Budget Airlines: Ryanair the European low-cost carrier

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A few years ago the budget airlines started taking off and managed to get a fair share of the market. The most successful company, at least in Europe, is Ryanair. This Irish flight operator marketed themselves as the no frills airline and slashed prices of flying.

Their strategy certainly worked and even in times of recession, they have managed to hold their own. What did Ryanair do to become so successful and do we really like Ryanair?

I certainly use Ryanair when I fly within Europe and although they annoy me most of the time, they are so cheap that I seem to overlook all the hassle that comes with booking a flight with them. Ryanair cleverly uses pricing as their number one strategy. They have a very low basic price, and to increase their own revenue, they then sneakily add hefty fees to things like, luggage, check-in and credit cards. Even though it angers customers, it does seem to do the trick.

It is also important to know that it is only during certain weeks that their prices are very, very low. When they first introduce the routes and fares, they have a standard price. A couple of months before the date of the flight, they introduce their cheap fares. As they then sell their tickets, the rates increases. In the end, the rates they charge just a few days before the flight is due, are extremely pricy. At least in comparison to the ones a few weeks ago. It is very important to buy your ticket in advance, just not too many months before the flight date.

I will keep blogging about Ryanair, please comment on this and mention what annoys you and tips and tricks that you have come across. I will be blogging about those soon.

Related posts:

• How to avoid paying Ryanair's credit card fees.
• Have you heard of Hotwire?
• Where to find cheap flights.