveling from Barcelona to Copenhagen but can't find a direct flight, fly from Barcelona to Brussels and then Brussels to Copenhagen. On Virgin Express, you can leave Barcelona after breakfast and get to Copenhagen by dinnertime for under €100.
Consolidators and Bucket Shops
Airline ticket wholesalers are known as "consolidators." Sometimes you will also hear them referred to as "bucket shops." This is especially so in England and other countries of the British Commonwealth. London, Amsterdam, Paris, and Athens have bucket shops that sell plane tickets at super-discounted prices. If your travel plans fit the tickets available and you're flexible enough to absorb delays, these can be a great deal. The budget travel guidebook, "Let's Go: Europe," lists a few of the bigger bucket shops. Your hometown library should have a London newspaper; look in the classifieds under "Travel" to see what's available. Tickets from London to the Mediterranean can be incredibly - and reliably - cheap. Athens also has some great buys on tickets to London, Western Europe, and the Middle East.
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