Take the cheap route to the beach

Our summer holidays used to start with a charter flight to Faro or Malaga and end with one back a week or two later. But now the low-cost airlines are straying into chartered waters - of easyJet's 17 routes, four are now to traditional charter destinations - and travellers have a wider choice than ever.

easyJet chief executive Ray Webster says: "Passengers are increasingly looking to do it themselves, as opposed to buying a package, as it's now cheaper that way." What's more, you can stay for eight, nine or 10 days instead of seven or 14.

However, holidaymakers booked on a no-frills carrier during last week's strikes might have wished they had bought a seat-only flight with a charter operator. Wednesday's protests by air-traffic controllers in France, Portugal, Italy and Greece, followed by Thursday's general strike in Spain, meant the easiest thing for low-cost airlines was to pull the flights.

Passengers still in England had the task of battling for space on another flight in a busy period, while those stuck abroad had to fork out for extra accommodation.

By contrast, tour operators turned up trumps. While Ryanair left the onus on passengers to discover if their flights had been cancelled and then rebook them, MyTravel (formerly Airtours) called its customers, rescheduled flights and offered hotel accommodation.

"In a situation like this, you are better off with a charter airline, which has a responsibility to get you from A to B," says Simon Evans, chief executive of the Air Transport Users Council. "This is where you find out the quid pro quo for cheap tickets on no-frills carriers."

While the rise of the no-frills airlines made charters seem outdated, travel companies are fighting back and taking on the low-cost carriers at their own game.

Thomson, for instance, is making meals optional from summer 2003 on its Britannia airline, while MyTravel plans to launch its own no-frills airline this autumn.

Before you squeeze into the last plane seat to the Med, click here to find out what you need to know...

Charter versus low-cost