Booked with a Budget Airline?
- Admin
- Mar 15, 2018
- 2 min read
Budget airlines are a bit like Marmite. Either you love them or hate them. You can get some super deals on your flights but there are trade-offs to be made.
The key thing to remember is that everything is an add-on. So create your own add-on strategy:
1. Pack your own lunch: Sandwiches, Baby bells, little bags of grapes, raisins, breadsticks. But no soup people !
2. Take your water bottle: Take an empty water bottle with you. Fill it up after you go through security, using one of the water fountains (UK only). Keep change with you to buy a drink after security, to take onto the plane.
3. For the Coffee Lovers: Just have a coffee after Security. If you can't last the 3 hour flight, pack an empty thermal flask, fill with freshly made coffee after Security & enjoy in the skies.
4. Keep Warm: There are no blankets available, so pack something warm to wear for the flight or small fleece blankets for the kids.
5. Buy your Seats in Advance: Or don't. If you have a larger family, as long as you check in as soon as check in opens, you should be seated together. But this is not something that the airlines actively advertise & we certainly can not guarantee. Ryanair forces you pay for one adult reserved seat, when travelling with children.
6. Check in online: Online check in can save serious time at the airport, especially if you are travelling with just your hand luggage. It simply means you do not have to queue at the Check-In/Bag Drop desks, which saves hassle when you've got young kids in tow. Airlines have differing policies in regards to when you can check in. If you are travelling back from Morocco, you MUST visit the Check-In/Bag Drop desk before heading to Security, for passport checks. Even if you only have hand luggage with you. You also must complete an entry/exit form.
7. Re-Check the Cabin Bag Policy: RyanAir last year changed its cabin bag policy. For people who had booked flights already, it was a waiting game to see how they would be effected. Make sure that your cabin bag is the right size & weight. It will save you a lot of hassle.
8. Do Foot exercises: Space on these flights can be extremely tight. Getting up to go to the toilet, leave alone doing a nappy change in there, can be a daunting task. But it is important to do some foot exercises, during the flight, to reduce the risk of blood clots & feet swelling.
9. Create your own In Flight Entertainment: There are no all singing, all dancing entertainment systems to enjoy on these Budget Airlines. So prepare your own & prepare something for the kids. Read our next post for practical ideas on creating your own #InFlightEntertainment.
More Bedtime Reading:
