Letenje po proračunu - Flying on a budget

Od sedemdesetih let prejšnjega stoletja postaja letalsko potovanje v mnogih delih sveta vedno bolj dostopno zaradi liberalizacije predpisov o zračnem prometu, naraščajoče konkurence, večje učinkovitosti letalskih prevoznikov in državnih subvencij (tako odprtih kot skritih). Vendar je to lahko še vedno velik del vašega potovalnega proračuna. Ta članek ponuja nekaj nasvetov o kako zmanjšati stroške letalskih potovanj. Prav tako se splača razmisliti, ali so drugi načini prevoza smiselni, še posebej, če je let (ali njegov del) kratek.

Razumeti

Škatle za preverjanje, ali je vaša ročna prtljaga dovolj majhna, da jo lahko sprejmete v kabino večjih evropskih nizkocenovnih letalskih družb

Letenje v petdesetih in šestdesetih letih, kar se danes imenuje "zlata doba letalskih potovanj", je bil privilegij bogatih ali redka poslastica za zgornji srednji sloj. Vozovnice pogosto stanejo več kot mesečno plačo na kratkih progah in več kot enoletno plačo na prekookeanskih poteh. Od takrat so deregulacija in subvencije znižale cene in udobje v osnovnem gospodarstvu. Pomembni trenutki vključujejo deregulacijo ameriškega predsednika Jimmyja Carterja v ameriških letalskih družbah v sedemdesetih letih in politiko EU "odprto nebo" iz devetdesetih in dvajsetih let, ki kateri koli letalski družbi EU omogoča letenje na kateri koli liniji v Evropski uniji.

Tudi nova letala postajajo vedno bolj varčna, kar omogoča najnovejši generaciji nekdanjih "letal srednjega razreda", da letijo po čezatlantskih poteh. ETOPS (razširjeno dvomotorno delovanje) je prav tako omogočil letenje na progah z manj motornimi dvomotornimi letali, ki so prej potrebovala tri ali štiri motorje. Poleg tega vedno več letal z manjšo porabo goriva, zlasti v sektorju ozkih karoserij, kot je prihajajoči A321 XLR, omogoča letalom z ozkimi karoserijami "dolge in ozke" poti z velikimi razdaljami in razmeroma nizkim povpraševanjem, ki prej ni bilo mogoče leteti neposredno za kaj blizu dostopne cene. Nazadnje so nove letalske družbe kot poslovni model sprejele zmanjšanje stroškov in agregatorji pomeni, da je cena pogosto najpomembnejši dejavnik pri izbiri leta.

Cene vozovnic v letalstvu so ne logično. Letalski prevozniki bodo pogosto zaračunali let, ki je cenejši zanje, in obratno. Včasih je let s prekinitvijo cenejši od neposrednega leta do istega cilja, ker se letalska družba sooča z manjšo konkurenco na neposredni poti. Včasih je let A do C prek B cenejši kot let A do B. Vendar pa letalski prevozniki včasih celo tožiti potniki, ki rezervirajo tak let in nato preskočijo krak od B do C (glej spodaj). Leti do "trdnjavskih vozlišč" (ki jih lahko opravlja ali večinoma opravlja en prevladujoč prevoznik ali zveza) so lahko dragi. Zaradi teh cenovnih vojn in deregulacije je letalska industrija prešla skozi valove konsolidacije, vedno večji konglomerati so kupovali nekoč ponosne prevoznike zastav, nekateri, kot sta Sabena in originalni Swissair, pa so celo bankrotirali.

Načrtujte vnaprej

Poglej tudi: Načrtovanje leta

Če začnete načrtovati že vnaprej, boste imeli dovolj časa za raziskovanje in več možnosti.

Čeprav je rezervacija letov vnaprej dobra ideja, vam ne zagotavlja najcenejših vozovnic. Splača se počakati, če ob prvem ogledu ne najdete poceni vozovnic in je pred potovanjem še dovolj časa. Na splošno najnižje cene vozovnic običajno imajo približno sedem tednov do treh mesecev pred potovanjem. To se sicer razlikuje, odvisno od prevožene razdalje in regionalnih dejavnikov - ameriški potniki ponavadi rezervirajo bližje odhodu kot denimo Evropejci. Letalske družbe bodo včasih znižale cene neprodanih sedežev, zato boste morda lahko našli veliko, če boste pripravljeni potovati v kratkem času.

Ti bi morali rezervirajte naprej, če oboje vaš cilj in datum potovanja sta določena, na primer, če ste povabljeni na poroko ali želite preživeti Božič z družino v tujini. Prilagodljivi potniki (upokojenci ali popotniki v praznem letu pomislite) lahko izkoristite ponudbe v zadnjem trenutku. Če želite iti kam na toplo, vendar vas ne zanima, kam točno, ali pa želite iti Rusija a vseeno kdaj, tudi ponudbe v zadnjem trenutku so lahko dobra ideja, kot možnost nekaj ustreza vašim načrtom, je večje, če niste omejeni tako na datum kot na kraj. Na splošno se cene v zadnjem trenutku gibljejo od "nezaslišanih" do "želijo zapolniti zadnje sedeže in bodo to storile za arašide", medtem ko vam zgodnja rezervacija zagotavlja zelo dobre, če že ne izjemno poceni cene na precej dosledni osnovi .

Preverite svoje možnosti

Letalski prevozniki

Poglej tudi: Načrtovanje leta # Airlines

Na progah med večjimi letališči obstajata dve glavni vrsti letalskih prevoznikov. A podedovani nosilec, znan tudi kot a glavna letalska družba, prevoznik s polno storitvijo (ali prevoznik zastave je običajno starejša letalska družba, pri kateri so stroški, udobje in storitve običajno nadpovprečni, tudi v ekonomskem razredu.

A proračunska letalska družba, imenovano tudi a letalska družba brez napak ali nizkocenovni prevoznik (LCC), običajno ima cenejše vozovnice, vendar manj storitev. Običajno doplačajo za stvari, kot so prijava prtljage na letališču, ročna prtljaga standardne velikosti in obroki. Hrana "kupi na krovu", ki jo ponujajo LCC, medtem ko stanejo dodatno, je pogosto boljša od žalostnega izgovora za sendvič, ki ga morda pojdite na starejši nosilec (in potem včasih niti tega). Toda razlike med letalskimi družbami so bile zamegljene in cena potovanja pri proračunskem letalskem prevozniku ne sme biti nižja kot pri starejših letalskih družbah.

