Budget Travel - How many LCC's have you flown?

So far I have had flights on nine LCC's, listed in order of quality of experience:

Aegean
Sky Europe
Air Baltic
Wizzair
Germanwings
EasyJet
Windjet
MyAir
Ryanair

AirTran
Allegiant
Aloha OAK-LAS//SNA-LAS (defunct)
Arkia
ATA (defunct)
bmi (intra-Europe)
Champion Air (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Champion_Air) (defunct)
Independence Air (defunct)
National Airlines (defunct)
People's Express (defunct/CO)
RenoAir (now AA)
RyanAir
Scenic Airlines (Scheduled Passenger Service not Grand Canyon tours)
Southwest
Sun Country
Tower Air (defunct)
US Airways :) (stock symbol LCC)
Vanguard

Bottom to top

Ryanair -get what you pay for -and I only book the £1 deals !
Easyjet-exceeded expectations (which admittedly weren't high to start with)
BMI Good experience - despite managing to set off bathroom smoke alarm with hairspray-and waking a sleeping Donny Osmond in a nearby seat !
Jetblue Good experience

In order of date flown:

Southwest: good experience
US Airways (but only once to PIT before the merger and once on a widebody to SJU after the merger, so not really involving their LCC side): mediocre experience
AirAsia (and its subsidiary, Thai AirAsia): good experience! (Food on their flights ex-KUL have delicious BOB options!)
NokAir (Thai Airways' LCC subsidiary): decent experience (old aircraft...seat recline was tremendous!)
JetStar Asia: decent experience

Given my budget for travel, I'd probably fly more LCCs, but alas, I'm in about the last place an LCC would choose to serve (ANC). Here, anything under 6 cpm is a deal to grab. ;)

JetBlue - positive experience and a good price
Virgin America - excellent, but than again I was in First
Aer Lingus - generally ok experiences. Varies from really good, to really bad.
Ryanair - Did exactly what was expected, no complaints
easyJet - worked out ok the time I've flown them
bmi - so/so experiences

WN - The typical Southwest some-good-things, some-bad-things experience.

Aegean and bmi (not bmibaby) aren't low-cost carriers any more than DL and IB are (in fact, food on A3 Y is complimentary). They even operate their own lounges!!


I've only flown (best to worst):
Mihin Lanka, Sterling, Norwegian and Easyjet.
They all were quite alright actually, but the first two are now bankrupt, and I don't think I'm going to choose Easyjet again (I consider open seating to be a major irritation).

I've flown on:

Ryanair (I fly ryanair the most, as there Weeze airport is only 20 minutes form here:cool:)
Easyjet
Intersky (http://www.intersky.biz/)
BMI baby
Germanwings (http://www.germanwings.com/index.nl.shtml)
Tuifly (http://www.tuifly.com/de/index.html)
Transavia (http://www.transavia.com/hv/main/splash)
VLM (http://www.flyvlm.com/emc.asp)
Air Berlin (http://www.airberlin.com/site/start.php?LANG=net&MARKT=NL)

And a couple more of which I can't remember their names.

Huh, I usually lecture people not to be snobs about flying LCCs, but I guess I don't have much opportunity to do so myself. I can only remember

Air Asia (2007)
Independence Air (2004)
PSA (1989)

I've wanted to fly Virgin America or JetBlue, but ironically they've always been much more expensive than United.

Not as many as some of the fellow FT members posting here, but here we go:

- Air Asia
- Ryanair
- Buzz
- Tui

Hmmm...ones still operating (as far as I know):

Spirit

Southwest

AirTran (possibly debatable now, but with roots as LCC)

Virgin Blue

Tiger Airways

JetStar Asia

Air Asia

Cebu Pacific


...and some no longer with us...

