Budget flights: pitfalls and warnings

At a time when most national carriers are declaring losses, Ryanair's recent 44 per cent rise in profits to more than £100 million demonstrates the phenomenal success of the low-cost carriers.

Just over 20 million of us - that's one out of every four scheduled air passengers - took a low-cost flight last year, five million more than in 2000, and many cost less than a lunch a deux in Cafe Rouge.

With all the evidence that we can't get enough of them, the low-cost carriers are expanding. Ryanair has added eight new destinations from Stansted this summer, making a total of 42 - some so obscure many of us have probably never heard of them. (That might change though as, for instance, Klagenfurt opens up the Austrian Riviera as a weekend destination.)

And those that can't beat them are joining them: last Thursday bmi British Midland announced it had completely scrapped its "full service" fares in favour of a simple one-way fare structure - as used by low-cost airlines - out of Heathrow. This summer, it is offering fares to Nice for £52.50 and Palma for £73. These low fares have even created a new breed of spontaneous traveller - and terminology: the beachender, we are led to believe by airline publicists, regularly hops on a late Friday flight to weekend it on the beach.

"Our philosophy is that if the price is low enough people will go," says a spokesperson at Ryanair.

The French Tourist Office agrees - it has seen a big increase in the number of Britons travelling to areas such as Languedoc in the south and Poitiers in the west, since Ryanair and Buzz started flying there.

"The cheap flights have generated new traffic and it's not just holidaymakers but people looking for second homes," says a Tourist Office spokesperson.

" Ryanair's flights to Languedoc took 140,000 Britons to France in 2000." It's all good news, but consider the following before you book...

1. At this time of year, low-cost airlines can be a lot less expensive than national carriers to the same destination. The reason for this is because in high season those carriers increase prices considerably to reflect demand. (Remember though that the reverse may well be the case later in the year.) However, the low no-frills fares advertised aren't available on anything like the majority of seats. Once they are sold, prices start to rise, so you need to book in advance.

2. Consider scheduled "flag" carriers, such as BA, especially for last-minute travel. In general - and in contrast to low-cost airlines - most sell their cheapest seats last, so if you're booking near your departure date, ring the consolidators, such as STA Travel, and you may well get a lower fare on a regular airline. " Carriers such as British Airways often have excellent deals, from about £60 return, particularly for travel from April to June," says Trailfinders, which sells seats on a number of European airlines. However all airlines have complicated "yield management" computer programmes, which price tickets according to demand, fluidly as shares.

3. For weekends away, low cost is often anything but peanuts. On a low-cost airline-or a national carrier busy times such as Friday evenings and Saturday mornings may be far more expensive.

4. Book accommodation at the same time as your flight. As Owen Davies, MD of villa specialist The Individual Travellers' Company says: "You might be able to get a flight to Italy for £45, but it'll probably be late on a Tuesday night, and most villas and apartments are let Saturday to Saturday. We are happy to sell just the accommodation and let customers book their own flight, but they often can't find as good a deal as we can."

5. Ditto those planning city breaks, says John Bennett, MD of city-break specialist Osprey Holidays. People can come a cropper trying to put together their own packages: "They book the flights and then they can't find a bed, particularly in popular cities like Amsterdam, Dublin and Barcelona."

6. Booking your flight separately from your accommodation means that if the flight is cancelled, you will lose your deposit for the hotel. Had you booked through an operator, it would be obliged to find an alternative or offer a full refund.

7. Budget for extra costs and time. To keep rates down no-frills carriers sometimes fly into "secondary" airports, where landing fees are lower and congestion is less, so they can turn around faster, squeezing more flights out of each aircraft. This can leave passengers with an inconvenient trek into the city: Ryanair's flights to Stockholm actually land in Stavasta, 55 miles south of the city and a onehour bus ride away (£10 return). Its Frankfurt service goes to Hahn, 60 miles away (&£6.25 one way). This so infuriated Lufthansa that it went to the German courts to stop Ryanair describing it as Frankfurt at all. It lost.

8. Consider your insurance position. Flights and packages booked through agents come with financial protection. Travel agents and tour operators must hold an Air Travel Organiser's Licence (ATOL), which guarantees clients a refund if they go bust. All ATOL holders must offer passengers insurance against an airline failure, which is provided either free or for a charge of up to £3 for each ticket. With airlines, you do not have this protection. If the airline goes bust you lose your money and risk being stranded abroad.

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