Številni stari prevozniki zdaj ponujajo enako raven storitev kot proračunski letalski prevozniki v ekonomskem razredu, zlasti v Združenih državah Amerike in v manjši meri v Evropi, zlasti na relacijah na kratke ali celo na dolge proge. "Popolna storitev" velja le, če letite v prvem razredu, poslovnem razredu ali premium ekonomiku. Včasih imajo zapuščeni prevozniki svoje lastne hčerinske družbe. Nekaj ​​primerov so Eurowings (v lasti Lufthanse), Transavia (v lasti Air France / KLM) in Vueling (v lasti British Airways / Iberia) in Rouge (v lasti Air Canada).

Priljubljene destinacije, kot so letovišča, strežejo tudi čarterske letalske družbe rezervirano do konca potovalni agenti.

S toliko letalskimi družbami in leti danes skoraj vedno obstaja več načinov letenja do cilja. Na spletnih mestih za iskanje letov ugotovite, kakšne so vaše izbire. Ne domnevajte, da je najbolj neposreden let najcenejši ali da bo najcenejša letalska družba, znana po nizkih cenah.

Pet glavnih letališč služi Londonu - v bližini pa jih je še več.

Letališča

Poleg najbolj očitnih letališč si oglejte tudi letališča blizu vašega izvora ali cilja - morda so cenejša. Zveze letalskih železnic lahko nudi tudi načine, kako priti do / z bolj oddaljenega letališča. Vodiči po destinaciji Wikivoyage običajno ponujajo informacije o tem, kako priti z letališča na različne cilje. Sekundarna letališča so včasih precej oddaljeni od mesta, zato upoštevajte morebitne dodatne stroške prevoza in čas. Morda je vseeno ceneje leteti na glavno letališče. Vendar so včasih sekundarna letališča bližje središču mesta in ponujajo cenejše lete.

Domači leti so - zlasti v državah z nizkimi dohodki - pogosto cenejši od mednarodnih letov, ki pokrivajo enako razdaljo. Glej # Pojdite na notranje lete, kadar je to mogoče spodaj.

Nihanja valut vplivajo na cene; davki in letališke takse se zelo razlikujejo.

Datumi potovanja

Letalske družbe med šolskimi počitnicami ponavadi zaračunajo več za potovanja. Poleti do letališča Salzburg iz Londona Stansted z Ryanairom so se med februarskimi šolskimi počitnicami povečali za dva- do trikrat, medtem ko leti British Airways iz Londona Heathrow v München stanejo polovico cenejše od Ryanaira. Seveda, če imate čas, je lahko vlakovna vozovnica Deutsche Bahn iz Londona do točk v Nemčiji dejansko cenejša od katerega koli leta, zlasti če dodate prtljago ali če vaš končni cilj ni blizu večjega letališča.

Petkovi in ​​nedeljski večerni leti so ponavadi dražji. Zgodaj zjutraj v nedeljo in pozno zvečer so leti lahko cenejši.

Letenje "proti toku" lahko pogosto povzroči prihranke. Na primer, med božičnimi prazniki bo veliko Američanov in Kanadčanov družin z otroki letelo v Disneyland na Floridi (ali na karibske destinacije). Letalski prevozniki dodajo lete in tem progam dodelijo letala večje zmogljivosti. Leti, ki se na začetku počitnic usmerjajo proti jugu, so polni potnikov. Letalske družbe namesto da bi letele skoraj prazne nazaj, pogosto ponujajo velike popuste za zasedbo sedežev. Ob koncu počitnic je položaj obrnjen: letalske družbe zaradi presežne zmogljivosti popustijo na sedeže proti jugu. Podobno tudi izseljenci v Savdski Arabiji radi rezervirajo poceni počitnice med njimi Hadž, naslov "proti toku" vseh prihajajočih hadžističnih potnikov na čarterskih letalih.

Zmanjšajte prtljago

Poglej tudi: Letalska prtljaga

Morda boste lahko leteli samo z ročno prtljago. Nekatere cenejše letalske karte ne krijejo dodatne prtljage. Vedno preverite omejitve velikosti in teže ročne prtljage, saj se med letalskimi prevozniki razlikujejo. Tisti, ki ponujajo posebej nizke vozovnice, običajno bolj pridno preverjajo, ali vaša ročna prtljaga ustreza njihovim omejitvam (v praksi zaradi velikosti in ne teže), in zaračunajo precej dodatne prtljage, še posebej, če jo plačate tik pred letom, ko imate malo drugih opcije. Na drugi strani mnogi letalski prevozniki na krovu dovolijo tudi dodaten osebni predmet, ki je lahko od torbice do torbe za prenosni računalnik - pri letalskem prevozniku preverite, kaj je dovoljeno, saj vam lahko s tem prinesete tistih nekaj dodatnih elementov na krov .

Če vse vaše stvari ne spadajo v ročno prtljago, morate letalsko družbo prepeljati preostale kovčke v prtljažniku. To prtljago je treba "prijaviti" na okencu letalskega prevoznika in jo od tam do letala prepeljati zemeljska posadka. Pri rezervaciji najcenejših vozovnic morate pogosto doplačati za prijavljeno prtljago. Še vedno lahko prihranite, kdaj morate plačati prijavljeno prtljago - če potujete v paru ali v skupini, preverite, ali lahko uporabite manj prtljage od števila potnikov. Nadomestila za velikost in težo oddane prtljage so ponavadi precej radodarna, vendar jih tudi pridno preverite in ali omejitve teže veljajo za eno torbo ali skupno težo vseh vaših prtljag. Prijavljena prtljaga se vedno stehta. Če je težja ali večja od omejitve, boste običajno morali doplačati. Nekateri letalski prevozniki zaračunavajo tudi precej višje cene, če rezervirate dodatno prtljago po prvotnem nakupu vozovnice. Morda bo dražje, če ga dodate pozneje, še bolj pa, če ga morate kupiti ob prijavi. Prepričajte se, da je vse, kar kupite, dovolj, vendar se ne zmotite zaradi preveč dodatne prtljage - vi lahko zmanjšajte količino, ki jo nosite, če sledite našim seznam pakiranja nasvet.

