Extra Charges Do Not Dent Cheap Flights Value
A new study has revealed that despite all the "hidden" charges, cheap flights airlines such as Ryanair and easyJet still offer the lowest fares in Europe. Although budget airlines can add up to 45 per cent to the headline ticket price, conventional carriers were still trailing behind when it came to the cheapest flights, the study commissioned by Kelkoo concluded.
Despite additional charges for factors such as booking by credit card, checking in baggage or priority boarding, cheap fares carriers were still around 33 per cent less expensive on average than their traditional rivals, researchers from flight analysts RDC Aviation said, after comparing over 5,000 different fares at 20 different carriers operating out of 192 airports across Europe.
The country whose no-frills airlines imposed the highest extra charges was Italy, where the add-ons increased fares by some 45 per cent – followed closely by the UK at 38 per cent. In these two countries, traditional airlines' extra charges increased the fares by just 4 per cent.
The highest average fares in the world were from flag carriers British Airways and Lufthansa, with ticket prices 31 per cent and 33 per cent higher than their no-frills counterparts.
Kelkoo managing director Chris Nixon commented: "Nowadays, these ancillary charges can often form a substantial proportion of the total cost of flying and there is a misconception among consumers that the prices advertised by low cost carriers can be misleading and work out more expensive than those offered by conventional airlines once all these costs are factored in. The fact is that low cost carriers remain a third cheaper than traditional airlines, despite the significant charges they levy on their passengers."
Travel Industry News posted by 
on 19 April 2011
