Flights from within Europe for 5 bucks!

[GoingUp]

Hey all you ATers that are heading to Europe for a couple of weeks or months. Check out www.ryanair.com
My girlfriend just came to visit me in Germany and we flew to Italy for a week. Our flight there was 5.25 each and our flight home was 5.99 each. After taxes and such, the grand total for 2 tickets from Frankfurt Hahn to Pisa and back was

PAYMENT DETAILS
********23.96 EUR Adults
*********5.00 EUR Fees
*********0.00 EUR Service Charges
********12.72 EUR Ins Levy/PSC
*********0.00 EUR UK Air Duty
********20.68 EUR Government Tax
*********6.42 EUR Airport Tax
*********0.00 EUR Car rental
*********0.00 EUR Insurance
********68.78 EUR Total Paid

The above total was for 2 adults round trip


You cant even ride a long distance train for that over here. The only catch is that the airlines fly into little known airports so getting to one of them can be kind of a hassle, but for a cheap flight even one way (My mom flew from Austria to London for $50) you can't beat this airline. The planes themselves are a little cramped and you get no drinks or peanuts on the plane, but they are 737s and not some little prop pieces of garbage. Hope this can help some of you out.

 

[vladgur]

man if they ever fly out of amsterdam, im so there

 

[aphex]

Originally posted by: vladgur
man if they ever fly out of amsterdam, im so there

Eindhoven is only a 10 Euro train fare away from Amsterdam. That being said, Easyjet is another fantastic price airline. Ryanair is cheaper, but Easyjet dosent charge you nearly 40 Euro in taxes on a 5.99 ticket.

 

[GoingUp]

Yea the whole tax thing does suck, but you pay that with every Airline for take off and landing at airports plus the increased cost of Airport security because of those al queda b@stards

 

[aphex]

Originally posted by: Gobadgrs
Yea the whole tax thing does suck, but you pay that with every Airline for take off and landing at airports plus the increased cost of Airport security because of those al queda b@stards

True. Im not sure why ryanair has such large taxes for it, and easyjet dosent. That being said, they apparently have good security, they averted a hijaking just last week from sweden.

 

[Viper22]

Good prices.

Make sure to read their fine print as well. My friend used them when she went to Italy this past summer and they have a weight limit on luggage. If its over 35kilo than they charge you extra...she ended up having to spend and extra $150 because she had a lot of luggage with her since she was going to be there for a month.

Viper22

 

[Oceanus]

Some of those airports are surprisingly isolated. I used one in Verona and the shuttle to get there was $20 each and only ran twice a day.

Below are some links I found useful when planning a recent trip (in no particular order).
Rick Steves
- Deutsche Bahn: Train timetables for all of Europe. Difficult at first, but very informative.
Savvy Traver
- aerfares.net: slightly inaccurate, but a great guide for flight options

Viper22 brings up a good point for all travelers. Most people take way too much luggage. On a recent 20 day trip through Europe my wife and I each had one 'large' carryon travel pack (Columbia® Europacker Backpack) and did laundry every 3rd or 4th day. Rarely does somebody get back and say, "Next time I'm packing a bigger (heavier) bag." Plus it is fun to run out of stuff and be forced to figure out where to buy toothpaste.

We were keeping the packs as souvenirs, but if anyone is interested in the packs PM me. They are all black and only used this one trip. Regardless, I recommend this pack over similar Northface and Eagle Creek packs.

 

[momotarosan]

cheap, but not for the claustrophobic. the rows are so close together that you can't fully extend your arm.
it is better than taking a bus or a train though. btw, bring your own food and beverage.

 

[slaman]

Awesome thread... I hope I remember it when I travel Europe next summer...

 

[GoingUp]

Granted the airports are out of the way but it is still worth the price. A bus takes hours to get anywhere. My flight from Germany to italy was only 1 hour 30 min. A train ride takes 16 hours and is 3 times as expensive (about $120 each way) Yes the seats are a bit cramped and you are limited somewhat on luggage but what do you expect for such a cheap price? The weight limit is on your checked luggage so if you bring a carry on you can pack some extra stuff with you to carry on. The seats may be cramped but I go back to my origional idea, that the ride is so short, that you can tough it out. When I flew to Paris from Dusseldorf (not using ryan air mind you) the flight was 32 minutes from take off to touch down. Everything in europe is so close. The longest flight I had was flying from germany to the southern part of spain and that took 2 hours.

Hope some of you still consider this airline.

 

[cyfan2001]

"My friend used them when she went to Italy this past summer and they have a weight limit on luggage. If its over 35kilo than they charge you extra..."

Most domestic carriers will charge you for luggage over 70 pounds as well.