Caravan and Low Cost Flights

[Guest]

All I am stating is to each his/her own. My kids fly the budget airlines everywhere and can cheerfully tell me about tickets that cost 50p or a pound, or something equally ridiculous. They can also tell me many tales of lost luggage, airports in the middle of nowhere and flights cancelled at the last minute with no alternative. But they are young and have no problems with that.

Me, I am too old to 'backpack' anymore and tend to prefer an airline that may just possibly be interested in me as a customer, rather than a 'bum on a seat'. I like airlines where i can pick my own seat beforehand, check in at home, and just drop off the bags before heading for the nightmare of security. I also like airlines where when something serious happens, like the Glasgow bombings, the airline sorts out the problem for me and tells me that yes, I might be delayed, but I will get home.

 

[Jazman]

Having been a flyer since I was two and way past being a back packer, I can only speak highly of the budget airlines.

The image that comes from the TV shows and odd tales in the press is not reperesentative of say Easyjet or Ryan Air. We've not had bags lost and providing the staff are spoken to with respect they will bend over backwards to help. That compares with lost luggage with BA and Lufthansa and the off hand service from BA and Air France staff.

Easyjet sorted a flights when a flight was delayed due to bad weather and brother and wife and kids were taken from Stanstead FOC in a luxury coach to Bristol when bad weather closed Bristol and other passengers were given other options if it suited their onward travel plans campared to BA Paris who couldn't give a damn.

In the past 5 years my business experience of national style carriers is that they run with " a bums on EXPENSIVE seats " policy and litte else to promote them over budget carriers.

 

[ValA.]

We've had good experiences, too, with Easyjet and Ryanair - every flight was on time, or early - no lost backage, and no problems. We've flown from Leeds-Bradford, Liverpool, Stansted, Luton, and East Midlands - all smallish efficient airports with no queueing problems, and our return trips have mostly been even easier. Ok some carriers now charge for checking in baggage, etc., but if the flight has only cost 1p plus tax (as several of ours did) then that's not a problem. We've flown to Perpignan, Rodez, Nimes, Toulon, Reus, Belfast and Dublin and had some great short breaks (including the aforementioned swop with sister and family - the original topic of this thread).

We have friends in Romania, and haven't visited them because of the cost of flights (until now somewhere around

 

[Guest]

As mentioned previously, to each their own.

My one and only experience of Easyjet was a flight to Holland. The steward spent a lot of time at the front telling everyone one that there was 'no service' on the plane, 'so don't expect any' and the only 'freebie' was the in flight magazine. I believe they have now introduced some form of 'service', at a price, but they have already lost me as a customer. I compare that to a flight I regularly take with Malev, where I received a hot breakfast and as much wine as I wished. Not that drinking wine at 9.30 am is my usual wont, but nice gesture. Now people may state, don't bother with the breakfast, if the price is cheaper, and that has some truth. But I cannot complain about the service I have had from the non-budget carriers in many parts of the world and usually pay the extra, which is often less than one imagines.

But again, to each their own choice. Look at it this way. In the last 2 years I have rarely flown a KLM flight that has not been fully booked. So somebody likes them, and it is not all MEP's.

 

[EvansofSprot]

Let the train take the strain - its greener!