Letališče Bruselj je oddaljeno manj kot 15 minut Bruselj z vlakom, tako da lahko uživate v obisku mesta, ko imate tam dolg postanek

Posredni leti

Prestavitev

Najcenejša pot morda ni najbolj neposredna. Leti, ki zahtevajo prekinitve, so manj priročni in trajajo več časa, zato so včasih cenejši od direktnih letov. To še posebej velja za vozovnice, kupljene blizu datuma odhoda.

Prestavitve so leti z vmesnimi postanki na letališčih do 23 ur. Za oglede lahko uporabite izredno dolge premore. V mnogih primerih samo priseljevanje preprečuje, da bi med odhodom izstopili z letališča in raziskali bližnje mesto. Upoštevajte dovolj časa, da se vrnete na letališče za povezovalni let, ki lahko traja vsaj osem ur. Preverite čas, potreben za pot od letališča do mesta in nazaj ter najkrajši čas, potreben za razbremenitev varnosti v našem vodniku po destinaciji ali letališču. Letališča všeč Seul-Incheon in Singapur ponudite brezplačne ture za potnike v tranzitu, ki imajo na voljo nekaj ur.

Morda boste morali izbrati zgodnji jutranji prihod in pozni večerni odhod, če želite izkoristiti oddih za ogled mesta. Prestavitve ponoči ne ponujajo toliko možnosti za oglede, saj je večina znamenitosti že zaprta ali pa se bo kmalu zaprla, ko zapustite letališče. Nekatere letalske družbe samodejno zahtevajo, da ob povezavi vzamete naslednji razpoložljivi let, toda spletna mesta in potovalne agencije tretjih oseb bodo morda lahko zaobšle te omejitve.

Nekatera letališča imajo povezovalni promet, ki daleč presega izvorni in ciljni promet. Dejansko imajo lahko celo navidezno mesta "druge stopnje" ogromno povezovalnega prometa na svojem letališču. Atlanta ni največje ameriško mesto, je pa - kot središče Delte - edino letališče, ki letno sprejme več kot sto milijonov potnikov. Nekatere države - na primer Dubaj ali Islandija - si želijo postati glavna vozlišča, zato vam včasih povezava prek enega od teh vozlišč prihrani veliko denarja v primerjavi z neposrednim letom ali povezavo prek drugega vozlišča.

Skupna letališča za odhod vključujejo:

Postanek

Postajališča so vsa postajališča, ki trajajo več kot 24 ur med prihodom enega leta in odhodom naslednjega leta. Večdnevni postanek je lahko način za raziskovanje države dlje časa, kot bi dopuščalo zgolj prekinitev. Nekatere letalske družbe ponujajo brezplačna postanka za promocijo turizma. Na primer, Icelandair je svojo edinstveno geografsko situacijo spremenil v prodajno mesto, saj je ponudil nekajdnevne počitnice v Keflaviku brez dodatnih stroškov v primerjavi z letom z enodnevnim odhodom. Poleti prek Keflavik lahko tudi cenejši, če uporabljajo letala kratkega dosega, ki jih sicer redko vidimo na čezatlantskih poteh. Številne letalske družbe zaračunajo majhno pristojbino (~ 50 USD) za dodajanje postanka. Postanke lahko rezervirate z možnostjo "več mest" v iskalnikih.

Medtem ko ima United Airlines sedež v Združenih državah Amerike, leti med svojimi 777-imi širokimi telesi Singapur in Hong Kong preden odletijo nazaj v Ameriko s pravicami pete svobode

Leti s peto svobodo

Let s peto svobodo je letalski prevoznik, ki prenaša dohodkovni promet med dvema tujima državama kot del storitve, ki povezuje matično državo letalske družbe. Na primer, čilski LATAM izvaja let iz Santiaga v Sydney (Avstralija) s postankom v Aucklandu (Nova Zelandija) in ima dovoljenje za prevoz potnikov med Sydneyem in Aucklandom. Potnike med Sydneyjem in Aucklandom (ki ne nadaljujejo do Santiaga) prevaža kot pravico pete svobode. Ker letalski prevozniki pogosto obupajo, da bi zasedli mesta v sektorju pete svobode in običajno ne smejo oglaševati poti tako kot letalski prevozniki obeh tujih držav, so ti leti pogosto cenejši. Poleti s peto svobodo so vsako leto nekoliko redkejši, ko se letalske družbe konsolidirajo, nova letala imajo večji doseg (odpravljanje potrebe po vmesnih postankih), nekatere države ali bloki pa poskušajo zaščititi svoje lastne letalske prevoznike. Vendar so še vedno pogosto dober posel tam, kjer obstajajo.

Primeri nekaterih priljubljenih poti pete svobode vključujejo:

Številne druge letalske družbe letijo na linijah pete svobode. The de facto vozlišča za lete s peto svobodo z več letalskimi družbami so Hong Kong in Tokio-Narita v vzhodni Aziji, Singapur in Bangkok v JV Aziji; Dubaj, Abu Dabi in Bahrajn na Bližnjem vzhodu; in po vsej Evropi (do neke mere vključno z Marokom in Izraelom) v različnih kombinacijah mest.

Če je mogoče, se odpravite na notranje lete

Na splošno so mednarodni leti dražji od domačih letov iste razdalje. Če letite iz mesta blizu mednarodne meje, bi bilo morda dobro razmisliti o prečkanju meje in ujemu notranjega leta v tej državi, če je mesto v tej sosednji državi cilj. Na primer, če ste v Hong Kong in želijo leteti v Šanghaj, razmislite o prehodu meje v Shenzhen in ujeti let od tam ali uporabiti kitajsko odličnost hitra železnica sistem. Prav tako, če ste notri San Diego in želijo leteti v Mexico City, morda bi bilo vredno razmisliti o prehodu meje do Tijuana in letenje od tam. Tudi če sta izvorno in ciljno mesto bolj oddaljena od mednarodne meje, je vseeno lahko ceneje leteti iz izvornega mesta do mesta, ki je najbližje meji v prvi državi; prečkati mejo do naslednje države s kopenskim prevozom; in vzemite še en notranji let, da nadaljujete naprej z druge strani. Na primer, če potujete iz Lima do Santiago de Chile iz Lime bi leteli v Tacna v Peruju se z avtobusom ali vlakom prepeljite čez mejo v Čile in odletite iz Arica v Santiago. Od Brazilije do Kolumbije lahko najprej letite do Tabatinge, kjer prečkate mejo do Leticije. Tam bi lahko imeli kakšen dodaten dopust. Iz Leticije letijo v Bogoto.

