Flying is by far my favorite means of transport. I often go to Spain, as my girlfriend is from there, and any alternative would take days rather than hours. Besides, traveling could hardly be any cheaper. If you know how to buy flight tickets, flying becomes the most affordable option. As it is the season of cheap flights, I find this topic more than suitable. A brief glance at Skyscanner reveals that June return flights from Prague start from $30. If you care about the date, you can easily find a great return flight for $60. Prague ranks among the more expensive airports, as it is rather small. Vienna usually offers better prices, for instance. As I fly around ten times a year, I guess I have some experience to share.
The current Skyscanner return flight offer
Flight Disrturbers
In contrast to what many people say, flying is perfectly suitable for children. Although my girlfriend and I don’t have any yet, we often travel on public holidays in either of the two countries and see many Czech-Spanish families with children. A funny fact – you can always tell which of the parents is Czech – they wear rather outdoorish outfits, regardless of the season. Anyway, the crew is ready to handle children of any age if accompanied by an adult. Adjusted seatbelts and children-size life vests are available. The flight attendants don’t mind heating baby food, and crews even have several toys ready to save the day.
It is not the children who cause the most trouble on board. An Iberia steward once told me he even preferred school trips over adults who drink onboard, or board already tipsy. That is not uncommon, especially when the flight gets delayed. While you can buy duty-free spirits in every airport, you are not supposed to drink any alcohol except purchased from the crew on board. This measure is meant to prevent drunkards from ruining the flight for their fellow passengers – flight attendants are known as the strictest bartenders ever. Still, some people manage to get wasted, and then it is fun to watch as long as they sit a few rows away and don’t pass by you on their journeys to the bathroom.
Prague airport promoting the tournament; and showing the match results on screens.
There was an ice hockey world championship in Prague recently. It is known as a party town, where many Scandinavians come to enjoy their near-death experience from alcohol poisoning even when their national teams don't play there. I am not exaggerating much – you can drink yourself into a stupor for the same money you would spend on two pints of beer in Stockholm. No wonder I’ve heard stories about fans who spent overtime in a bar and then made the flight unforgettable for those who, unlike themselves, were conscious. Fortunately, I was wise enough to avoid any of the fan flights.
When the Flight Pays Off
With a bit of luck, you can travel for free or even with a profit. I have covered that in my recent post on travel budgeting – my travel insurance (an outdated product that is no longer available but I can keep renewing it as an existing subscriber) compensates for delays of 2+ hours. It usually covers the price of the flight ticket. Besides, EU regulations require airlines to pay compensation if a flight lands 3+ hours late, though that has not happened to me recently.
On my last flight to Madrid two weeks ago, I experienced an overbooking. A professional musician had paid for an extra seat for her violin, booking two tickets for a single person. I imagine the instrument is worth tens of thousands of dollars, and she intended to protect it from any minor harm. To my surprise, the cabin crew had a dedicated seatbelt-like system to secure the box with the instrument on the seat.
An over-wing shot, what a cliché. Taken in January.
The safe transportation of the violin was not the issue, though. Due to some glitch in the booking system, the seat taken by the violin was likely resold to another passenger. 183 seats, 183 people, one violin. What a Spanish-style drama, right? Except the musician spoke German (I can't tell Austrians from Germans or even Swiss by their accent). She refused all offers to transport the instrument anywhere else in the plane – like in some of the safe containers where the crew stores their belongings. Twenty minutes later (at the scheduled take-off time), one seat was still missing, and the passengers, including me, started to get annoyed.
Eventually, the purser (the chief flight attendant all Karens need to talk to) asked if anybody would volunteer to pass on this flight and stay in Prague. I wasn’t considering it, but one of my fellow passengers seemed to be waiting for this call and volunteered almost instantly. It turned out the airline paid for his hotel overnight and booked him on the next flight (they have to do so according to EU regulations). Besides, he got 1,000 euros in cash, which is likely at least ten times what he paid for the flight – our tickets cost 30 euros each, but we know how to get them cheap.
