Current list of low-cost airlines. Budget airlines (discount airlines) are an opportunity to fly cheaper with lowcost airlines

When planning a trip, one of the most important questions that arises is where and how to buy cheap air tickets. I will write about how to buy a ticket a little later; in this article I will talk about such a phenomenon as low cost airlines(low cost). This low cost airlines(they are also called discount airlines), whose tickets are several times cheaper than those of regular airlines (unless they have some kind of promotion). There are now more than 150 such low-cost airlines in the world; there is plenty to choose from, so to speak.

Most often, the level of service of budget airlines is no worse, and sometimes even better, than that of regular airlines. The secret rather lies in the fact that these airlines are trying to wisely save money on optional things. For example, they do not have sales offices, there are no intermediary travel agencies, an air ticket is purchased via the Internet, and you can fly simply using a printout of your reservation, which is sent by e-mail.
Another important difference between low-cost airlines is that if you cancel a flight, the money for the ticket will most likely not be returned and miles will not be counted for frequent travel.
You also need to keep in mind that low-cost airlines have strict restrictions on the weight of luggage, sometimes you have to pay for luggage separately, and if this is not done when booking a ticket, you will have to pay twice as much at the airport.
Since the price of a ticket on discount airlines is based on the occupancy of the plane, the closer the departure date, the more expensive the ticket. Therefore, if you want to fly cheaper, try to buy loakster tickets well in advance. The earlier you buy your ticket, the cheaper your flight.
For some flights you need to check in yourself online, otherwise you will have to pay extra for it at the airport. My advice to you is to carefully read the airline’s conditions on its website and ticket.
Most discount airlines do not provide free meals during the flight, but you can always buy them on board if necessary. And low-cost airlines often use secondary airports, which are less busy, which allows passengers to go through all the procedures upon arrival faster, and the low-cost airline itself to increase the frequency of flights. The only possible inconvenience may be the departure time, possible flight delays and the remoteness of a secondary airport, but this is not always the case.

The most important low-cost airline in Asia - AirAsia

There are convenient low-cost airline ticket search engines, which show which low-cost airlines fly to the city you need. These sites only give you the names of those budget airlines whose services you can use. In order to buy a ticket, you will need to go to the website of the low-cost airline itself and book a cheap air ticket there.

There are also sites that carry out search for air tickets for all airlines(both low-cost and regular) and directions:

We mainly use them when searching for tickets. Firstly, you can immediately estimate the order of prices, and secondly, these services are often sufficient.

Aviadiscounters in Russia

Previously there were avianova and skyexpress, but at the moment there are no more low-cost airlines in Russia. That's how things are. Therefore, it is often cheaper to fly to Europe than somewhere in Russia.

Low-cost airlines flying from Russia to Europe

airberlin.com (from Moscow and St. Petersburg to many cities in Germany with transit to other European cities)
eurowings.com (from Moscow and St. Petersburg to German cities with transit to other European cities)
flyniki.com (flight from Moscow and St. Petersburg to Vienna)
norwegian.no (from St. Petersburg to Oslo with further transit through Northern Europe)
flypgs.com (flight from Krasnodar and Novosibirsk to Turkey)
vueling.com (flight from Moscow to Barcelona)
volawindjet.it (flight from Moscow, Samara, St. Petersburg, Rostov to Italian cities)
flydubai.com (flight from Ekaterinburg and Samara to Dubai)
blue1.com (flight from Moscow and St. Petersburg to Helsinki, and from there to Paris, London, Dusseldorf)

Low-cost airlines flying from Kyiv

wizzair.com (flight from Kyiv to Oslo, Cologne, London, Venice, Dortmund, Krakow, Simferopol)
airarabia.com (flight from Kyiv to Abu Dhabi, Athens, Dubai, Doha, Colombo, Delhi)