ValuJet (became AirTran)

Air South

Private Jet

Aegean and bmi (not bmibaby) aren't low-cost carriers

Can't speak for Aegean, but bmi certainly been acting like one in the last few years. Yes they're not a "lo-co" in the Southwest style (but neither are Aer Lingus, technically). bmi have pretty agressively pursued some of the "lo-co" style policies (abolition of business class on some routes, no free food in economy, baggage interlining in certain cases etc, the introduction of "tiny" fares [now seemingly gone] which gave people practically nothing). bmi are a mish-mash...but that's for another forum ;)

Not in any particular order

Tiger Airways

Indonesia Air Asia and their earlier guise - Awair

Thai Air Asia

Malaysia Air Asia

Virgin Blue

Jetstar

Jetstar Asia/Valuair

Cebu Pacific

Mandala Airlines (Indonesia)

Wings Air/Lion Air (Indonesia

Batavia Air (LCCish from Indonesia)

And the not so dearly departed:

Adam Air (Indonesia)

I´ve flown quite a number of LCC´s ...
So, here´s my list (but without ranking ! )

Air Asia
Ryanair
Cebu Pacific
Tiger Airways
Easyjet
Wizzair
Air Southwest (UK)
Aer Arann
Oasis Hongkong
Viva Macau
TUIfly (Germany)
Germanwings
Air Berlin
Firefly (Malaysia)
One-Two-Go (Thailand)
Batavia Air
Sriwijaya Air
Lion Air
Myair
Blu Express (Italy)

Virgin Blue
Jet star
aloha
flybe
BMI
BMI baby
easy jet
jet2
aer lingus
pacific blue
alaska
cityjet
us airways

(number of flights)

Centralwings (4) KRK-LGW-KRK,MLA-WAW-LGW
Cebu Pacific (3) BKK-MNL-TPE-MNL
Air Asia (3) KCH-KUL,DPS-KUL-BKK
Southwest (2) BUF-LAS-LAX
Virgin Blue (3) SYD-BNE-MEL-SYD
SkyEurope (2) DUB-KRK, VIE-BBU
Easyjet (4) SXF-BSL,SXF-KRK,MAD-CMN,LTN-AMS
Thomsonfly (1) RAK-LTN
Wizz Air (2) BBU-CIA-BBU
Blue Air Romania (1) BBU-BCN
Air Baltic (1) RIX-VIE
Clickair (1) BCN-LIS
Thai Air Asia (1) BKK-RGN
Bangkok Airways (1) RGN-BKK
Origin Pacific NZ (2) WLG-CHC(2)
Jetstar Pacific Vietnam (1) DAD-SGN
Vueling (1) LIS-MAD
Siem Reap Airways (1) PNH-REP
PAL Express (2) MNL-MPH-MNL
Thomas Cook (2) YYZ-LGW-YYZ
US Airways (4) BUF-PIT-PBI-CLT-BUF


Notably missing from the list is Ryanair, my cousin is a FA on Ryanair, and from hearing her stories, I will never set foot on FR.

- Jetstar
- VirginBlue (are they considered to be a LCC? the terminal looked nicer compared to JQ but else?)
- JetstarAsia
- Air Berlin (which actually isnt really a LCC anymore...)
- Asian Spirit
- Cebu Pacific
- Ryanair

They only time i really got the feeling to be on a Loco was with Ryanair, undoubtedly an interesting experience. Mid-aged polish stewardess shouting instructions and screaming at an indian man in the exit row, whether he understood her instructions. She felt he didn't and probably would ve sent him of the plane if he didnt obey in a matter of split seconds to MOVE FURTHER DOWN THE CABIN! Hilarious, nonetheless. She talked to me next and we survived...

Basically hope that the LCCs get down the prices on Legacy-Carriers intra-asia just like they did in europe before. In fact i rarely use them in europe as LX often has good-value prices ex ZRH.

Aegean and bmi (not bmibaby) aren't low-cost carriers any more than DL and IB are (in fact, food on A3 Y is complimentary). They even operate their own lounges!!

I think the dividing line between LCC and regular carrier is very thin these days. I mean, to a non frequent flyer what's the difference between bmi and easyJet? The seating policy is the only thing I can think about and some people (especially travelling alone) may prefer unallocated seats (so they can get a good seat by turning up to the gate early).

Now as a frequent flyer the differences between bmi and easyJet are more obvious. Lounge access, middle seat blocking and a free 'meal deal' are some of the benefits of diamond club.

At one time buy on board food was a sign of a LCC. Now many mainstream airlines do the same. Others have remained free but the offering has been pathetic. At least with buy on board then there should be some level of quality or few will be willing to pay.

Credit card surcharges were once the domain of LCCs, now many other airlines have copied (although none to the ridiculous levels of Ryanair).