Če je vaš cilj na meji s sosednjo državo države, v kateri ste, boste morda želeli razmisliti o ulovu notranjega leta do meje in prečkanju meje s kopenskim prevozom. Na primer, če ste v Penang in se želim odpraviti na Singapur, razmislite o letenju v Johor Bahru in ujeti avtobus čez mejo. Prav tako, če ste notri Bangkok in želim priti do Vientiane, boste morda želeli razmisliti o letenju v Udon Thani in z avtobusom čez mejo v Vientiane. Drug primer je, da če ste v Ciudad Juarez in želite leteti v Dallas ali Houston samo skoči čez mejo v El Paso. Od Brazilije do Urugvaja in Argentine je lahko ceneje leteti do Porto Alegreja, od tam pa se voziti z medkrajevnim avtobusom.

Domači leti pa niso vedno cenejši. V Evropi s hitra železnica letalskih družb, ki ustvarjajo ostro konkurenco, je pogosto ravno obratno.

Zveze letalskih železnic

Glavni članek: Zveze letalskih železnic

Medtem ko se paketni aranžmaji, namenjeni nemškim popotnikom, vseeno pogosto prodajajo z vključenim letalskim prevozom, letalske železniške zveze še vedno znatno prihranijo pri letalskih vozovnicah, za kar se zdi, da se večina potnikov (in celo nekateri iskalniki) ne zavedajo. Če lahko razširite obseg letališč, s katerih je let smiseln, s polmerom recimo pet ur hitra železnica na nekaterih letališčih ne boste vezani na oligopole, morda boste celo prispeli hitreje, saj so vlaki pogostejši od letov, kar pomeni, da je čas povezave krajši. Morda boste zaslužili tudi precejšnje kilometre. Medtem ponavadi ceneje kot nakup vstopnic ločeno, včasih je smiselno, da se celotna ponudba loči.

Načini rezervacije

Včasih vam lahko potovalne agencije prinesejo nižjo ceno

Rezervirajte na spletu

Poglej tudi: Združevalci

Posredniki (kot so potovalne agencije) in številne letalske družbe bodo zaračunavale dodatne stroške za rezervacije, opravljene po telefonu ali osebno na svojih mizah. Spletna rezervacija je običajno najcenejša ali vsaj ne dražja. Toda včasih lahko uporaba posrednika ali pogovor z živo osebo odpre nekaj zanimivih možnosti.

Spletna mesta konsolidacije

Posebna skupina posrednikov, ki jih trgovina imenuje konsolidacijski partnerji, ima veleprodajne pogodbe z letalskimi prevozniki. Pogodbe jim omogočajo prodajo letalskih vozovnic po cenah, ki so včasih lahko nižje od tistih, ki jih lahko navede sama letalska družba. To še posebej velja za povezovalne lete.

Potovalni agenti

Potovalni agenti imajo podobne pravice in imajo pogosto dostop do več vozovnic ali pa lahko oblikujejo bolj zapletene kombinacije letalskih vozovnic in cen, kot bi to dovoljevalo spletno mesto potrošnikov letalskega prevoznika. Če je vaš načrt zapleten in nenavaden, vam bo znani potovalni agent morda znižal celoten račun. Morda bodo lahko izkoristili tudi mladinske ali študentske popuste ali podobne promocije.

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Večina letov, rezerviranih s spletnih strani letalskih prevoznikov, se proda v valuti odhodnega pristanišča. Dva enosmerna leta se običajno prodajata v dveh valutah, povratni (povratni) let pa le v valuti izvora. Letalski prevozniki se uvrstijo na trg in letalske karte bodo le redko enake, če bodo upoštevane pretvorbe valut. Prihranek (ali zaračunana premija) je pogosto lahko tudi do 20%. Če imate vmesno postajo, preverite vozovnico, če rezervirate isti let, ki izvira iz točke postanka, do vozovnice, če rezervirate do konca.

Samostojne povezave

Ta praksa se včasih imenuje "samo-hubbing". Včasih je kombiniranje letov z zelo nizko ceno morda cenejše od katere koli večkrake vozovnice, ki jo dobite pri kateri koli letalski družbi. Letalski prevozniki, ki ponujajo najcenejše vozovnice, so ponavadi prevozniki od točke do točke, ne ponujajo povezovalnih vozovnic in ne interlinirajo z drugimi letalskimi prevozniki (zato njihovih letov ni mogoče kombinirati z leti drugih letalskih prevoznikov na eni vozovnici). To pomeni tudi, da se vsa prijavljena prtljaga odda samo do mesta, ki jo povezuje, in je ni mogoče oddati do končnega cilja. Zahtevali boste, da svojo prtljago zahtevate z vrtiljaka za prtljago (običajno zunaj zavarovanega območja) in nato pojdite na mizo za prijavo naslednje letalske družbe, da ponovno preverite prtljago do naslednjega cilja. To vašemu transferju doda dodaten čas in po potrebi povzroči težave s priseljevanjem. Upoštevajte, da v večini sveta ne morete vzeti tekočine s prostornino več kot 100 ml - tudi tiste, kupljene v trgovini brez dajatev drugega letališča.

Edina oseba, ki je odgovorna, da se vaši leti ne povežejo, in ne morete dobiti nadomestila za zamujeni let. Lahko ostanete na cedilu in plačate več, da pridete do cilja, ali pa do tja ne boste mogli, dokler ne bo na voljo let. Dejavnik možnosti zamude pri dostopu do mesta povezave. Prepričajte se, da veste, na katero letališče prispete in s katerega odidete, če ima povezovalno mesto več letališč. Morda boste potrebovali tudi vizum če povezovalno letališče ni niti vaš izvor niti ciljna država, če pa ima država sterilni tranzit, je potrebna vizum maja opustili, če ne boste šli skozi priseljevanje. Zanimiva priložnost za postavitev nenavadnega potovanja je uporaba destinacij za prosti čas - pogosto bodo imeli lete v in iz več krajev ter celo razmeroma majhna letališča - pogosto po ugodnih cenah, zlasti če gredo "proti toku". Antalya poseben primer tega je v Turčiji.

Preskoči zadnjo nogo

Včasih lahko dobite cenejšo vozovnico tako, da rezervirate zadnji del, ki ga ne nameravate sprejeti, ampak preprosto odidete na tranzitno letališče, želeni cilj

Če vaše potovanje vključuje postanek in prestop na drug let, ima več nog. Če na primer letite iz Los Angelesa v Sydney prek Wellingtona, ima vaš let dve nogi, četudi vam je letalska družba izdala le eno vozovnico. Isti postopek je v ameriškem jeziku znan tudi kot "skrito prodajanje mest".