Low cost airlines in Europe

airbaltic.com Europe
airberlin.com Europe
blue1.com Europe
blueair-web.com Europe
bmibaby.com UK
brusselsairlines.com Europe and the world
clickair.com Europe
condor.com Europe
easyjet.com Europe
flug.idealo.de Germany, Europe, world
flyaeroflight.de Germany – Europe
flybe.com UK - Europe
flyglobespan.com Almost the whole world
flyniki.at Austria - Europe
flynordic.com Europe
flysas.com Europe and the world
germania.aero Germany, Kosovo, Macedonia
eurowings.com Europe
tuifly.com/en/ Europe
icelandexpress.co.uk Reykjavik - Europe
jet2.com UK - Europe
laudaair.com Austria – Europe
meridiana.it Italy – Europe
norwegian.n o Europe and the world
ryanair.com Europe and the world
skyeurope.com Europe
smartwings.net Prague – Europe
spanair.com Europe
transavia.com Amsterdam - Europe
thomsonfly.com Europe

For some reason, it is generally accepted that there are no airline discounters in Russia - well, perhaps only those that have just appeared. It’s the same thing in the West - with their discounters you can fly from anywhere and anywhere, paying 10 euros for it! In reality, of course, this is not the case, and “freebies,” although they occur from time to time, are not so frequent that one could seriously count on them when planning a trip. However, today we are not talking about this, but about the fact that many European discounters also fly to Russia, which means that we can also fly somewhere relatively inexpensively compared to traditional airlines.

Of course, miracles don’t happen: a ticket costs less not because of the air carrier’s altruism, but because of a lower level of service - starting with the fact that tickets cannot be returned () and ending with paid baggage transportation, lack of food (or rather, there is it, but for an additional fee) and, often, connecting tickets. However, if you take tickets with a good reserve of connecting time, then even if you are late from your destination, you will most likely fly further.

The fact is that discounters fly to Russia, as a rule, from their main hubs, which means you can travel not only to the city where direct flights are operated, but also to a large list of further destinations. However, enough of the lyrics: let's move on to specifics! Airlines are presented in alphabetical order.

A low-cost, or low-cost, airline is an air carrier that eliminates a number of services and flight conditions in order to reduce the cost of tickets. The birthplace of this term is the USA. It is worth noting that low-cost airlines are not small regional companies whose range of services does not include the amenities available to large carriers.

The concept of low-cost flights dates back to 1949 in the USA, when Pacific Southwest Airlines successfully launched this concept. In subsequent years and to the present day, low-cost airlines are actively competing with traditional airlines and charters. Many large carriers have created their own low-cost airline subsidiaries. In Eastern Europe, the development of low-cost transportation was facilitated by the accession of new countries to the EU.

Low-cost airlines in Russia began operating in 2006, when SkyExpress was founded. The carrier specialized in flights to Russian cities and used leased Boeing 737s for this purpose. In 2011, the airline became part of Kuban Airlines and ceased its low-cost flight operations. In 2009, the Avianova company was founded. The company introduced an electronic ticket system and operated flights to Russian cities from Moscow. In 2011, Avianova declared herself bankrupt.

In 2013, low-cost airlines in Russia were replenished with a new representative. It was Dobrolet, created under the leadership of Aeroflot. Due to the aggravated political situation and sanctions from the EU, the low-cost airline ceased to exist next year. The next project of a low-cost carrier from Aeroflot was called “Pobeda” and is still operating.

In recent years, a new direction in budget flights has emerged - business low-cost airlines. They cut down some of the services of regular airlines and, nevertheless, retain some privileges for passengers.

The principle of building a low-cost airline operating system

The goal of the business model of such airlines is to reduce the cost of travel by reducing costs and expenses. That is why low-cost airlines are reducing the volume of services, allowing them to reduce the cost of customer service. This is achieved in various ways.

As a rule, low-cost airlines in Russia and foreign countries strive to use the same make and model of aircraft, as well as a single passenger class of service. This reduces the cost of training employees to operate and repair equipment.

The aircraft are equipped with the minimum required set of equipment; Passengers are not provided with televisions or displays. In this case, the weight of the vessel and its fuel consumption are reduced. Tickets are sold according to a simpler scheme using a single form. Today, many companies prefer electronic tickets. Selling tickets via the Internet allows you to reduce the cost of paying commission agents.

Booking your ticket early will result in a lower flight price. As the plane fills up, the price of a seat increases. Boarding passes often do not indicate a seat number, which encourages passengers to rush to board.

Departures often take place early in the morning or late in the evening from the least busy air hubs. One plane can make several round-trip flights per day. In this regard, most low-cost airline flights are direct to reduce transfer costs at hubs.

