Budget airlines have changed the way we travel around the world. In the past decade we saw the rise of these airlines. For example we have Air Asia and Norwegian in 1993, Easy Jet in 1995, WestJet in 1996, Jetstar and Virgin America in 2004 and Mango in 2006.
Budget airlines allow travelers to travel deeper with the availability of more destinations and ability to have the time flexibility. The biggest advantage is they are comparatively more affordable.
To help you plan your next adventure here are Travelmath’s top 10 budget airlines in the world (in no particular order):
One: Jetstar
The Jetstar Group according to the company is a group of value-based carriers providing all day every day low fares across Australia, New Zealand and the Asia Pacific region.
If you are visiting Melbourne Australia and decide to take a three hour nine minute flight to Queenstown New Zealand, Jetstar offers AUD239 ($187) per person round trip airfare including all fees at the time of writing this article. You would pay more for a ticket that originates from Los Angeles to Melbourne with an add-on to Queenstown with Qantas or Air New Zealand. Our research shows a difference of $235 per ticket.
As with all budget airlines you have to pay extra for check-in bags, meals, entertainment and preferred seats. Most do have strict weight and size for carry-on bags as well.
Two: Air Asia
All major airlines that fly from the United States or Europe do not have a connecting flight to Jogjakarta Indonesia. For those who are interested in visiting Borobudur, the only way to get there is to fly either into Jakarta Indonesia or other major cities in Asia.
We took Air Asia from Kuala Lumpur to Jogjakarta at a sweet price of MYR409 ($111) per person round trip. Air Asia serves over 100 destinations in Asia, Middle East and Australia. Check out Air Asia’s ASEAN Pass if you plan to visit Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, Brunei, Cambodia, the Philippines, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam.
Three: Tiger Air
Tiger Air, a Singapore-based budget airline serves 50 destinations across 13 countries in Asia and Australia. And the number is growing. One great advantage of traveling with Tiger Air is their Tigerconnect program. Tigerconnect includes an airport hassle-free transfer. Read more on their website here.
Four: Virgin America
This California-based airline has a fleet of brand new planes with affordable fares and innovative amenities. According to Virgin America, they are on a mission to make flying good again with mood-lit cabins and video touch-screen at every seat, offering guests on-demand menus and entertainment options. These are not available on many US-based domestic flights.
Five: Norwegian
This second largest airline in Scandinavia and third largest low-cost airline in Europe offers 424 routes to 130 destinations in Europe, North Africa, the Middle East, Thailand and the USA. “Everyone should afford to fly” is Norwegian’s vision and we put that to the test.
A round trip ticket from New York JFK Airport to Barcelona, Spain on April 19 and returning April 23 costs $669.90 including all taxes with Norwegian with one stop both ways. It was $1,451.48 with one stop going but non-stop on the return flight with Iberia. We would save $781.58 per ticket if we purchased the ticket at the time of writing this article.
Six: Icelandair
One of the best things about Icelandair besides being affordable is the free stopover option in Iceland. You have two destinations for the price of one. Read more about it on Icelandair.
Seven: WOWAir
A round trip ticket from Baltimore-Washington International Airport (BWI) to London Gatwick Airport (LGW) via Reykjavik in September is $760.73 per person. The same route on the same day from Dulles International Airport in Washington D.C. to Heathrow Airport in London with British Airways is $997.67.
You would save $236.94 if you don’t mind having a stopover in Reykjavik on both outbound and inbound flights. WOWAir offers huge savings to those who are flexible and who book months in advance. Their flights are fully booked for most of spring and summer from BWI to LGW.
Eight: EasyJet
EasyJet serves more than 600 million passengers per year to over 600 routes across 30 countries with over 200 Airbus aircraft. These numbers are impressive but nothing beats the affordable prices EasyJet offers within Europe.
A one-way ticket from London Gatwick to Cologne-Bonn Germany is GBP36 (about $53) in late summer. It only takes one hour eight minutes to fly. Your other options would be a combination of Eurostar train from London through the Chunnel and either train, bus or self-drive from Paris or Brussels to Cologne-Bonn. Your entire train and road trip combination would take an entire day and more than GB36.
Nine: Mango
Known as South Africa’s most innovative airline, Mango offers travelers connections to Zanzibar Tanzania and from Johannesburg to other major cities in South Africa. The airline is owned by South African Airways.
Ten: Aer Lingus
The national airline of Ireland is not only affordable, it has 47 modern Airbus aircraft and frequent services from New York JFK, Boston and Chicago to Dublin and major cities of Europe. Aer Lingus mission is “to connect Ireland with the world and the world with Ireland.”
Added to competitive pricing, Aer Lingus’ airports are convenient and centrally located. For example they fly from JFK New York Airport via Dublin to Charles de Gaulle Paris instead of Beauvais-Tille Airport (near Paris). If you were to fly with Ryan Air, another low-cost airline in Europe, you would have to fly into Beauvais-Tille Airport, an airport about 52 miles (85 km) from Paris city center.
Which is your favorite budget airline in the world? Let us know.
