Planning to book a low-cost airline? Here are a few tips

Here’s why you must read the fine print before booking yourself on a low-cost airline

August 22, 2018 02:23 pm | Updated August 23, 2018 12:39 pm IST

Travel cost calculation concept. Airplane and calculator. Cheapest flight. 3d illustration

Travel cost calculation concept. Airplane and calculator. Cheapest flight. 3d illustration

Siddharth and his friends had planned his bachelor’s party in the Philippines months in advance. Flights were booked, baggage sizes checked, bags weighed to ensure they were a little under seven kilograms — the maximum that was allowed on the budget airline. Excited as they were, this seemed the best flight deal ever. Only until they found themselves waiting for hours, stranded in Mumbai airport. There wasn’t rough weather or a technical snag — nothing could justify the flight delay. It was only after a couple of hours when the flight took off, that they learnt that budget carriers get the last preference for take-off and landing.

Well this was not all. There was another four-hour delay for the connecting flight at Kuala Lumpur. Annoyed and furious, they swore they would never book a budget airline again. Says Amit Taneja of Cleartrip, “Customers should look at all aspects associated with a budget airline and gauge the overall value for their money before making the final decision.”

Perhaps, that’s why the next time you think of jumping on to that low-cost carrier there are a few things you should keep in mind:

Last on the list

Prepare for flight delays as budget carriers get the last preference for take off and landing, which could see your airline waiting on the tarmac for hours. Thus, make sure you build buffer time into your itinerary, especially if you have a connecting flight on another carrier. With budget carriers, there is generally no standby option on a later flight, should you miss a connection.

Says Manheer Singh Sethi, Co-founder, Travkart, “Since preference is given to other carriers, time delay affects low-cost carriers, which affects further connections and flights.” The delay is mainly because budget carriers fly with maximum equipment and inventory to break even. The time between two flights is also less. As a result, when one flight is delayed, it spills over into the other flight’s take-off time.

Budget airlines operate with minimum crew. When a low-cost carrier is delayed, there is no spare crew that can be put on the delayed plane before turning around the aircraft that is on time. Therefore, once a flight is delayed, there is no room for it to catch up. On a recent flight from Muscat to Ahmedabad, Radhika Bhatt remembers the harrowing experience she had on a budget airline. The flight was diverted to Mumbai because of no ground clearance in Ahmedabad. To make matters worse, the pilot disembarked at Mumbai since his duty had finished. It was only after a couple of hours, when the next pilot resumed duty, did the flight take off. “The supplies had ran out. There was no water to drink nor was there any in the toilets. My child was hungry but there was no food on the flight,” remembers Radhika woefully.

Secondary airports

Budget airlines may not take the most direct route, and along with several stops, might just fly you into secondary airports. This may need you to cough up a few extra bucks to get to your hotel, sometimes at nightly rates. Thus, it’s pertinent to check the distance between the landing airport and your destination. Recently, while flying from Edinburgh to London on EasyJet, a budget carrier, the landing airport was London’s Gatwick airport, located almost two hours away from my hotel in Central London. To make matters worse, the flight landed only at 11 pm, when Gatwick Express services had shut down. Thus, it was another arduous journey from airport to hotel.

Says Nishant Pitti, CEO, EaseMyTrip, “Budget airlines mostly operate from secondary airports as well as during off-peak hours, including early morning and late evening in order to pay lesser landing fees.

Thus, you should ensure that you choose a flight that lands at the most convenient airport.”

In-flight meals

If pre-booked, the meals are relatively economical, as opposed to buying meals on-board. Siddharth Pethe who travelled to Philippines on an Air Asia flight says, “Since our flight was delayed for more than six hours, I was hungry by the time the flight took off from Kuala Lumpur. I decided to buy dinner on the flight, but they wouldn’t accept a credit card. I had no way to purchase food or beverages and I sat there famished. In fact, I couldn’t even buy water because even the water on the flight had to be bought.”

Says Sethi, “All major low-cost carriers / budgeted airlines have a common policy of serving meals at an extra cost. If pre-booked, they generally offer a nominal discount, else the MRP is quite high on board the flight. In the peak hours, beverages are priced higher, as there is maximum demand for tea and coffee.”

Suyog Kankaria, who travelled to Bali, remembers regretfully, “Travelling with kids on a budget airline was the worst decision I could have made. They don’t even offer water for free. I had pre-booked my meals, but the food was tasteless.”

Baggage woes

Make sure your baggage is the right size and weight, else most carriers will charge you extra. Each airline has their own rules of charging for baggage, which is why it is very important to read the fine print. On my recent EasyJet flight, the baggage allowance was quite ambiguous. The airline allowed just one carry-on, which we learnt after reaching the airport. After already checking in two bags and paying an exorbitant fee of 15 pounds each, we were not ready to spend another 30-35 pounds on the other two carry-ons. Luckily, I had enough room in one of the carry-ons to shove in the other.

Similarly Air Asia, another budget carrier, allows only seven kilograms in total as cabin bags. So if you end up buying a few more souvenirs, you would run the risk of paying extra! Thus, it’s always better to pre-purchase more check-in bag weight allowance, since it’s pricier at the airport.

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