Cene vozovnic niso vedno enostavne in pogosto so cene manj priljubljenih destinacij nižje od priljubljenih, tudi če prve zahtevajo dodatne povezave. Zato boste morda ugotovili, da je letalska vozovnica do Karlsruhe s prestopom v Letališče v Münchnu bo cenejši od leta le do münchenskega letališča. Če želite iti v München, lahko kupite vozovnico za Karlsruhe in se v Münchnu ne vkrcate na letalo, ampak preprosto zapustite letališče. To je mogoče in ni dovoljeno.

Leta pa ne boste opravili in letalski prevozniki lahko naložijo različne posledice. Prvič, če je vozovnica povratna vožnja do Karlsruheja, se boste morali vkrcati na povratni let v Karlsruheju, v Münchnu pa tega ponavadi ne boste mogli. Lahko pa letalski prevoznik prekliče preostali del vozovnice brez povračila stroškov.

Nadaljnje posledice posebno budnih letalskih prevoznikov za serijske kršitelje vključujejo odvzem pravic programa zvestobe ali zavrnitev storitve. Lokalna zakonodaja v številnih jurisdikcijah letalskim prevoznikom dovoljuje, da določenim posameznikom zavrnejo letenje.

Običajno je dovolj drobnega tiska, da bi se letalski prevoznik lahko maščeval, zato sistem igrajte na lastno odgovornost.

Druga težava je lahko (odvisno od tega, kje in s katero letalsko družbo letite), da je prijavljena prtljaga prijavljena, kar pomeni, da med postanki nimate dostopa do nje. To je pogosto na letih po Evropi. Vendar boste lahko prtljago prevzeli na tranzitnem letališču (ki je dejansko vaš končni predvideni cilj), če ta država med tranzitom od vas zahteva carino skupaj s prijavljeno prtljago, nato pa s prtljago preprosto zapustite območje letališča in zapustite terminala. Na primer, letite iz Azije v Seattl, našli pa ste cenejše vozovnice za Vancouver s prekinitvijo v Seattlu. Po prihodu v Seattl preidete skozi ameriško priseljevanje, prinesete prtljago in očistite carino ZDA. Namesto da prtljage znova odložite na tekoči trak za naslednji let v Vancouver, le s svojo prtljago zapustite letališče. Deluje tudi, če letite z mednarodnega cilja v drugo državo z notranjim letom za drugi del karte. Na primer, rezervirali ste let, ki leti iz Pariza v Ottawo s postankom v Torontu (pri čemer je Toronto vaš dejanski predvideni cilj). Ker morate ob prihodu na svoje prvo kanadsko letališče z mednarodnega leta očistiti kanadsko carino, morate prtljago prevzeti na letališču Toronto Pearson. V Torontu boste lahko prevzeli prijavljeno prtljago in se odrekli domačemu letu do Ottawe.

Obstajajo specializirana spletna mesta, ki za takšne povezave strgajo sisteme rezervacij letalskih prevoznikov. Če želite tvegati, običajno najdete spletna mesta, ki iščejo po "skritem mestu".

Letalski konsolidatorji

Letalski konsolidacijski partnerji so posredniki, ki od letalskih prevoznikov v večjem obsegu kupijo sedeže in jih nato prodajo potovalnim agentom, pogosto tistim, ki so specializirani za mednarodna potovanja s popustom (znana kot prodajalna veder) ali včasih neposredno javnosti. Nakup pri konsolidaciji pogosto povzroči nižjo vozovnico, kot jo ponuja letalski prevoznik.

Z več vstopnicami, ki se prodajajo po spletu, so na številnih lokacijah trgovine s fizičnimi žlicami postale manj številne in dražje od tistih na internetu. Na podlagi konsolidacije se prodajajo le oddaljene mednarodne destinacije. V ZDA to pomeni, da so Aljaska, Havaji, Kanada, Mehika, Karibi in celinska ZDA izključeni. V Aziji pa razdalja ni nujno tako velika.

Nekatere države ne dovoljujejo delovanja konsolidacije (zlasti v državah v razvoju), letalske karte pa se prodajajo le po objavljenih tarifnih stopnjah. Vendar to velja samo za prebivalce te države (in njene obiskovalce, ki letijo na sekundarno destinacijo kot lokalni potnik).

Države z največ letalskimi konsolidacijskimi partnerji in najcenejšimi mednarodnimi letalskimi vozovnicami so Združene države, Združeno kraljestvo, Nemčija, Tajska, in Hong Kong. Poleg tega Kanada ima tudi konsolidacije, čeprav so mednarodne vozovnice običajno višje od cen v ZDA. Ima jih tudi nekaj drugih evropskih držav, vendar so ponavadi dražje od Združenega kraljestva ali Nemčije, z izjemo letov iz Francije v njene nekdanje kolonije.

Pri rezervaciji s konsolidacijskim letalskim prevoznikom je običajno najbolje rezervirati tri koledarske mesece naprej. Na primer, če želite leteti 21. junija, lahko rezervirate 1. marca ali pozneje. Pred tem datumom je malo verjetno, da bi bili med letalsko družbo in njenimi konsolidacijskimi dogovori sklenjeni zaradi negotovega povpraševanja in stroškov goriva. Številni konsolidacijski partnerji pa vam bodo še vedno pripravljeni prodati sedež že več mesecev vnaprej po višji ceni, ne da bi namignili, da se bodo cene verjetno ponižale, če počakate. Če pa počakate do zadnjega trenutka, bodo verjetno vsi sedeži razprodani. Včasih lahko dobite veliko, če je letalo še napol prazno, vendar je to izjema. Seveda to ne pomeni, da morate počakati tri mesece, preden rezervirate potovanje na dogodek z velikim povpraševanjem, kot so olimpijske igre. Za kaj takega je zelo malo verjetno, da bodo letalski prevozniki sploh spustili kakšen sedež za konsolidacijo, saj je njihov celoten namen prodati odvečne sedeže, ki jih letalske družbe ne morejo prodati same.