On-board services provided free of charge on standard airlines will be paid for on low-cost airlines. Additional services in the form of accompanying children, etc. may be excluded from the airline's list. Aircraft personnel often perform several functions at once. Thus, stewards can not only perform their immediate duties, but also clean the cabin after landing.

Quite often, low-cost airlines reduce fuel costs by actively hedging its cost.

Low-cost airlines in Russia

Low-cost airlines in Russia are divided into domestic and foreign. The list of Russian companies includes Pobeda. Foreign low-cost carriers are represented in the following names:

Air Arabia;
airBerlin;
airBaltic;
Air One;
Blu-Express;
easyJet;
flydubai;
Germanwings;
Niki;
Norwegian;
Pegasus Airlines;
SmartWings;
Vueling;
Wizz Air.

As you can see, the list of countries offering their services is quite wide. Low-cost airlines in Russia are based in Germany, Britain, Hungary, Spain, the UAE, Austria, Hungary, the Czech Republic, and Turkey. In Russia, via low-cost airline you can fly from the following cities:

Moscow;
Saint Petersburg;
Yekaterinburg;
Volgograd;
Krasnodar;
Kazan;
Mineralnye Vody;
Omsk;
Rostov-on-Don.

Don't be afraid of budget flights. Despite a set of restrictions, company personnel strive, first of all, to protect the interests of passengers. At the airport and on board you will be greeted with friendly treatment, smiles and care. For the most part, eliminated services and costs do not affect the mood and comfort of the client during a short flight.

Low-cost flight options in Russia

To find out which is the cheapest airline in Russia, you need to analyze the offers of the carriers presented above. As a rule, they all offer flights on favorable terms. The only inconvenience may be the departure time, which usually occurs at night or early in the morning.

Pobeda Airlines

Of the Russian carriers, the most budget-friendly and the only domestic company is Pobeda. It features low ticket prices with a large number of paid services included. Passengers will only be provided with free water in the cabin. Free baggage weight is up to 10 kg. Hand luggage is limited to a small set of items. Animals are not transported by low-cost airlines. Changing the date of the ticket, returning or choosing a seat is subject to additional payment.

The set of Victory routes is flexible and diverse. With the help of the airline you can fly not only to many cities in Russia, but also to Europe. Quite often, customers are offered combined flights with a transfer to a bus. From Moscow and St. Petersburg you can fly to German cities using Air Berlin.

Low-cost airline Air Arabia

Air Arabia operates flights from the UAE to many countries, including Russia, Kazakhstan, and Ukraine. In Russia, flights are made through Moscow. The company offers big discounts on luggage when booking in advance. Online registration, seat selection, and meals services are paid.

Latvian company airBaltic

airBaltic is the national carrier of Latvia. Its operating principle combines a hybrid of elements of low-cost and traditional flights. In Russia, you can use the services of a carrier in St. Petersburg and Moscow.

Air One

Air One is a subsidiary of Alitalia airlines. On board you can carry hand luggage up to 8 kg and baggage up to 32 kg. In other cases, additional payment is required. There is a fee for selecting a seat depending on the seat type. During the flight you will be offered not only water, but also chips, chocolate, and drinks. Also an Italian company is Blu-Express.

Easy Jet

With Easy Jet you can fly from London to Moscow. To date, this is the only flight to Russia from this carrier. Passengers are allowed to carry three pieces of luggage with certain dimensions. Manipulations with tickets are paid separately.

Flydubai

Flydubai is distinguished by its wide coverage of Russian cities. Flights are carried out through Moscow, Samara, Kazan, Yekaterinburg, Ufa, Krasnodar, Rostov-on-Don. The carrier's principle of cost and additional services is similar to other low-cost airlines.

Other low cost airlines

Germanwings has introduced three tariffs, each with its own cost for baggage, meals and additional services. The Austrian airline Niki offers flights from Moscow to Vienna, Salzburg and Innsbruck. There is also a division into three tariffs.

Norwegian aircraft fly 2-3 times a week on the route Oslo - St. Petersburg. There are three tariffs in the payment system. Pegasus Airlines is a popular carrier to Turkey. Initially, the company specialized in charters. Today its routes run through Moscow, Mineralnye Vody, Krasnodar, Sochi and Omsk. Tariffs are differentiated into several types.

