Travel News Monkey

According to FlyCheapo, there are presently 47 low-cost airlines that offer flights to European destinations. As with any bargain deal, there is always a chance that there are some strings attached to the deal.

Do check if your nearest airport is served by low-cost airlines. In England, low-cost airlines such as RyanAir and EasyJet do not fly out of Heathrow instead they operate from Gatwick, Stansted, and Luton. In case there is no connecting service by the low-cost services, you will have to bear baggage checking one more time.

Not all destinations are covered by low-fare airlines, so look up your options at sites like Flycheapo and http://www.whichbudget.com. It’s better to fly with a low-fare airline that has been around for some time because there is a chance that your airline may actually not be in business when it’s your turn to fly. Also, since these airlines operate on very thin margins, they are liable to drop unprofitable routes at short notice.

The deal, if it materializes opens up enormous possibilities for airline traffic between Europe and Asia. If speculations are to be believed then Virgin Atlantic and easyJet are planing to join hands with an Asian airline which will give birth to a budget global network, of which there are very few. Flyglobespan operates a daily no-cost flight from Scotland to Florida. A service from India to the UK is provided by Jet Airways. Oasis Airlines runs a service between Hong Kong and London.

The partnership will be with AirAsia, which operates out of Malaysia, and if it fructifies it will mean code-sharing agreements that will allow passengers to make connecting flights; something which budget airlines have stayed away from. UK airlines will benefit from the access they gain to China, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand and they will also be able to pick up Asian passengers for their Europe-Australia flights. The fares offered by the tripartite alliance are said to be between £43 and £365.

Book a return trip to the US with United Airlines by March 31 and you could get two economy tickets to any destination in Europe. The return ticket to the US should be either first class, business class or full-fare economy class. You also need to become a member of the Mileage Plus frequent flyer programme by United Airlines. United operates from London, Manchester, and Shannon.

Other conditions to qualify for the coveted two free tickets include a transatlantic itinerary originating in Europe but it should not be a part of code-share flights operated by other carriers.

The economy class return tickets can be availed on any Star Alliance flight in Europe which is operated by the following airlines – bmi, Lufthansa, SAS, Austrian, LOT, Spanair, TAP, Adria, Blue1, Croatia and SWISS. If you qualify for the award tickets, you will be notified within eight weeks of March 31. You can use the tickets for travel between June 1 and December 31.

Lufthansa Experts has just undergone a makeover and now looks decidedly more attractive. Travel agents have been provided with a tool to look up information on flight timings, regulations, in-flight information etc. This in turn enables travel agents to satisfy customer queries on such matters. The tool also lets travel agents remain informed on the latest offers by the airline to Europe, Asia, and the US.

The objective of the new design is to increase communication between the airline and the travel agents. To learn more, go here.