Običajno, ko prvič začnete rezervirati s konsolidacijo, je to na podlagi "samo zahteve". To pomeni, da mora konsolidator najprej preveriti vašo zahtevo pri letalskem prevozniku, preden dobite potrditev - običajno v dveh do treh delovnih dneh. Ker je svet zdaj bolj računalniški, lahko včasih dobite takojšnjo potrditev. Po prejemu vozovnice (ali e-vozovnice) pokličite letalskega prevoznika, da preverite, ali se vse ujema. Če nimajo vašega zapisa (in ne letite takoj), poskusite znova čez nekaj dni.

Plačilo je predvideno kmalu po potrditvi, za spremembe in odpoved pa obstajajo zajetne kazni. Po letenju le ene noge vozovnice, nič se povrne. Za plačila s kreditno kartico je morda treba doplačati, vendar je pogosto priporočljivo, da za zaščito v primeru bankrota uporabite kreditno kartico (ne debetno kartico, vezano na čekovni ali varčevalni račun). Not all airline consolidators (or those representing themselves as such) are honest, and they should be checked thoroughly before any money is exchanged. In the United States, many of the largest consolidators are members of the United States Air Consolidators Association (USACA). They require each member to conduct at least US$20 million in sales annually, be incorporated in the USA for at least two years, and have never filed for bankruptcy or ceased operation. However, some of these consolidators sell wholesale only, and they just resell to travel agents.

Some travel agencies have recognized the value and convenience of booking online. It's a good idea to look for travel agencies who book consolidator tickets and have their own booking engine set up on a company website. You'll have access to three sets of fares through their booking engines, which will give you three chances of finding the lowest fare for international travel. You'll have access to consolidator fares, published fares offered by airlines and online only special fares. If you have a favorite travel agent already, check out their website and see if they offer this option.

Booking online will still give you the convenience of buying your ticket at your own time, at your convenience and still taking advantage of all possible avenues of finding the lowest cost. If you see an itinerary and cost you like, but shows as unavailable on the booking engine, call your travel agent with your desired itinerary. They may be able to waitlist your flight and still get seats confirmed at the desired cost for your desired itinerary. Travel agents are also able to hold your reservation anywhere from 3 to 10 days before you have to purchase and pay for your reservation. This gives you time to apply for visas and get any other paperwork in order.

Airline miles are available in most cases. Paperless e-tickets are becoming more common even for international destinations. If a paper ticket is required (either by you or the airline), it will be shipped by express mail or air courier service at an additional charge. A paper ticket may show a fare much higher than what you actually paid, and not the airline's cheapest fare (or fare class in coach). This is to your advantage. In case of overbooking, you'll be more protected from getting bumped, and you'll probably get more or better airline miles. This applies equally to e-tickets, but won't be as obvious.

Expert strategies

Many baggage manufacturers and retailers will sell you bags labelled as "hand baggage sized", but airlines might have different size definitions than they do

Many of the following strategies are highly advanced and yield substantial savings (50 to 70% off regular fares are not unheard of). However, they are not available from your city all the time. You also cannot be picky about where and when to fly as they often have limited travel dates, length of the trip, departure airports, destinations, and airlines due to the nature of discount. If a mistake fare offers to fly you to, for example, Minsk, Belorusija on Ukraine International Airline in February then why not? You get to travel to less-commonly visited city/country in low season so hotels won't be expensive and short line-ups at attractions. You can also use it as a starting point to other neighbouring countries (in this example, Poland and Eastern Europe).

Te mistake fare deals often disappear within hours because the airline or online booking site often make a loss on each ticket sold this way. Airlines and online travel agencies can and have cancelled tickets that they deemed as "mistake" in the past (unless that is not allowed by certain country's consumer protection law) but they run the risk of garnering backlash. Even if they do cancel your ticket, they will refund your money. Thus, it is wise to wait two to three weeks before making other non-refundable expenses such as hotel and local transportation bookings in case the airline does cancel the ticket. One way to check if your ticket remains valid is to check if the booking confirmation email contains a e-ticket number and to login to the airline's website with the booking reference number. If both succeed, your ticket bi morali be valid.

Do not contact the airline (email, phone, sending a message on social media) to inquire if your booking is valid or if you think the fare is a mistake. It only makes the airline aware of the mistake sooner and close the loophole quicker, depriving other budget travelers an opportunity to book a mistake fare.

Human error

Prices are entered manually by staff and mistakes will happen from time to time. Airline may price first class seats at economy price by accident. Or an employee may have mis-keyed a $1400 ticket as $140.

Mistake fare also occurs if the currency exchange rate was mis-entered. For example, 1 CAD can be exchanged for approximately €0.66 but the online booking site may have incorrectly entered the exchange rate as €1 for 0.66 CAD. In this circumstance, it is advantageous to book using Canadian dollars. Even though you may not be flying to or from Canada and credit card companies typically charge 3% on foreign transaction fee, you saved 33% on ticket cost due to the currency mistake.

Fuel dumping

Fuel dumping occurs when a shorter flight overrides the fuel surcharge imposed on a longer flight. Due to the nature of this strategy, it occurs in connecting flights and only if one leg is much longer (e.g. trans-Atlantic, continental) than another leg. It often involves two uncommon airport pairs because airlines usually picked up the typical destinations or many people would have accidentally stumbled upon it already, so doing a fuel dump on New York to London almost never succeeds. It also often involves having two or more airlines in the same booking because fuel surcharge calculations are often different between airlines which can cause a conflict when the booking engine tries to determine the total ticket price. If the booking only consists of one airline, it is frequently known as "self-dump".

An extension of fuel dumping is known as "3X" or "third strike". This is accomplished by adding an additional leg that doesn't have to be departing from the same airport (or even the same day) as your intended final destination. You don't intend to board the last leg. The purpose of the last leg is to cause a computer glitch to lower the fuel surcharge so that the website only charges the fuel surcharge from the last, often very short, flight and not the fuel surcharge on the flights you actually plan to fly on.

Legacy airlines

A legacy airline, glavna letalska družba ali full-service airline usually has a heritage from the time when flying was a luxury. While their price and service levels have lingered at the high end, they usually have special offers today. They typically have one or more hubs and use hub-and-spoke model for flights. Skipping the last leg (hidden city ticketing) is more commonly found on the routes flown by legacy airlines.

