Overdue airline compensation rules

It was with a sigh of relief that I heard that budget airlines are going to be forced to start compensating passengers who are affected, often financially, by the constant delays and cancellations, which can mean they lose several days of their precious annual leave. Here in the This is Money office, where several of us try to take regular holidays to Europe on the cheap, we chat almost daily about who has the worst Ryanair/EasyJet/charter flight horror story.

I've concluded that there's no scienctific way of deciding which of the budget airlines is the best. In my experience, EasyJet are pretty good and I've never had any huge dramas with them, although Simon Lambert would disagree. I had the misfortune to fly Ryanair to Italy on December 23 last year. We flew from Stansted on possibly the busiest afternoon of the year and the airport was utter chaos - we queued for more than an hour, in a throng of millions of people and all their luggage/trolleys/screaming children just to check in. It was carnage.

But to their credit, the flight was only slightly delayed, which sort of made up for the fact that they had completely sold out of all food on board, as well as beer and white wine (we all had red. Some passengers got nothing).

Don't even get me started on charter flights and their leaking toilets, abysmal punctuality record (I have friends who lost two days of their holiday to Goa thanks to a charter flight's incompetance) and general lack of leg room. But at least they give you a meal.

I would encourage all of you to start taking a look at some of the lesser known airlines. In December I flew to Prague on Czech Airlines. It was cheaper than EasyJet. It was also vastly more civilised, with allocated seats and a meal. Another friend who joined us in Italy over Christmas flew to Florence with Meridiana and avoided the Ryanair chaos, for less money.

Also, have a think about what you are actually saving. If you are in London (like me) and are forced to get to an airport that is a bit of a trek from your home, you are almost guaranteed to shell out extra for black cabs, mini cabs or the vastly overpriced Stansted Express (£24 return). Check the timetables too. If your cheap budget flight gets in late at night when public transport is finished you could find yourself with a hefty taxi fare home. You might be better paying an extra £20 for a flight at a decent hour, from an airport that suits you - particularly now that budget airlines say they will be forced to raise ticket prices because of the compensation ruling.

Budget traveller extraordinaire Richard Browning has compiled a list of 50 tips for saving money on holidays. We can also help reduce your costs by helping find an affordable travel insurance policy and you can pick up great holiday tips on our sister website This is Travel.

Tell us your budget flight nightmares by posting a comment below. We at This is Money will sympathise with your plight.

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Happy travelling,

- Sascha, This is Money

Comments

[John]

I liked the the bit "you are in London (like me) and are forced to get to an airport that is a bit of a trek from your home". STOP DRIPPING trying living in Scotland! The flights are more expensive and the cab fares are no cheaper!