Cheap European flights: The real cost of flying Ryanair, Easyjet and Wizz Air this Euro-summer

Nothing puts the size of Europe into perspective for an American like travelling around the continent by plane (even if we’d rather get around by train).

What do you mean you can fly over nine countries in a couple of hours? Take one of Europe’s many budget airlines, and it might even cost you less than a cab to the airport.

European budget airlines abound: Vueling, Iberojet, AeroItalia, and we all know nothing beats a Jet2 holiday.

Their fares are shockingly low, rivalling the likes of Spirit’s best deals to Florida - a feat made possible by starting with super-low base fares and charging for every possible add-on, from bringing a carry-on bag to sitting next to your travel companion.

Are they worth the dirt-cheap prices? Is a flight that costs less than a parking ticket bound to be miserable? On a recent trip to Europe, I tried three of the most popular ultrabudget options: Wizz Air, EasyJet and Ryanair, to find out.

EasyJet

British carrier EasyJet operates in more than 160 airports in 38 countries. After navigating the complex website that made booking a ticket feel like solving a riddle, I booked a one-way from London Gatwick to Berlin for $113 ($A174.70)

It was costlier than many comparable EasyJet flights, but it was the best option for the day I needed to fly. The fare did not include any luggage. I’d read on the website that all passengers can bring one small under-seat cabin bag free, so I rolled the dice on how strict that policy could be.

I could check in online, and I got through the airport without issue. But at the gate with my duffel bag and a purse, my prospects didn’t look good. Each passenger’s bag was examined before entering the waiting area, and I watched other travellers argue with gate agents over charges for their carry-ons being too large. I was hit with a $65 fee for exceeding my allotment.

The legroom in economy was decent, an entire hand’s length between my knees (I’m 5-foot-4) and the seat back - better than my recent Norse experience - but I got lucky with a random upgrade to an emergency row with even more space to spare.

Pros: Clean and professional.

Cons: Overly complicated website.

Ryanair

Hands-down the most cutthroat social media account in the corporate world, Ryanair takes cheap flights to another level - like a Dublin-to-Frankfurt, round-trip (sans baggage) ticket for September for $43. It’s also the largest budget airline in Europe, with more than 3,600 flights daily to 37 countries.

My one-way basic fare from Barcelona to Lisbon was $78, which only included a personal item that must be small enough to fit under a seat. I decided to upgrade to a package including another cabin bag and priority boarding for $27.

Ryanair warns that passengers will be charged about $100 at the gate for bringing an extra cabin bag or having one that won’t fit in the bag sizer (about 15 x 7 x 9 inches) - and if you have a connecting flight, you’ll have to pay that for each leg.

In the days before my flight, I got emails warning that if I didn’t check in online more than two hours before my flight, I’d be hit with a $72 “airport check-in fee.” There was also a lot of pressure to pay for my seat selection (starting around $10).

I was flying with my husband, and the emails told me I had a high chance for a seat away from my travel companion. Lo and behold, I was assigned an aisle seat in the back of the plane while my husband had an aisle seat toward the front.

Pros: The largest fleet with the most options.

Cons: The hard press to pay for seat selection.

Wizz Air

Wizz Air may have the worst name in aviation, but haters get real quiet once they see the Hungarian airline’s prices. If you’re planning on flying around Europe regularly, you could also join one of Wizz’s discount clubs for further discounted fares. Fans say the membership fees pay for themselves after a couple of trips.

I found a July one-way basic ticket from Tiranë, Albania, to Barcelona for $71 and later added a carry-on bag for $38. My husband, who was travelling with me, got by without paying for extra luggage even though his backpack slightly exceeded the roughly 7 x 11 x 15-inch cabin bag allotment. If they had flagged him, the fee would have been $78 at the airport.

My husband and I were seated together, despite not paying extra for a seat assignment.

We would have been able to sit together even without that courtesy: After boarding, we learned the flight was not full, and the flight attendants allowed passengers to rearrange throughout the plane - a friendly touch.

Pros: Extremely cheap.

Cons: Terrible name.

The takeaways

Ultimately, all of these airlines felt like the same product with a different paint job. They all furnish their planes with wafer-thin seats, among the thinnest nonreclining seats I have ever seen. But the legroom is also more generous than the price would suggest. I’ve felt more cramped on legacy airlines in the United States and ultrabudget carriers in Asia.

Some advice works across the board: Be prepared to pay extra for luggage, seat assignments and in-flight refreshments. Be prepared for long lines at the airport if you need to check luggage - lines so long, I’d avoid checking a bag at all costs.

Booking with any one of them felt like trying to get through a booby-trapped obstacle course. One stray click of the cursor and you could end up paying an extra fee for a service you didn’t want or need. But you should pay for your luggage online early versus waiting to add it on at the airport for a better rate.

If you’re meticulous when you book and you follow their rules (sticking to the luggage size you purchased, checking in when required), you really can fly for cheap.

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