A person living in Russia is deeply unhappy – low-cost airlines do not fly to us, on whose planes you can cross Europe for $ 40, and fly to the other hemisphere for 100. The antitrust authorities behave strangely – instead of ensuring fair competition, few low-cost airlines flying to us forced to raise prices.
It’s just that the state does not care about people, but about the interests of its state-owned monopolistic companies. But there is a way out – you need to get out of the country and get to the nearest airport, from where economy class airlines fly.
Where do low cost flights fly?
Today in Europe there are 108 economy class airlines offering tourists the lowest price for flights. Since 1992, the airspace over our continent has been officially opened. Aircraft began to fly in any direction without obtaining government permission. At first, British Airways, Lufthansa and Air France were the exclusive monopolists in this area. Traveling with these airlines, you could go broke. But Ryanair made a revolution in the airline industry, creating the cheapest flights and reducing the cost of airport taxes. Now the entire European Union from Iceland to Cyprus can be crossed for 20 euros. All that a tourist needs is a little money, the desire to see the world and the Internet is at hand to study all the special offers and buy a ticket at the best price.
WizzAir offers flights from Gdansk or Turku to any city in England from 25 euros. Getting to Gdansk is very easy from Kaliningrad: by train – 15-18 euros or by bus – 10 euros (tickets are always available at the box office). An air ticket Moscow – Kaliningrad from 800 rubles is best booked in advance on the KDavia website. As a result, your trip from Moscow to the English lands will cost from 50 to 70 euros, the journey will take a little time, but it will give an exceptional experience.
Belarusians can fly to Rome, Barcelona and Athens with Air Baltic. Tickets cost from 70 euros. What a luxury for a Russian traveler. Minsk is one of the cities where trains depart from the capital almost every 40 minutes and the ticket price starts from 450 rubles. With RyanAir you can fly from Riga in any direction at a price of 10 English pounds. Land transport to Latvia runs daily and costs from 35 euros for a reserved seat or 25 for a place in the bus.
The Italian capital will not make you spend heavily on flights, if you trust the Finnish airline Blue1. The main thing is to get to Helsinki. 35 euros and a passport in your pocket – your reliable pass to Europe. A train to Northern Palmyra – from 450 rubles, and there not for long and to Finland. A ticket from the bus station – from 400 rubles. Germanwings makes huge discounts on all destinations from St. Petersburg. With a price difference of 150 euros (compared to Moscow), of course, you should not think about where to start your journey.
Fans of railway trips will like the route Moscow – Prague – Edinburgh. After a day spent on a train to the Czech capital, costing about 100 euros, anyone will like the service and low prices of Jet2, whose airbus will deliver a tourist on board to England for only 20 pounds.
EasyJet is one of the European leaders in low fares for passengers. On the official website, you can book flights with transfers or even cancel previously purchased flights. The flight area is prohibitively wide, so you can easily fly out of any country of the former CIS, spending only 20-40 euros. But where, it is for everyone to decide for themselves, whether it be Geneva, Paris or Barcelona. Air Berlin covers not only Europe, but the whole world. Traveling to Tunisia has become easier and cheaper: from 55 euros. And to New York from Western Europe you can find a ticket from 85 euros.
Until the end of April, Lufthansa will sell tickets for flights from Russia to 22 cities of the United States at special rates from 11 thousand 805 rubles, from St. Petersburg to Europe from 7 thousand 465 rubles, and to Canada and Mexico from 18 thousand rubles.
Cheapest flights online
Most European airlines sell tickets exclusively by telephone or via the website. The reservation system is quite easy to use, and you can pay for your purchase immediately with a credit card. The plus is that tour operators cannot buy and resell such air tickets more expensive. But in a single reservation there is also a minus. Special web fares have their own rules: the fewer tickets left for a given flight or the closer the departure date, the higher their cost. Having reserved a flight for yourself for one amount, after 2 minutes, without changing the request, you can get a completely different one. Then on the plane it turns out that one ticket costs 20 euros, and the other – 120.
In the top season or weekend, when tickets of other airlines were bought back for many months, there is nothing left for a person who needs to fly out of his nose how to buy an economy-class ticket, but at an overpriced price. Sometimes from 15 pounds it can grow to 450. So it is better to plan your flight in the middle of the week, avoiding holidays and weekends. You must choose a morning or evening flight. Do not forget that you need to book a ticket two weeks before the trip, and all promotions and sales are in spring and autumn.
Disadvantages of Low Cost Airlines
Cheap carriers have their own very strict rules. Since many Europeans travel light, the ticket can also be baggage-free. Or the weight limit is reduced from the usual 20 kg to 5 – 10, and for each extra kilogram you need to pay from 5 euros. You have to choose between your favorite suitcase or double price. On these flights, most likely there will be no free food, which many air passengers are so accustomed to. At best, some drinks or light snacks will be offered at an additional cost.
If for some reason the flight is canceled or postponed, then you should not rely on good service while waiting for boarding or, moreover, compensation from the airline. So, having flown out at another time, you can skip the next connecting flight and be left alone with your luggage to live at the airport as the hero of the movie “Terminal”, or go once again to pay the full cost of the flight.
To reduce the price of a ticket, air carriers choose to land at remote airports, from which you can get to the city up to two hours. The screens on board the aircraft do not amuse their passengers with either films or pictures, but it is strictly forbidden to use PDAs, MP3 players and communicators. Being late even for a minute, the passenger may not get on the flight, but stay with his luggage in anticipation of a later departure. Punctuality comes first.
It’s better when booking a ticket to pay extra for additional service, service, baggage, the possibility of exchange or cancellation of a ticket, then there will be less worries with unexpected problems.
More travel for less money
Will a tourist be able to spend a day on the train, so that later on buses, trolleybuses, taxis or donkeys in general, get to the desired point, where you can fly out, saving a decent amount, it is up to him.
Unfortunately, there are few independent tourists in our country, everyone prefers to buy vouchers from tour operators, and not plan trips on their own. Therefore, many do not know about the existence of an easy reservation or discount system with leading economy class airlines. But sometimes it is much more pleasant to spend extra days on the road or spend at least a day in another city. Take a walk along the old streets, wander around in parks and squares or ride river buses. Responsible for yourself and plan your vacation the way you want, regardless of the program, weather, season, etc. Some tourists choose precisely those destinations for flights and vacations for which carriers offer the lowest possible fare.
Look at the map of Europe and the offers of air carriers, select nearby cities or countries that you have been dreaming about for a long time and which can become a starting point for your further trip. Take the time and energy to find the most economical option and consider the most saturated route. Do not be afraid to reserve hotels or buy airline tickets via e-mail. The room will remain reserved and no one will be on the street. The main thing is to do everything on time and provide yourself with everything you need, including visas.
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