Even though Ryanair is considered to be the cheapest airline, this is not true. It is second (after Pegasus Airlines) when comparing the basic fare without fees. The research shows that when the total fare is counted, including checked baggage fee for 20 kg bag, the cheapest carrier is Pegasus Airlines with a total average price of 64.64 euros.
We all know that Ryanair is the cheapest in Europe, right? Well, not quite. Ryanair is famous for their hidden fees, and recent research made by the flight search engine WhichAirline.com shows that they make a big impact on the final cost. In fact, when all costs are counted, there are 5 other airlines that come out cheaper in Europe: Pegasus Airlines, Air Lituanica, Vueling, germanwings and Wizz Air.
Who is the cheapest of them all in Europe?
In the research WhichAirline.com made two lists to compare the cheapest airlines: first based on average basic prices of tickets (without fees) and second based on the prices of tickets including checked baggage fee for 20 kg bag.
Even though Ryanair is considered to be the cheapest airline, this is not true. It is second (after Pegasus Airlines) when comparing the basic fare without fees. The research shows that when the total fare is counted, including checked baggage fee for 20 kg bag, the cheapest carrier is Pegasus Airlines with a total average price of 64.64 euros, followed by Air Lituanica (81.36 euros) and Vueling (97.24 euros). Ryanair comes in at 6th place with 100.67 euros.
Only 4 out of 34 European low cost airlines came out with an average fare including fees under 100 euros. Apart from those mentioned above that is germanwings with 98.99 euros. On the other end of the list there are airlines with relatively high prices. The average flight with fees operated by Smart Wings costs 215.54 euros, making it three times more expensive than Pegasus and more than twice the price of Ryanair.
The cheapest airlines in the world are in Asia
The cheapest airlines in the world are mainly gathered in Asia – the first place comes to Malaysian airline Firefly whose total fare including checked baggage fee is only 30.49 euros which is less than half of the price of the cheapest European airline Pegasus. Firefly is followed by SpiceJet (52.24 euros) and Onur Air (55.70 euros). While many would expect AirAsia to be the cheapest, it only comes in at 4th place with 60.13 euros, popular Asian airline tigerair is ninth with 72.54 euros. In the world comparison, Pegasus comes in at 7th place, Ryanair at 19th place only.
Be careful where you click…
Low-cost airlines make a lot of money on the various fees, and their creativity seems to be endless. For example, when booking your flights with Ryanair, be very careful in every step of the booking procedure. Ryanair hides some of the fees very smartly (e.g. travel insurance). Travelling low-cost can be a minefield with all the companies trying to “offer” you extras. These optional features can cost you a fortune and their real value is questionable. Priority boarding for example will not make your journey shorter. You will spend the same time waiting for your flight, just more of it in the aircraft itself instead at the gate. And finally, try to fit everything into hand baggage and pay with a debit card, as payment with credit cards often leads to extra transaction fees.
Who’s The Cheapest: Average Prices of Flights
List of top 10 low-cost airlines in the world according to the average ticket price.
|
Airline |
Average price per route |
|
Firefly |
€30.49 |
|
VivaAerobus |
€47.40 |
|
Air Asia |
€49.63 |
|
SpiceJet |
€52.24 |
|
FastJet |
€52.95 |
|
Onur Air |
€55.70 |
|
Atlasjet |
€62.49 |
|
tigerair |
€63.04 |
|
Pegasus Airlines |
€64.64 |
|
Ryanair |
€65.67 |
Who’s The Cheapest: Total Price Including Fees
List of top 10 low-cost airlines according to the average total price (20 kg baggage included).
|
Airline |
Average price per route |
|
Firefly |
€30.49 |
|
VivaAerobus |
€47.40 |
|
Air Asia |
€49.63 |
|
SpiceJet |
€52.24 |
|
FastJet |
€52.95 |
|
Onur Air |
€55.70 |
|
Atlasjet |
€62.49 |
|
tigerair |
€63.04 |
|
Pegasus Airlines |
€64.64 |
|
Ryanair |
€65.67 |
Vicky is the co-founder of TravelDailyNews Media Network where she is the Editor-in Chief. She is also responsible for the daily operation and the financial policy. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Tourism Business Administration from the Technical University of Athens and a Master in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Wales.
She has many years of both academic and industrial experience within the travel industry. She has written/edited numerous articles in various tourism magazines.