Czech SmartWings allows you to fly from Moscow to Prague and back. Snacks and drinks are provided on board, luggage includes up to 15 kg in the hold and up to 8 kg in hand luggage. The Spanish company Vueling operates flights from resorts in Spain to Moscow and St. Petersburg. You are allowed to carry up to 10 kg of hand luggage free of charge. There are various tariffs, where the cost of certain services varies.

Wizz Air was founded in Hungary and has a branch in Ukraine. The company allows you to fly from Moscow to Budapest. The main emphasis is on the volume of hand luggage. Other manipulations with the place and ticket are paid.

As you can see, many low-cost airlines use a flexible system of tariffs and fees so that the passenger can choose the best option, where convenience will be combined with a favorable price.

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You don't have to spend a huge amount of money to travel. Just imagine, there are already airlines whose tickets are cheaper than a ticket for an intercity bus.

website I have compiled for you a list of the 100 largest low-cost airlines in the world that will take you anywhere in the world for little money. Save it for yourself!

Low-cost airlines flying from Russia

Pobeda is a Russian low-cost airline. In addition to numerous domestic flights, it operates regular flights to Spain, Germany, Montenegro, Italy, Slovakia and Cyprus. During promotions you can buy tickets for 1000 rubles.
WizzAir is a Hungarian low-cost airline. They fly from Moscow to Budapest.
Pegasus is a Turkish low-cost airline. Flies from Moscow, Krasnodar, Mineralnye Vody, Sochi, Chelyabinsk, Krasnoyarsk, Makhachkala, Novosibirsk, Omsk, Perm and Yekaterinburg.
Air Baltic is a Latvian airline from which you can buy a ticket with a good discount almost every day. Planes fly from Kaliningrad, St. Petersburg and Moscow.
Vueling is a Spanish low-cost airline. Operates seasonal flights from Kazan, Kaliningrad, Krasnodar, Samara and Moscow. Sometimes you can find tickets for 50–100 euros round trip.
Air Arabia is the first low-cost airline in the Middle East, operating flights to 89 cities around the world, including from Moscow.
GermanWings - German airlines. You can buy cheap tickets from Moscow to different cities in Germany.
Fly Dubai is the state-owned low-cost airline of the United Arab Emirates, flying in the Middle East, Africa, Asia and Europe, including from Moscow, Kazan, Samara, Yekaterinburg, Rostov-on-Don and Krasnodar.
Tuifly is a small German low-cost airline. Flies from Kaliningrad, Krasnodar and Moscow.
AirBerlin - despite the fact that AirBerlin is not officially considered a low-cost airline, the airline's ticket prices are very reasonable and there are often discounts. There are flights from Moscow, Kaliningrad and St. Petersburg.
NIKI is an Austrian low-cost airline that serves regular flights to Europe and Africa. Flies from 16 Russian cities.
Condor is a German airline with a charter focus on exotic countries. Very good price for a one way flight. Flies from Kazan, Samara, Novosibirsk, Yekaterinburg, St. Petersburg and Moscow.
Meridiana is the second largest airline in Italy. With promotions, you can fly from 4,000 rubles from Moscow to various Italian cities.
Air Moldova - quite often inexpensive flights through Chisinau to many European cities can be “grabbed” from Surgut, Yekaterinburg and Kaliningrad, St. Petersburg and Moscow.
Blu-Express - flights to Rome and Milan from Moscow.
IcelandAir - if you're going to Iceland, this is your airline.
Onur Air is a Turkish airline that flies from Moscow and Nalchik.
SmartWings is a Czech company that operates regular flights throughout Europe and the Middle East. Flies from Moscow.