A prevoznik zastave ali nacionalni letalski prevoznik is a legacy airline which is, or used to be, owned by a national government. Nekateri so zelo stari (KLM in Avianca letijo že od leta 1919), vendar se danes trudijo ostati konkurenčni. Nosilci zastav običajno dominirajo na domačem letališču, kjer imajo morda cel terminal sami. In certain regions, particularly the Persian Gulf, flag carriers are still owned by or closely aligned with the national government, and are often the beneficiaries of many open and hidden subsidies. Predvsem zalivski prevozniki so se prodali kot luksuzne blagovne znamke.

As of the 2010s, these airlines have reworked their ticket classes. Some of them now have a low-budget ticket class, which is usually on sale. The characteristics of budget airlines (extra cost for personal ground service, seat assignment, baggage, meals, etc.) increasingly apply to the low ticket classes of legacy airlines; at least on shorter routes.

Legacy airlines are more likely to offer youth, študent in popusti za starejše, at least on domestic lines.

Flag carriers might provide resident discounts for rural or island destinations, especially if the flight is operated as a public service obligation (PSO).

The name of an airline can be deceptive: Norwegian is not the flag carrier of Norway, but an independent budget airline (albeit a decent one), and Hong Kong Airlines is not the flag carrier of Hong Kong (that honour goes to Cathay Pacific).

Proračunske letalske družbe

Spirit Airlines only offers a knee-crunching 28 inches of seat pitch, and they charge for everything!

The cheapest tickets are often offered by budget airlines, which tend to have restricted service compared to full-service or legacy carriers. Usually the most pronounced difference is the type of aircraft and seat pitch (i.e. the distance between seats). Low-fare carriers usually pack the most passengers possible in their aircraft, which means only offering one class of seating and service, and offering very limited seat pitch and legroom.

Budget airlines often fly as early and as late in the day as possible. Many European airports have limits on night flights, which means you will probably not have to fly before 5AM (check whether there is any transportation to the airport at this early hour). In the USA, the "red-eye" flight has become somewhat of an institution for cost- and time-conscious travelers, meaning a flight where any sleep you might get is on the plane. As those flights are usually not popular, deals tend to be best for them.

Reserving specific seats with more legroom is usually possible for a sizable fee. Depending on the airline, you may find nothing in terms of entertainment or conveniences, but free Wi-Fi and power sockets at your seats. Parents with small children should call the airline and ensure any special requirements are available prior to booking. Change facilities may be simple or non-existent.

Increasingly budget airlines offer premium packages, which usually include priority boarding, a baggage allowance, or even a seat near an exit row. Bizarrely, in many cases those packages are more expensive than buying every single item in them separately, so keep alert when trying to save on those offers.

Finally, meals and drinks are almost always sold on board at inflated prices, although this is becoming the norm for airlines offering cheaper rates. Check the airline's website for information regarding services, and make an informed choice.

Never assume that budget carriers will be the cheapest. Particularly in the United States, the legacy full-service carriers offer the same, or sometimes even less service than some budget carriers for domestic economy, and their fares are often competitive with what the budget carriers are offering. Elsewhere, after factoring in the costs of extras, it can sometimes work out cheaper to fly on a full-service airline, especially if you are booking a trip at the last minute. The only way to be sure you are getting the best deal is to shop around. Frustratingly, many airlines will not tell you what their luggage fees and other unavoidable surcharges are unless you are already several steps deep into the booking process (often after they already asked you for your name). One way to circumvent this nasty policy is to enquire with a bogus name, abandoning the transaction by closing the page just prior to the "pay now" window.

Baggage allowance

Budget airlines often impose (very) low baggage allowances. These can be as low as 7–15 kg for one item only, and some do not allow any free check-in baggage at all, but some carriers offer generous allowances. Check the carriers' rules carefully before booking. They generally enforce excess allowances at check-in even for very minor amounts over the limit and require cash or credit card payment or they will refuse boarding. For airlines that do not offer free check-in baggage, they usually allow you to purchase check-in baggage allowance either online in advance, or at the counter on check-in. More often than not, purchasing it online in advance is the cheaper of the two options, usually by a significant amount.

Cena

When buying tickets on a budget airline, be sure to calculate how much you end up paying for the total fare, including additional charges, and compare them with the price of a full-service airline. As many budget airlines fly to secondary airports that are far from the city, be sure to factor in ground transportation costs as well. Some budget airlines also impose additional fees for passengers who carry a child below 2 years old, without providing a seat for the child. Many airlines these days offer different tickets even in economy class, roughly falling into the categories "bare bones", "some extras" and "full flex". The "bare bones" option commonly samo includes the flight itself and mogoče carry on luggage. No checked bags, meals, drinks, seat reservations or anything of the kind are available but they may all be purchased for a few euros extra. The "some extras" option commonly combines a few of the more commonly bought extras. Whether that offer is worth it depends on a) whether you actually need those extras and b) the individual airline. Naturally, airlines tend to be as opaque as possible about this or even downright misleading in telling you you save €30 by taking that offer, because they figure in stuff you won't actually need or compare that offer to the maximum prices for the extras included. The "full flex" option commonly includes more options for rebooking and cancellation in addition to other extras. This is particularly attractive to business travelers who might have to rebook on short notice or when for whatever reasons your plans might change; however, do read the details of the rebooking procedure and conditions carefully as even for allegedly flexible tickets there is often a cutoff point after which you'll pay more or forfeit the ticket for any changes made.

Meals

Tuna sandwich on the Korean low-cost airline T'way Airlines

Many budget airlines do not provide meals, water or in-flight entertainment. Some sell these on board. Meals or beverages are often overpriced. Meals can commonly be pre-booked to make sure they are available at all or to get a better price. Some entertainment systems offer pay-per-view content.

With security arrangements changing around the world, do not assume you can bring food or water on board, and even if you can, most low-cost carriers will not allow you to consume it on board in order to force you purchase their in-flight meals. An empty bottle is usually fine with airport security though, and if the airport has any potable water air-side, it's worth a shot. Check their website prior to booking. Some airlines permit pre-booking of upgrades for meals, baggage and other services at a discount at booking. Walk-up payment is often over-priced or the quantity not available to meet demand. Be flexible and prepared prior to your flight (take tissues in case of low toilet paper supply.)

Secondary airports

Many budget airlines avoid major airports as they tend to have higher landing fees. Especially in Europe, this often means budget airlines fly out of airfields in the middle of nowhere like Hahn, that can be difficult and expensive to reach. If you factor in those costs at both ends of your flight, the major airport may end up being cheaper after all. In North America however, many secondary airports are closer to the city they serve, reducing this problem. Still, even in North America where public transit access is often the exception not the rule, major airports are usually among the better connected spots while secondary airports sometimes don't even have a public bus.

