How much am I really saving? Why do those fares look really different at the time of booking?
Real fare break down.
I have taken 3 European airlines. RyanAir, Wizz Air and British Airways
Things to notice
Airport is really far off from the city. It is one of the worst airport of London and you don’t really have a choice to get there. There is no public transport that goes there. Yes, I haven’t added public transport fees to British Airways but option is still there. You have to pay extra to reserve seat of your choice or you are stuck in middle of two passengers.
Ryan Air and Wizz Air – I have selected only 15 kg bags.
Benefits of difference – I get 470 Airmiles with this flight plus online booking bonus plus extra miles for being frequent flyer. Total goes to 890 Avios. 1 Avios is roughly equal to 1 GBP.
Plus better status you have with the flight, better the treatment you would get.
I have done same thing in Asia. Cebu Pacific and Phillipines Airlines
The difference is just $19 where more baggage is allowed and better food is served. I get to fly from main airport BKK vs DMK, which is not a good airport.
Luckily, Bangkok has free shuttle between those 2 airports. Otherwise, in many cities like Moscow, there are no shuttles connecting the different airports.
When shall I use low cost option then?
Eg. If you are flying from Cochin where there is only one airport. Its a small city and allows really low fares compared to flying via Mumbai or Delhi, you should definitely opt for low cost from Cochin.
Try to avoid low cost airlines on long distance (Anything more than 4 hour air time is long distance) route unless you really want to save every dime and don’t care about atrocity you have to face for saving just few dimes.
Also if you are going for short trip where you are just carrying cabin bag, you can opt for low cost. Most airlines have 7 to 10 kg cabin bag limit.
What is good airport vs bad airport?
Good airport provides many features to its passengers. Good airports provide free wifi, better seating area, easy connection to the main city either via public transport or special public express. You can buy last minute stuff or do duty free shopping at the airport.
There are also lounge access (only provided by full fare airlines) If you have a long layover, you can go for shower. There are lockers available where you can drop your baggage. You can explore the city and come back. I even dropped my bag at the airport for 7 days as I didn’t need it for further trip and I knew I was going to come back and get it. It would have costed me too much on extra baggage fees which wasn’t needed.