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I hear it costs the airlines an awful lot of money for every extra minute they're grounded at the airport, plus the longer they delay taking off means they're likely to delay their schedule arrival time potentially leading to more claims if it exceeds the European guidelines.
If you're not rushed to get home, taking these offload offers from airlines is a great way to extend the holiday a little, not to mention the €1000 which is very generous 🤑
Yes, and they lose the spot if the craft does not take off as scheduled, which can be also subject to a fee. However, most flights land just in time to avoid compensations according the European laws :)
Definitely, I am volunteering next time!
A to sedadlo 2x prodal Ryan?
Aktuálně vím o případu, kdy dvojice nestihla let z Prahy do Bergenu a letěli o den později. A jelikož nedorazili, tak Ryan prodal jejich zpáteční místa, což zjistili až na letišti...
To nevím. Overbook byl český pár kolem čtyřicítky, respektive jeden z nich, ale s nimi jsem nemluvil. Jen s kamarádkou toho dobrovolníka, což byl kluk z Chile, který žije od malička v Madridu. Od ní vím tu kompenzaci.
Můj osobní tip je, že to prodal nějaký zprostředkovatel, protože si jednotlivé systémy nepředaly správně informaci o tom, že cestujících je 182, ale prodaných sedadel je 183.
Ano, pokud máš koupený zpáteční let a nenastoupíš cestu tam, aerolinky automaticky stornují zpáteční letenky. Pokud se nepletu, mají na to právo. To sice nepotěší, ale není to chyba aerolinek. Někdy se dají ty zpáteční letenky zachránit, ale o to se musíš aktivně zasadit sám.
Ty letenky prý byly přes přeprodejce.
Co mají v podmínkách nevím, ale je fakt, že já kupuju jen napřímo a stát se mi takový trabl, tak kontaktuju aerolinku hned a nečekám co bude na letišti při cestě zpět.
Myslím, že to mají aerolinky obecně. Hotely ostatně taky - rezervuješ si pobyt od pondělí do neděle, v pondělí se neukážeš, dorazíš ve středu a zjistíš, že v pokoji bydlí někdo jiný. Když dáš hned vědět, že přijedeš ve středu/uletělo ti letadlo tam, ale zpátky poletíš, tak hotel ti vyhoví asi vždycky, a ty letecké společnosti snad taky. Přeprodejce nepřeprodejce.
Ano, proto jsem psal, že bych je hned kontaktoval... To dotyční neudělali 😉
I love flying too, I just love to watch from the skies, the expanse of Nature but it's by no means cheap over here at all. We less mortals are forced to travel by any other means, which takes a lot of time...😄
I loved the insistence of the lady who paid for a seat for her violin.. 😊
I completely understand it if she's a pro. And I guess it was more expensive than a new car.
I think so too.
Thanks for sharing this interesting read!! I don't travel as often as you, but I have to admit that it is the best way of transport for long distances! I do have a child, but I am annoyed by children on board sometimes... Better said, annoyed by parents who don't know how to handle their own children... 😃 On my last flight from Hamburg, I found a perfect solution for that problem, earbuds... Nothing is better than listening to relaxing music while flying! :)
Sign me in for that!!! Now I know if someone asks me to give my seat, I will sign up first! 😂
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As far as I know, they paid more then they were obligated to. Anyways, if it was my return flight, I'd volunteered too :) I don't mind coming back a day back if it is compensated with like €1,000.
Tisíc Euro za den, to by byl slušný job :) Jo, vím, že se tyhle situace občas stávají, ale osobně jsem toho ještě svědkem nebyl. Bylo by to zajímavé dilema. Ale asi bych do toho šel, zvlášť při přeletech tady po Evropě, kde je všechno za rohem :)
@tipu curate
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Tohle byla cesta tam, nechtělo se mi přijít o den. Na cestě zpátky bych to bral taky :) Ale myslím, že tady Ryan sáhl do kapsy hlouběji než musel. Myslím, že ten cestující měl dostat jen cca 400 euro, ubytování, stravu a letenku na příští let. Ale moc jsem to nestudoval.
