Car Guru writes for DriveAway Holidays, DriveAway Holidays New Zealand and DriveAway Holidays Blog
A few years ago, you would not have thought it was possible but budget airline AirAsia X is offering flights from Australia to London from as little as $1200 return.
Low cost airlines have changed travel habits, making it more affordable to go overseas. Now with one all the way to London, a trip Europe is cheaper than ever. A return flight to London with Qantas is roughly about $2000, so the savings are pretty good.
But would you fly low cost to Europe to save money?
I absolutely would not. I have flew to Asia no frills and have to admit I was pleasantly surprised by Jetstar - I thought it would have been much worse.
But all the way to Europe? No thanks.
Being from Ireland, I have flew long haul a number of times and would not do it no frills. 24 hours is a long time and the so called frills on the flight are the only things that keep you going!
I often do the Europe trip alone so the entertainment system (on the back of the seat, not on my knees thank you very much) is vital! No book is interesting enough nor iPod battery strong enough to keep me entertained for a full day.
The constant stream of free drinks and snacks between meals is also invaluable (particularly the white wine).
And don't even get me started on the blankets and flight socks. Being on an aeroplane is similar to being in Melbourne - it's like 4 seasons in one day. Freezing one minute, too hot the next.
Granted, you can still get your frills on a budget airline but you pay extra for them and it all adds up.
I think cheap flights to Europe are great - more people can afford the trip and increased competition can only be good.
But for now I'm happy to pay extra for reliability, service, entertainment and blankets. After all, watching a chick flick uninterrupted by your partner complaining is priceless.
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