Why I love budget airlines

You might be familiar with Air Asia’s slogan, ‘Now everyone can fly’.

Well, it might not be entirely true, but there’s no denying the fact that budget carriers like Air Asia have enabled many to fly, and some for the first time.

My first flight on a budget carrier was in 2005, on what was then known as Tiger Airways.

At that time, budget airlines were a new concept to Singapore and because they had just started operations, fares were really cheap.

My friend and I bought return tickets to Phuket at less than S$80 each, inclusive of taxes.

I remember that there were no assigned seats on the flight, so if you wanted good seats, you had to be at the boarding gates early.

The legroom on the plane was also much less than on traditional full-service carriers.

And let’s not even talk about food and drinks or the lack thereof.

But at the low fares they were charging, I’m willing to accept these inconveniences.

And it did transport me safely to and from Phuket, where I had a fabulous vacation.

Since then, I’ve fallen in love with the concept of budget carriers, and I’ve flown in them across Asia and in Europe as well.

Sure, they’re not as comfortable as full- service carriers, but at the prices they’re charging, I will make do with it.

For instance, my Ryanair flight between Rome and Paris cost just S$60 in 2006.

Subsequently, I started monitoring the websites of budget carriers so as to get the best deals.

I’ve also gone to places which I otherwise wouldn’t even have considered.

Like Padang in Indonesia.

Once again, I got a great deal, and my return flight there was less than S$100 in all.

In my four days there, I managed to visit the magnificent Lake Maninjau, a caldera lake, and even ventured out onto the lake in a traditional dug-out canoe.

Great fun, but I’ve not even heard about the lake until I saw the S$9 fares to Padang, which were advertised, and started reading up about the destination.

But, of course, it’s not all a bed of roses flying with budget carriers.

A common complaint against them is that they’re unresponsive when things go wrong.

Many of their customer service hotlines, for example, don’t seem to be manned, and you’ll be put on hold for what seems like an eternity before someone picks up the phone.

And because of their tight turnaround times at airports, budget carriers do seem more prone to flight delays.

But I will still fly on them because of the lower airfares (ridiculously low in some cases if you book early).

These days, however, I don’t check out the websites of budget carriers as often as I used to, not because I’m willing to spend more, but because I can’t plan for my leave as easily as I used to.

But when I’m planning a trip, and if a budget airline flies there, I’ll definitely check out the website and compare the airfares.

That’s how much budget airlines have affected my travel habits.

So what about you?

Do you love budget carriers, and how they’ve revolutionised the travel industry, as much as I do?

Or do you insist on flying only on full- service carriers?