=20 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- This article was sent to you by someone who found it on SF Gate. The original article can be found on SFGate.com here: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=3D/chronicle/archive/2002/05= /19/TR153322.DTL ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Sunday, May 19, 2002 (SF Chronicle) Euro lines launch low-flying fares Daniel Michaels, Michelle Higgins, Wall Street Journal Jet-setting in Europe is on sale. A fast-growing crop of budget airlines is offering surprisingly low fares this summer, including some that make the U.S. discount carriers look like price gougers by comparison. Want to fly from London to Venice? Earlier this week, British carrier Go was offering a one-way ticket for $22. For just $8 more, travelers can fly one-way between Paris and Geneva on EasyJet. Last weekend, Ireland's Ryanair advertised one-way fares as low as $9 between Frankfurt and Milan, though the cheapest of the cheap seats can be hard to snag. While low-cost airlines have been around for a while in Europe, the pric= es this summer are so good because the upstart carriers are expanding so fast they're competing directly with one another. Before, they spent more of their energy stealing passengers from traditional airlines. In the past year, Ryanair added two hubs in Brussels and Frankfurt. EasyJet recently started serving Paris and Athens. There are also new carriers popping up, such as bmibaby (get it?), which launched just a few months ago - making it the fifth low-cost carrier in the U.K. alone. Some sample Web fares for flights on June 14, including taxes and fees: Ryanair, Venice, Italy, to London: $17; EasyJet, Paris to London: $16; Go, London to Edinburgh, Scotland: $25 Of course, there's no such thing as a free lunch. Many low-cost carriers are so cheap, in fact, they make people pay for snacks. There are other hassles, too. Booking periods can be limited for the cheapest of the cheap seats (just three days for that Ryanair $9 fare). And some of them save money by using airports far from the major cities. Still, many fares are cheaper than a seat on Europe's bullet trains, not to mention faster. Comparison-shopping for the actual tickets can take some legwork. None of the big budget carriers has a U.S. toll-free number, and most aren't listed on the biggest Internet travel sites like Expedia.com and Travelocity.com. However, there are a few Web sites that can be used to shop. Easyvalue.com, a sister company of EasyJet, compares prices on discount flights originating in the U.K. Europebyair.com searches 21 airlines and offers a "flightpass" valid for 120 days allowing travelers to country-hop in Europe for $99 per one-way flight. One independent site, www.aerfares.net, specializes in searching the low-fare companies. Some U.S. travel agents have begun to book on budget airlines. But since they =1Fdon't make any commission from the carriers, many can't be bothered. All the major carriers have Web sites with English versions. The low-cost carriers have advantages other than price. For example, flying midweek is usually no problem because they don't require a Saturday night stay- over. And their fares can dramatically undercut the major airlines. EasyJet, for example, is asking $82 to fly from London Gatwick to Amsterdam Schiphol on May 31. The same itinerary on British Airways runs $416. But low fares exact a price in other ways. Ryanair, the cheapest of the bunch, flies from tiny airports that can take 90 minutes to reach from downtown Brussels, Frankfurt or Paris. Until recently, its Frankfurt airport, Hahn, was a U.S. Air Force base. Bmibaby's hub is hours outside of London. Europe's more established carriers are fighting back. British Airways has a "Visit Europe Pass" to more than 180 destinations. Price depends on the number of flights and the mileage of each flight, but can be as low as $60 from London to Paris. But nobody will mistake the upstarts' in-flight service for a traditional airline. Most =1Fdon't have assigned seating. On most carriers, in fact, part of the flight attendant's job is to wheel a cart down the aisle selling everything from phone cards to bus tickets into town. HE CHEAP SEATS Europe is overflowing with low-cost airlines and some superb bargains th= is summer. But the upstart carriers do have idiosyncrasies. A rundown of the main players: -- RYANAIR, www.ryanair.com. Strengths: Big network with 57 destinations; some of the lowest fares; frequent flights, particularly to England, Ireland, Belgium and Frankfurt, Germany. Weaknesses: Some of its airports are far from cities; minimal in-flight service (expect nothing free, even coffee). -- EASYJET, www.easyjet.com. Strengths: Operates from mainstream airport= s; large network with 45 routes among 17 cities; frequent flights (e.g.: 10 per day London-to-Amsterdam). Weaknesses: Book way in advance because fares climb quickly close to travel date; little in-flight service. -- GO, www.go-fly.com. Strengths: Good in the Mediterranean coast region; flies to the Continent from three U.K. airports (London Stansted, Bristol & East Midlands); uses mainstream airports; even flies to Prague. Weaknesses: Smaller network; less frequent flights than others -- only two per day from its hub (London Stansted) to each of: Rome; Nice, France; and Barcelona, Spain. -- VIRGIN EXPRESS, www.virgin-express.com. Strengths: One of the few budget carriers to have assigned seating; snacks such as small sandwiches served on board; two-class service (though business class only gets a bigger snack and free drinks, not more leg room); uses mainstream airports. Weaknesses: Fares tend to be higher, sometimes approaching full-service carriers; planes are older and the fittings generally appear more worn; hub is Brussels -- not a top tourist spot. -- BMIBABY, www.bmibaby.com. Strengths: Just getting started, so offers some good promotional fares. Best deal: Milan, Copenhagen1 or Munich for as little as 25 pounds ($37) one way. Weaknesses: Among the smallest low-fare carriers, with only one hub - East Midlands Airport, smack in the middle of England (near Nottingham). -- BUZZ, www.buzzaway.com. Strengths: Flies from London Stansted to 15 cities around France and four domestic routes inside France; uses smaller jets than others so it feels less like a bus. Weaknesses: Limited network - Stansted is its only hub; flies only to France, Germany and Spain. =20=20=20=20 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright 2002 SF Chronicle