Sunday, April 25, 2010

RyanAir v. EasyJet: The No-Frills Wars

The debate rages over cheap no-frills airlines, RyanAir & EasyJet, in Europe.  At one review site, RyanAir ranks 2.8 out of 5, while EasyJet rates 2.5 on the scale.

No-frills means exactly that!  Do not expect space, water, food, or anything else.  No-frills airlines are generally cattle cars designed solely to move lots of people short hauls at cheap rates. 

BYO:  Bring your own beverage and snack or sandwich, even if you eat at the airport.  Flights are often delayed - by summer crowds, sudden thunderstorms or windshear dangers somewhere en route, even volcanos.  Have something with you.  Bring your own entertainment: book, 'puter with work or games, earbuds, battery-operated DVD player, etc.  Remember your trench coat & use it for a pillow or blanket, as needed.

Watch those scales!  Airline scales around the world seem to need inspection and Truth in Advertising as well as Truth in Measurement monitors.  Weigh your bags, dispute inaccuracies, reweigh on a different scale.  Of course, watch your bag weights even before heading to the airport.

Only book shorter flights.  Once you hit about three hours packed into a plane seat, you can get distinctly cramped, discomfited and crazy.  Keep it short, simple, sweet - or sweat it.

If you ever fly on a Chinese domestic airline with a crate of piglets in the aisle, you'll kwitcherbitchin permanently.  I can assure you of that!

May your road rise to meet you,
Ann

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