BUDGET AIRLINES……ARE THEY ANY GOOD?

Free meals and drinks, expansive and comfortable seats, personal attention from flight attendants and other amenities kept the price of plane tickets relatively high. Airline deregulation and the changing economics of the airline industry in the 1970s and '80s lead to a new type of airline category - the budget airline. Our Prime Minister intends to make air travel so affordable that people who wear flip flop slippers can travel on an aeroplane, and it is happening today. Our airports have started looking like bus stations with long lines in front of the gates.

But flying airplanes is a costly business. Buying expensive planes worth 50 to 300 million USD, hiring pilots who don’t come cheap, buying expensive aviation fuel, countless other expenses like maintenance costs, fees paid to airports, fees paid to the government, the cost of food served to passengers, the cost of running computer systems to track bookings all weigh down an airline's bottom line. Fees and percentages paid to travel agents and Web sites, pilot training, and other incidental costs all add to operating expenses. Empty seats represent an additional cost.

So how can budget airlines offer tickets almost matching the cost of AC First Class train ticket? They manage this by cutting their own operating costs. How do they cut costs? There are many ways an airline can trim operating expenses, but budget airlines are most well-known for cutting back on passenger luxuries, or making passengers pay for luxuries à la carte.

If you've ever purchased a ticket for a Low-Cost flight, you've probably noticed that almost every upgrade and service you want - whether it's luggage, plane meals, seat selections, etc. - will cost you a lot of extra money, and sometimes lead to high fines, to the point where the cheap and seductive price offered by these airlines will already become quite expensive when compared to a regular flight. But that is not all they are saving in and so it is important to know their entire game plan so that you do not feel cheated.

1.      Ticket purchase:  Some budget airlines use the age-old cost-cutting practice of "cutti­ng out the middleman," and not allowing their tickets to be sold through these third party outlets. Instead, they only sell tickets through their own Web site or at the ticket counter. Low-cost flights are supposed to be significantly cheaper than regular flights or charter flights, but note that if this is a high demand period such as holidays or concentrated vacations, the cost of these flights may be the same as regular priced flights, or negligibly cheaper, so it is best to compare prices especially during these times.

2.      Seat selection: Some of the Low-Cost companies charge for seat selection - and each seat is prioritized: for example, a seat next to an emergency exit with a lot of leg room will cost more than a "regular" seat. Then again when you are flying with family, particularly children if you don’t book seats in advance (either at a surcharge or at the ticket price) the airline may seat you separately.

3.      Food: Most of the Low-Cost airlines don’t include a meal in the price of the flight ticket and therefore you’ll need to purchase the meal separately. However, even if you don't do so in advance while booking, you probably will be charged much more in flight. Then again if you have pre booked meals you will be served before those who purchase meals in flight. Always have cash ready to pay as many types of credit cards may not be respected by the airline. Please note that using a credit card outside the country involves high fees.

4.      Luggage: Before you arrive at the airport, weigh your luggage at home, after checking the airline's website about the weight and size allowance of carry-ons, and stow away luggage. If you arrived at the airport with a large suitcase weighing much more than the permissible limit or if you exceeded the weight of your carry-on, note that this excess weight will cost you quite a bit of time and money when going through check-in and boarding. Also, note that many companies won’t let you be clever and move things around from one bag to another. In budget airlines it is wise to travel light.

5.      Check in: The check-in process opens between one month and 48 hours prior to the flight-depending on the airline and its policy, and closes two to three hours before departure. The process is free, as long as it is done in advance on the company's website, and sometimes requires printing and presenting the boarding pass, which will be provided to you by the company website. Some companies allow you to check in on their mobile app but in all Indian airports you will need a printed boarding pass either generated from your home/office computer or from the airline’s kiosks or from the booking desk. As this document needs to be stamped you can’t have in your phone. Some overseas budget airlines are known to cancel your ticket and not offer any refund if you do not do web check-in.

6.      Cancellations: Most tickets on budget airlines are non-refundable. Even if it is refundable if you are forced to cancel or change the time of your flight, this will usually result in a charge set by the airline. The best way to get information about this subject is to be informed in advance via your airline’s website. If you change your flight to another time that is more expensive, you‘ll probably be asked to pay the difference, and it's not definite that you’ll get a refund if the alternative flight is cheaper. An important tip to consider is that if you cancel or change a flight as a result of an illness, injury, or, God forbid, the death of a relative, and you have already purchased travel insurance, you may be reimbursed by the insurance company.

7.      Destination airport: Low-cost flights often land in secondary and remote airports from city centers, because airport taxes are higher at central airports - take this into consideration and be prepared for the time and expense of arriving from a remote airport to the city center or to your hotel. Indigo, GoAir and Spicejet land in Terminal 1 whereas the full fare airlines land in the much swankier Terminal 3 in Delhi. A major airport, like Chicago O'Hare, is in high demand from airlines. The airport commands higher fees because so many airlines want to use it. Chicago's Midway Airport is less popular, though it serves the same basic function - allowing planes to take off and land near the Chicago metropolitan area and budget airlines go for it. The airports in Washington, D.C. are very expensive for airlines and passengers. The airport in nearby Baltimore, Md., is cheaper, and though it requires a train ride or a drive to get into D.C. it is still preferred by budget airlines.

8.      Inconvenient flight schedules: Some Low-Cost flights offer flight times in hours that may bring you to your desired destination in the middle of the night and bring you back home early in the morning – meaning you’ll lose a day of your vacation or work. If you’ve purchased an intercontinental low-cost flight that includes a "connecting" flight, it is possible that the cheap and cost-effective price will be paid in full through very long waiting hours between flights.

Before Low-Cost flights start charging for restroom use, what seems to be likely in the future, and before you book your tickets for your next vacation abroad with one of these airlines be aware of the realities of budget airlines. Try to extract from their website as many details as possible about company policies such as check-in, seat selection, baggage included in the payment, etc., to make an informed decision as to whether the price of the flight will indeed pay off after all the additions.