The good and the bad of budget airlines

With the winter holiday season almost here many of us are bound to be planning a trip by air to somewhere, whether it’s to visit family and friends or to reach a holiday destination. Since everybody likes to save money – especially considering the economic problems that much of the world is facing – this is where budget airlines, or low-cost carriers, come to offer their services at wallet-friendly prices, but there are certain drawbacks to the cheaper air fare.

One of the highest ranking drawback of low-cost airlines are the delays, but the reality is rarely that bad. The average delay for low-cost flights is somewhere around 10 to 15 minutes at the most, so it’s not really that bad.

The second-most annoying thing about budget airlines is that you’ll have to pay for everything else that isn’t your plane ticket: food, entertainment, a blanket, also if you want to choose your seat or check in more than a certain weight of luggage.

Then there’s the landing far away from your intended destination. Make sure you read your reservations accordingly so as to know where you’re actually going to land.

Now all of these being said, there’s no doubt that budget airlines also have advantages, the most important one being the cost of their tickets, which can be very-very cheap.

Also, thanks in large part to the economic downturn, many low-cost airlines are expanding their routes which means that you can get to more places around the world, at lower prices.

Landing at regional airports isn’t that bad when you think of it really. Sure you may not be in the precise city of your liking, but landing at smaller airports usually means that you’ll be able to clear customs faster and be on your way to your destination.