Luggage charges have also been copied by many airlines, I can only think of US ones at the moment though.

Some self described LCCs allocate seats while others are open seating, so this isn't a way to tell LCCs and regular carriers apart.

Not all LCC's fly to far away airports. Although I can't think of any that use LHR (unless you class BD and EI as low cost) I think LGW is a good base for London.

Finally, it's not always the case that LCC's are cheaper. It depends when you book, etc. It's always sensible to check all options if you want the cheapest deal.

layz has some excellent points above.

I've only flown Vueling and Easyjet. Vueling didn't feel any different to being in Economy class with a regular carrier. Overall a positive experience. The fact that their FAs were (more often than not) gorgeous didn't hurt either. Easyjet definitely felt like an LCC, but that was mainly due to the open seating policy. I likely wouldn't bother with Easyjet again since after all the add-ons, you can often find a seat on a regular carrier for around the same price.

Just a few:

- 8 flights on Ryanair (last one in 2003)
- 6 flights on Virgin Express (last one in 2006)
- 2 flights on easyJet (last one in 2005)

I was also on two charter trips, which led me to have to fly the following:

- 1 flight on Air Berlin (not bad actually)
- 1 flight on Condor (also not bad)
- 2 flights on Iberworld (truly horrible)

And I have one flight booked on Air Berlin to Iceland, but with the XL seat option... This will be to start a *A CRTW.

bmi is most definitely not a LCC. They are part of an alliance, they code share, are a network carrier, offer long-haul flights, offer connecting flights, have a FFP, have lounges, have business class, offer interlining, etc. The only LCC characteristic I can see on bmi is buy-on-board in economy class.

Some may be confusing BMI Baby, which is an LCC, with its parent, BMI, which is not and never has been.


Just a few:

- 8 flights on Ryanair (last one in 2003)
- 6 flights on Virgin Express (last one in 2006)
- 2 flights on easyJet (last one in 2005)

I was also on two charter trips, which led me to have to fly the following:

- 1 flight on Air Berlin (not bad actually)
- 1 flight on Condor (also not bad)
- 2 flights on Iberworld (truly horrible)

And I have one flight booked on Air Berlin to Iceland, but with the XL seat option... This will be to start a *A CRTW.

bmi is most definitely not a LCC. They are part of an alliance, they code share, are a network carrier, offer long-haul flights, offer connecting flights, have a FFP, have lounges, have business class, offer interlining, etc. The only LCC characteristic I can see on bmi is buy-on-board in economy class.

AirBerlin
Condor
HLX
Germanwings
EasyJet
Tuifly
Ryanair

From best to worst:

SkyEurope: 10 euro fare milan to vienna!
EasyJet: no problems, but pricier
RyanAir: delayed 4.5 hrs :(

Soon to fly BMI baby, so I'll let you know how that goes.

Oh, and I flew JFK - LON rt on zoom, before AC shut it down for bankruptcy. Honestly a very nice flight and the only airline that played 'bringing sexy back' instead of muzak over the intercom during boarding ;)

-World
-National
-Alaska
-Southwest
-America West

will travel
-JetBlue
-Jetstar

Jetstar
Air Asia
German Wings
Southwest
EasyJet
by the way, will never ever fly RyanAir would rather walk.

Sky Europe
Germanwings
EasyJet
Wind
Ryanair
Air Asia
Jetstar
ValueAir
Tuifly
Air Berlin
HLX

from all, Ryanair was the worst, I try to avoid them like the plague. Also I hate their booking system with all the funny surcharges. Makes it very in transparent.

So far really only FR, although the first time was back when it was still tolerable and I quite enjoyed it. It's only the past few years that (for how I fly) it's become more expensive due to creating anciliary charges where once there were none. And the whole attempt to be as offensive to as many senses at once as possible doens't help.

Pseudo-LCC-wise, really just EI, although I have a WizzAir flight coming up in the near future that promises to be interesting.

Really, though, the total cost of the trip (charges, fees, transport to the airport, etc) usually means I can justify spending that little more to fly on a legacy carrier like LX or BD and enjoy my trip, plus earn a few miles toward status.

Oh, and I flew JFK - LON rt on zoom, before AC shut it down for bankruptcy.

