Cheap airlines - tips and tricks

Cheap airlines are better than their reputation: Although the airlines are sometimes rightly accused of operating an opaque price policy. But the classification of the airlines in "good expensive" and "bad cheap" works only conditionally. Neither the consumer center Hamburg ("with low-cost airlines we have little problems") nor the conciliation body Mobility in Berlin can confirm that low-budget customers complain more frequently than others. "We have a lot of inquiries that concern airlines, but we can not tell a direct difference between traditional and low-cost airlines," said Ute Buchen of the Mobility Admissions Bureau. The only exception: the low-cost airlines are known to be happy to pay compensation if a flight has been canceled. Many tried to refund only the fare.

According to the will of the EU, since the end of 2008 only the final price to be paid including taxes and fees may be shown. Decoy offers with 0- or 1-Euro tickets are a thing of the past. Nevertheless, the airlines still like to beat the tariffs on the airfare as a "service charge". Caution is needed, especially with Ryanair: The Irish airline is notorious for its numerous hidden baggage and handling charges. And even if the advertising promises it in thick letters: the few fly for 29 euros from one European metropolis to the next. Because the coveted 29-euro tickets are rarely sown - among hundreds of offers you will find only occasionally the advertised ticket. And it is almost impossible, even to get hold of a reasonably favorable return flight - the prices of low-cost airlines are finally only on the One-way ticket, But even those who finally paid 80 euros for the route Hamburg-Barcelona - for a distance of about 1000 kilometers, this is unbeatable.

It is also undisputed that no means of transport pollutes the climate as much as flying. This is especially true for short distances. So if you value a good ecological conscience, you should give it up as often as possible.

6 tips: This is how you fly the cheapest

If you want to or have to fly to a certain date, you should book as early as possible. The cheapest seats are always contingent (only about 10 percent go away as a real bargain).
Anyone who is flexible in their holiday planning, should be
subscribe to the newsletters of the airlines. This will be the first to inform you about very short-term actions ("One Day Fly Action" at Condor, "Happy HLX Hours", etc.) and you can strike fast. The newsletters of airline-overlapping websites such as Megaflieger.de, www.billigflieger.de or www.billig-flieger-vergleich.de draw attention to special promotions.
Pay attention to which airport is served. Some airlines use the smaller, cheaper airports near the designated destinations, so in exceptional cases, more than 100 kilometers from the airport to the final destination. (Beware of "Ryanair" in particular: The Hahn-Frankfurt airport, served by the Irish airline, is 127 km from Frankfurt, etc.). A good airport overview can be found at www.billig-flieger-vergleich.de/airport.
It may be worthwhile to include airports near your own city in the search. For example, Bremer or Hamburg tourists especially cheap from Hannover to Sardinia.
Always book cheap flights on the internet. If you pick up the phone or go to the travel agency, you have to expect an additional booking fee.
Who does not want to fall on the nose, should read - as with other airlines also - always the provisions for luggage and Co.