Plane ticket cheaper than taxi ride.

Noob · Post by **Noob** » Wed Jan 23, 2013 4:51 am

I didn't see it posted in the transportation forum so I'll put it here. When in Europe, there is an airline called Ryan Air. It's not the best or the prettiest, but its only 25pounds for round trip tickets to most of their destinations. I'm not sure what the current conversion rate is from USD to British Sterling Pounds, but it's less than 50 bucks.

secretwealth · Post by **secretwealth** » Wed Jan 23, 2013 5:01 am

Is that 25 quid before or after the dozen fees they tack on to the cost of the ticket?
I remember about a decade ago Ryanair advertised 1 pound fares. Those were the days.

RealPerson · Post by **RealPerson** » Wed Jan 23, 2013 5:12 am

The base price is very low, but there are endless additional charges. If you forgot to print your boarding pass, there is a hefty charge. Charges for luggage of course. They were thinking about charging for use of the overhead bins and use of the bathroom on board. There is a charge for water. The only thing free of charge so far is the air you breathe.
Pilots from Ryanair in the Netherlands came out and claimed that they are required to fly the planes with dangerously low fuel levels. More fuel = more weight, hence the low fuel. Makes you think.
Ryanair is indeed very cheap but they nickel and dime you to death. Come very prepared and extremely lightly packed, and maybe bring a small container of kerosene to help the pilot get the plane safely on the ground? Seriously, in Europe a taxi would be very expensive compared to flying, but discounted rail tickets are definitely worth looking at. Years ago, my family took the TGV (French bullet train) from Paris to the Mediterranean. I think it was $40 per person, an incredibly low price for on-time and very comfortable transportation. Faster than flying for that relatively short distance (from an American perspective). Don't buy European rail tickets in the US. Much cheaper in Europe, at least when we booked. Check out the European railway websites directly.

dragoncar · Post by **dragoncar** » Wed Jan 23, 2013 5:39 am

Didn't the RyanAir president publicly admit that their business model is making money off stupid people (i.e. people who forget to print their boarding pass)?
Anyways, I'm pretty sure most flights in the US cost less than their taxi equivalent. For example, I don't think you can get a taxi from SFO to LAX for $100.

JohnnyH · Post by **JohnnyH** » Wed Jan 23, 2013 7:21 am

Many good airlines with a similar strategy. On the right day (empty seats) I can fly to Vegas for $40 after tax.
Too bad the only thing in Vegas I am interested in is shows and food.
"before or after the dozen fees they tack on to the cost of the ticket?"

Am I insane or did secretwealth just make an anti-tax statement? (kidding!

Noob · Post by **Noob** » Wed Jan 23, 2013 12:15 pm

From London to Riga for 40bucks was a steal in my book. Sorry if not everyone feels the same way.. but I don't think I could have gotten there any cheaper. Tickets on the tube were looking at 10X that.

chenda · Post by **chenda** » Wed Jan 23, 2013 12:18 pm

You can get great deals on Ryanair; I've flown from the uk to Portugal for £25 all in. The additional charges are annoying but you can avoid most of them with a bit of planning.
Easyjet also offer very cheap flights, and they both cover almost all of Europe and some north African destinations.

Ego · Post by **Ego** » Thu Jan 24, 2013 6:03 am

What about by bus? You can go from Paris to Lyon for 9€ and London to Paris for £10 with no additional charges. Amazingly, that includes two suitcases per person.

Noob · Post by **Noob** » Thu Jan 24, 2013 8:17 am

Oooh. Good info Ego. How long does say.. Paris to London take though?

henrik · Post by **henrik** » Thu Jan 24, 2013 3:14 pm

@Noob

About 7 hours with Eurolines. If you consider going to the airport, waiting at the airport, getting to where you need to go from the airport (bus stations tend to be in the centre), it might not be much more than flying.

The Eurostar train takes a little over 2 hours, but it's more expensive.

Zeran · Post by **Zeran** » Thu Jan 24, 2013 3:17 pm

That seems to be a standard. Even with the gigantic tax that is put on air travel, flights internally in the UK are a lot cheaper than trains. Taxi's are always going to be more expensive, since they are private transportation.
Ryan air is pretty good for frugal people. Standard plane tickets include lots of extras, which if your efficient you don't need. Ryan air tickets are just the You->Destination bit, and you pay for each additional thing separately.
I enjoyed my £2 + tax round trip to Italy as a student.