European low-cost airlines

Ryanair is the largest and most budget low-cost airline in Europe. You can buy tickets in advance for 5–10 euros.
EasyJet is a British low-cost airline, currently one of the largest in Europe, flying to more than 300 destinations.
Norwegian Air - flies within Europe and to the USA from Scandinavian cities. It is the third largest low-cost airline in Europe in terms of fleet size and traffic volumes after Ryanair and EasyJet.
Volotea is an Italian low-cost airline. Volotea has its own trick: you can register on the site and receive 10 euros to your account. Then you can invite friends and receive 10 euros for each. The airline often has sales where you can buy a ticket for 5–10 euros.
Germania - for travelers to Germany.
Helvetic is a Swiss low-cost airline.
Ukraine International Airlines - often has good prices for flights to Europe and Asia.
Anadolujet is a subsidiary of Turkish Airlines and operates flights within Turkey and Northern Cyprus.
Sun Express - connection between Turkey and German-speaking countries.
Corendon is a Turkish low-cost airline based in Antalya. Many flights to Germany.
Transavia is a Dutch low-cost airline.
Aerlingus is an Irish low-cost airline. Flies to 190 cities, including the USA and Asia.
Blue Air is a Romanian low-cost airline.
Israir Airlines is an airline from Israel. Flies to Europe.
Flybe is Europe's largest independent regional airline, flying 150 routes to 55 airports. Based in England.
Jet2 is a British low-cost airline.
Monarch is also a small British low-cost airline.
XL Airways - cheap tickets to resort countries.
Thomson is a popular British low-cost airline.
WOW Air is another British low-cost airline.
Virgin Atlantic is a long-haul British low-cost airline. Flies to North America, the Caribbean, Africa, the Middle East, Asia and Australia. Main hub in London.

Asian low-cost airlines

Air Asia is a Malaysian low-cost airline. For many years it has maintained its status as the best low-cost airline in the world and the largest in Asia.
Tiger Air is a Singaporean-Australian low-cost airline. Another option is to get to Australia with a layover in Asia.
Nok Air is a budget airline in Thailand headquartered in Bangkok. The name is derived from the Thai word for "bird".
Jet Airways is India's second international carrier. The airline's aircraft make about 400 flights to 64 airports every day.
IndiGo is an Indian private domestic low-cost airline. Winner of the “Best Domestic Low-Cost Air Carrier” award.
SpiceJet is a large Indian low-cost airline. Operates local and international flights (Afghanistan, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Oman and Maldives).
Air India Express is an Indian low-cost airline headquartered in Mumbai, operating in the passenger transportation market from Indian airports to the Middle East and Southeast Asia.
Go Air is an Indian low-cost airline headquartered in Mumbai. The airline operates more than 100 flights daily.
Vanilla Air is a Japanese low-cost airline. Flies between Japanese cities, as well as to Taiwan and Hong Kong.
Solasead Air is a Japanese company that recently announced discounts to foreign tourists of up to 65% off the regular price - making the company the first airline to offer discounts to foreign tourists.
Flypeach is a Japanese low-cost airline. It operates domestic flights and also has flights to Taiwan, Hong Kong and South Korea.
Air Do is a domestic Japanese low-cost airline.
Sky Mark is another Japanese budget employee.
Star Flyer is a Japanese “hybrid” air carrier - something in between the level of service between low-cost airlines and conventional airlines.
Fire Fly is a low-cost Malaysian airline that flies to Indonesia and Thailand. There are flights to London and New Zealand.
JetStar - flies throughout Asia and Australia.
Cebu Pacific is a low-cost airline and the largest airline in the Philippines.
Air Swift is a tiny Philippine company that connects only 3 cities - Manila, Cebu and El Nido.
Citi Link is a low-cost airline connecting 23 cities in Indonesia.
Lion Air is Indonesia's largest private airline, flying to 126 destinations in Indonesia, Singapore, Vietnam, Malaysia and Saudi Arabia.
Jeju Air is a South Korean low-cost airline.
Jin Air is another low-cost airline in South Korea.
Dragon Air is a Hong Kong airline that operates scheduled passenger services to 44 destinations in 13 countries in the Asia-Pacific region.
Mihin Lanka is a low-cost airline from Sri Lanka. It flies throughout the Indian subcontinent, the Gulf countries, Southeast Asia and East Africa.
CH.com - Chinese bow carrier.
China United is a private Chinese airline operating in the field of scheduled and charter air transportation within the country.
Juneyao Airlines is another Chinese domestic budget airline.
Lucky Air is another Chinese domestic low-cost airline.
Scoot is a Singaporean low-cost airline. Operates flights throughout Asia.
Air Blue is a Pakistani commercial airline.