Na druhou stranu overbook byl někdo jiný, on byl opravdu jen dobrovolník.
A díky za tipáka :)
Wow This is huge sir exploring different place and country’s is the best experience we can ever get in life. I will love to have lovely experiences like This someday soon.
Violins instrument are so fragile and delicate that if not properly kept could cause damage or affect the strings. But for the woman to book an extra ticket for her violin, she must really value her instrument a lot. And this baffles me, because she could have just hold it or keep it in a safe place than booking an extra seat for a Violin so other people can book also and seat comfortably
If the instrument makes her living, I more than understand :) She was a pro. Anyway, airlines are ready for that.
I don't understand much about flying, in fact I have never been able to take one, but I have read about people who have learned to take advantage of some airlines and have been traveling for free for years, incredible.
It seems ridiculous prices 30 and 10 euros for a seat on a plane, things that can happen only in europe, I imagine..🙂
I got on a cheap flight in the US too.
Hummm...really?
Of the things we miss out on in other countries...😂
Wow, you have been traveling alot by plane with many experiences. I have had only one trip experience. My challenge has been the cost honestly. And I don't know if there's a way to get it cheap here in Nigeria. I wouldn't say that I have much of experience like you until I fly much.
That's a great bargain over there, we pay through the nose for flights and with the undermaintained aircrafts, traveling by road could just be safer.
If somebody pays, it's a fair price. It seems there's no market for low-cost airlines in your country. I'm sure they'd took the opportunity if they could - the competition elsewhere is tough.
You are right! 😊
I had no clue flying within EU was so cheap I mean compare to Central and South America, just form Panama to Colombia that is fkn next to each other its $125, one way ticket and thats economy 😅
$125 one way is a great price either - it's the low cost season now. And the ones on the picture are the cheapest of the cheap ones :)
I was just talking to my brother yesterday about those drunks on planes that sometimes make flights late...
Tell me please, such cheap flights, does it include checked luggage (or you fly with little luggage)?
For Barcelona, the cheapest return tickets from Belgrade cost around 200e with WizzAir.
We flew to Spain twice from Timișoara, the tickets were much cheaper, it seems that they don't spare us for the flights from Belgrade...
The basic fare includes a small cabin luggage, here's the Ryanair's policy. My quite large bagpack still qualifies, and I fit my laptop, spare shoes and enough clothes for a week in. Then you can get an extra cabin luggage for about €20, depending on the destination and/or a checked in luggage from about €25 or so.
Anyways, for most of our flights, we can easily go with the cheapest option, there's no need to carry extra stuff.
In Serbia, Ryanair flies only from Niš, which is quite far from me, almost 250 km.
I like it best when I pack in a trolley case, then the ticket is more favorable for me, and the luggage is with me, I don't think that it might be lost.
A good insurance can handle this - mine would pay off €200 instantly when my luggage does not arrive in the same plane (there are instant payments here), I only need to send a snapshot of the confirmation the carrier issues. If the luggage gets lost or destroyed, they'd cover the damage to up to around €15,000, but that would not be this instant.
I believe a good travel insurance is a must - it costs a bargain, but when something happens, you're quite safe - we do hikes in the mountains, we ski... If something occur high in the mountains, we woudl likely need a helicopter rescue, and that's anything but cheap :)
These insurance conditions for baggage delay are also valid for low budget companies?
As for travel insurance, I take it even when I go outside the country, even for a day. I once went to the nearest town in a neighboring country, about 50 km away, and I cut myself on some glass... And I didn't have insurance... Since then i always take it...
As I travel a lot, I dedicated quite a lot of time to chosing the best possible product from the most reliable company :) So yes, it covers everything. Low-costs aren't worse than regular airlines though - the loading and unloading is handled by airport crew, not by airline staff. Or at least on airports I've been to. So the same people take care of your bags, be your carrier Emirates or Ryanair.