Low Cost Airline Carriers – Some Hidden Costs to Take Note of

Flying low cost airline carriers, (also known as budget airlines) can be an effective way to save cost on the airplane ticket. This is one of the reasons why many travelers are opting in for these budget airlines instead of the normal commercial airline companies. However you must take note of certain things when taking budget airlines, as there are specific reasons why they can offer plane tickets on such a low price. Often there are hidden charges or extra charges for other items that they do not tell you up front. Here are some of the hidden costs to take note of on low cost airline carriers.

1.) Usually meals on the flight are not included on the general airplane ticket

This is one of the major factors on how these budget airlines can keep costs so low. When you buy your seat on the airplane, usually that is all you get – Just a seat on the plane. Therefore after you buy your plane ticket, they will try to up sell you by asking if you want to purchase in-flight meals to go along with your plane ticket for the seat you purchased. Alternatively they will not up sell you but upon flying, when the food carts are being pushed around, you will need to pay for the food they are serving. In order to keep the costs low, most low cost airline companies will charge extra for the in-flight meals. This may not be a bad thing as some people prefer not to eat on the plane. So just take note that if you do intend to eat the food provided on the plane, be prepared to pay.

2.) Carry on is free, but check in luggage will cost you extra

The next reason why low cost carriers can charge such amazing prices on their plane tickets is that for check in luggage they will charge you extra for it. Similarly with the in-flight meals, they will try to up sell you to pay for check in luggage service. However that being said, carryon baggage is still considered free and part of the general airplane ticket that you had purchased. Again this can be a good thing, as some people do not have a lot of luggage to bring; therefore check in services may not be necessary. This is particularly true for the domestic flights where you are only flying to another city just for a quick visit, of which carryon baggage is sufficient.

3.) No Entertainment is provided by the airline company

Don’t expect to have the state of the art in-flight entertainment system on these budget airline carriers. Remember you are already paying a very low cost on the general airplane ticket, so for the airline companies to find ways to save costs on their overheads, this is one area where they will cut costs. So take note of this if you are going to be flying on a long distance journey, as you will need to arm yourself with enough things to do on the flight. However that being said, if it is a short domestic journey such as a 1 to 2 hours long flight, then you should be able to live without this in-flight entertainment.

Flying on low cost airlines has a lot of cost savings for the passenger. However if you have any special needs, then you will need to consider the above factors as it may cost you extra! That being said, overall cost wise it should be still more economical than the mainstream airline carriers.