Budget airlines and what the fare excludes

Low-cost carriers transformed short-haul travel by separating the flight from everything that used to come with it. Using them well means knowing what has been separated.

The model

The fare covers a seat and, on most carriers, a small personal item.

Everything else is priced separately: cabin baggage above the smallest size, checked baggage, seat selection, priority boarding, food and drink, and in some cases check-in itself.

The economics are supported by high aircraft utilisation, single aircraft types, secondary airports with lower charges, quick turnarounds and direct sales.

It is a legitimate model that produces genuinely low prices for passengers who need only a seat, and a poor deal for passengers who assume the fare includes what it used to.

Where the cost accumulates

Baggage, which is generally the largest addition.

Cabin bag allowances have tightened substantially on several carriers, with the free allowance reduced to an item that fits under the seat.

Fees for bringing a bag to the gate that should have been paid for in advance are substantially higher than the advance price, which is deliberate.

Seat selection, which is optional unless travelling with children, where several carriers charge to sit together.

Regulators in some jurisdictions have raised concerns about this practice.

Check-in. Some carriers charge for airport check-in and require online check-in within a specified window, with substantial fees for failing to comply.

Payment fees, which have been restricted in some jurisdictions and persist in others.

Changes, which are generally expensive, and cancellations, which frequently produce no refund beyond taxes.

The airports

A significant hidden cost.

Several low-cost carriers use secondary airports at a considerable distance from the city they are named for.

Ground transport from these can take an hour or more and cost a meaningful amount, which changes both the price comparison and the journey time.

Worth checking the actual airport and its distance before comparing fares.

Doing the real comparison

The method.

Take the low-cost fare, add the baggage you actually need, add seat selection if travelling with others, add transport from the secondary airport at both ends, and add food if the flight is long enough to require it.

Compare that total to the full-service fare including its baggage allowance and its more convenient airport.

The low-cost option frequently still wins, particularly for a passenger travelling light, and the margin is much smaller than the advertised prices suggest.

Using them well

Travel with cabin baggage only, which is where the model's saving actually is.

Pay for what you need at booking rather than later, since prices escalate at each stage.

Check in online within the required window and have the boarding pass on a phone or printed as required.

Measure your bag against the stated dimensions, since gate enforcement has become strict.

Bring an empty water bottle and food, since onboard prices are high.

Read the specific carrier's rules, which differ substantially between them and change.

The rights position

Worth knowing.

Passenger rights regulations apply regardless of the fare paid.

Which means compensation and duty of care obligations for delays and cancellations apply to low-cost carriers on covered routes in the same way as to full-service ones.

Carriers do not always volunteer this, and claims are frequently successful when pursued.

Where they do not suit

Honest summary.

Journeys requiring checked baggage, where the fee erodes the saving.

Connections, since low-cost carriers generally do not through-check baggage or protect connections, which puts the passenger on separate tickets with the risks discussed elsewhere on this site.

Tight schedules where a cancellation would be costly, since rebooking options are thinner on carriers with fewer daily frequencies.

And travel with young children, where the additional charges and the reduced flexibility change the calculation considerably.

The seat and the experience

Worth setting expectations.

Seat pitch on low-cost carriers is generally tighter than on full-service ones, and seats frequently do not recline.

For a short flight this is a minor matter; for anything approaching four hours it is not, and it is worth checking the specific configuration rather than assuming.

Several low-cost carriers now operate long-haul routes, where the difference between the fare and the total including baggage, seat selection and food is considerably larger.