Not meaning to be nitpicky, but AC never had anything to do with Zoom. They were totally separate companies.

Most of my LCC experience is a few years old, but here you go:

Southwest - I try to avoid them at all cost. Most of the really bad was in boarding and connecting.

Frontier - was not bad and would consider them if none of my regular options were available.

Spirit - aside from the lack of customer service and difficult to apply FF program, my big seat up fronte from MCO to FLL. was fine

US - It is what it is. I have just lowered my expectations when I fly them so I am less frustrated with them now.

I would like to try JetBlue sometime.

I am afraid to do the AirTran thing.

Air Berlin - as someone has mentioned, not really a LCC anymore; a few years back had very competitive fares, good service, a free snack, I was happy

Germanwings - they get me to the Balkans for cheap (ok, JAT has finally introduced some good fares), normal LCC experience, would use them again without hesitating

easyJet - quite ok, nothing special

WizzAir - ok, they are said to be delayed quite often but the two times I used them everything was ok

Ryanair - a few years ago it was tollerable, nowadays I avoid them like the plague

United
American
US Airways
Continental
Northwest
Delta
Alaska
Southwest
AirTran
RyanAir
Frontier

United
American
US Airways
Continental
Northwest
Delta
Alaska
Southwest
AirTran
RyanAir
Frontier

+1

Our transatlantic flights on LCC's have been fairly decent. They are what they are. We've done:
JMC (now Thomas Cook) from YVR to LGW
Martinair (does Martinair count as a LCC?) from YVR to AMS
Zoom (defunct) from YVR to CDG

We've also done Allegiant from BLI to LAS.

My most recent ones:

Southworst- Tolerable for an hour, but not much more. Even with new boarding process, still not a pleasant experience.

Dragonair- They can fit how many people on an A320??? Reminded me of the subway on a Monday morning. FAs were uniformly grumpy.

Frontier- New and old. Both were acceptable, but nothing sticks out in my mind.

I do everything in my power to avoid LCCs at all costs, and, fortunately, my employer does not allow them for biz travel.

For me its:

AirAsia (all of its affiliates)
Jetstar Asia
Tiger Airways
Southwest (the best)^
jetBlue
RyanAir (the worst):td:
easyJet

Well it depends....

1. Air asia...


But if you look at milage/cost ratio:
- SAS
- Thai
- Air Greenland
- British Airways
- Finnair
- Air France
- Lufthansa

Happy Flying :D

Easyjet
Ryanair
Virginblue
FreedomAir
Jetstar
AirBerlin

thats it

ATA / DEFUNCT - Decent Service
AirTran - Terrible the first time. Good the other 6 times...
SpiritAir - Good all 40+ r/t I flew with them.
Southwest - Good every time.
USairways - Terrible service the six times I have flown them.
America West Airlines / DEFUNCT - Terrible service the twice I flew them.
Aeropostal (Venezuela) / Defunct - Good the first time. Terrible every time thereafter.

Ryanair - great money/value ratio (flights were 4 cents each, no luggage)
Air Berlin - many times...totally ok
Frontier - nothing to complain about
EasyJet - bearable for an hour
Southwest - flight was almost empty and hence pleasant

-World
-National
-Alaska
-Southwest
-America West

will travel
-JetBlue
-Jetstar

I'd hardly call AS an LCC. At one point between 2000 and now (roughly--memory's fuzzy), AS tried to position themselves as an LCC with simplified fare structures (no saturday night stays required, round-trip fares exactly twice one-way fares, etc.), fleet commonality, quick turns, etc., but I think they gave up on the idea of being price competitive and now focus on trying to make themselves the premium brand. They're certainly not an LCC from either an operations cost perspective (their CASM is high, in large part because of their extensive expensive intra-Alaska operations) or a fare perspective (cheapest fare months out for a 1,500-mile flight is $500+ r/t).

I [B]wish AS were a true LCC and could get me to places without breaking the bank, but alas, I'm held captive here for the time being due to their high fares and decidedly non-LCC operation...

Buzz
Ryanair
EasyJet
bmibaby
flybe
JetBlue
snowflake

I have a feeling there might've been some more, but can't remember :)

Virgin blue
Jetstar
Southwest
Air Asia (the best of my short list)