Seat allocations

Poglej tudi: Sedeži na letalih

Seat allocation for budget airlines is generally either pre-booked as a preference at the time of booking or is not available until check-in. Once again, check the airline website carefully and read the terms and conditions prior to providing credit card details. To obtain best seats it is essential that you arrive as early as possible to the airport for check-in and seat allocation. Ryanair for example namerno seats groups apart unless they pay for assigned seats. The "children must sit next to an accompanying adult" rule is fulfilled by some airlines by charging a fee to one adult and assigning random seats to every other adult in the booking.

Medtem poslovni razred is usually absent on these airlines, there can be several sub-classes of seating, where you usually get what you pay for.

Potovalno zavarovanje

Poglej tudi: Potovalno zavarovanje

Discount carriers don't always offer credit for missed flights and may even then not offer a discount for travel at short notice. The $50 fare you prepaid may be lost and a new fare of $450 be your only option. Always ensure you know what the airline policy is if you arrive late to check-in and with respect to illness. Some credit cards offer flight interruptions or trip cancellation insurance if you purchase the ticket with that credit card.

Storitev za stranke

Budget airlines often contract out their ground-handing service to lower the operating cost (particularly at destinations outside of their hubs - if they even have any). You may find that those ground staff are not well-versed with a specific budget airline because the agent often does check-ins and boarding calls for multiple airlines that day. In case of flight delays or cancellations, don't expect them to have more information than you do since they don't actually work for the budget airlines (they only work for the ground-handling company). In some cases the airline may be stingy and opaque with information given leaving the ground-handling staff barely better informed than the passengers. European airlines are more likely to subcontract ground handling than North American ones. Legacy carriers at their hubs usually have their own personnel, though.

Bad weather is one thing that can cancel or delay flights – if that happens, traditional airlines tend to be more helpful getting you to your destination

In the event of flight cancellation due to severe weather or mechanical breakdown, this is truly when legacy carriers shine because of their good customer service. Legacy carriers usually have higher frequency on the city pairs and more reserve aircraft in standby to anticipate any irregular operations. Passengers on the cancelled flight will usually be bumped to the next available flight by the same company. If you have a connection flight to catch, it is customary (though not always) for legacy carriers to assist you by booking the next flight by any airline, including its competitor, to the destination so that you will not miss your connection. Legacy carriers often have longstanding partnership with hotel chains and can put you in an airport hotel for free or at a heavily discounted rate if the delay lasts over the night. Budget airlines may fly that city pair once a day or less frequent. The next flight by the budget airlines could be the next day or even few days from now. Budget airlines are not even obligated to reserve a seat in the next available flight if that flight is sold out. They often won't even assist passengers in booking an alternative flight, hotel or offer meal vouchers (unless mandated by law) as the ground agents are contracted to another company. Yes, the budget airline will refund your cancelled flight's ticket, often days or weeks later, but you have to pay for a new and expensive ticket at the last-minute walk-up rate on the spot.

Unlike legacy airlines which often participate in alliances, most low cost carriers do not. The importance of airline alliance becomes more clear for international flights. For example, British Airways and Cathay Pacific offer flights from London Heathrow to Hong Kong and both airlines belong to Oneworld alliance. If, for whatever reason, British Airways had to cancel a flight to Hong Kong, British Airways agents can book seats on Cathay Pacific to accommodate passengers. If seats on Cathay Pacific cannot accommodate all affected passengers, British Airways can route the passengers from London Heathrow to other Oneworld alliance members' hubs (e.g. Finnair in Helsinki and Qatar Airways in Doha) to reach Hong Kong. Even in rare events like computer outage that grounds all aircraft of a certain company, legacy carriers such as Delta, United and American Airlines have existing agreement to mutually assist each other in times of need despite being fierce competitors in the domestic market and in different airline alliances. Few low cost carriers join alliances, so their passengers do not benefit from the flexibility offered by alliances.

Even if nothing goes wrong with your flight but you needed to inquire about your itinerary or make changes to it, you will find that it is easier to reach legacy carrier's support team by email, social media, phone or even going to their ticketing office. Budget airlines often go "digital" and only respond to inquires made via email and social media (and even if they provide support over the phone, it will charge you the call by the minute).

Read the fine print

Poglej tudi: Common scams#"Low cost" airlines

Low service airlines are notorious for their practice of advertising extremely low fares that suddenly stack up with a lot of surcharges once you book them. They justify it by saying that they only sell one ticket for one person sitting in one seat flying with no baggage and anything beyond that should be paid for if you want it, but some push it to the point of absurdity, when entering data in one form automatically checks a box in another that makes you buy (almost certainly useless) travel insurance. Common (almost always inflated) surcharges to avoid are levied on the wrong form of payment (try to have the right kind of debit or credit card handy), failing to print out a boarding pass, check-in that isn't done the right way (usually online), assigned seats, unaccompanied minors, baggage and — most absurd of all — carry-on bags. Before you book, make absolutely sure that you know what you will need and book it as early as possible, to avoid having to pay multiples of the normal price when you suddenly notice at the gate that 15 kg of checked baggage isn't going to be enough, and you'll possibly have to pay €100 for excess baggage.

Other airlines and planes

A regionalni letalski prevoznik usually operates less busy routes with smaller aircraft. Many of them are allied with a legacy airline.

Their routes usually lack direct competition and can be more expensive.

Holiday charters shine in Europe where they have decades of tradition. Often focused on carrying sun seeking Europeans, and to a lesser extent migrant workers, from the rich but cold countries of the centre, north and west to warm water destinations around the Mediterranean, they virtually all offer tickets to the general public not booked on package deals, either as a matter of course or when they could not fill the plane through their partner travel bureaus alone. Their product tends to be overall quite similar, but there are some that skimp on maintenance, which results in reliability and safety issues. Great deals can be had especially when heading "against the flow"; rest assured that the EU is going to ban everything from its airspace that might endanger European holidaymakers.

Related costs

Poglej tudi: Nakupovanje, Hrana in pijača

Letališča tend to have more expensive food and other commodities than local retailers. If you have the chance, get supplies in a supermarket instead.

Security checkpoints ban liquids over 100ml, and water and other beverages might be expensive airside. In places with good tap water, passengers can however carry an empty bottle through security, and fill it from the bathroom tap.

Airport transfer

The ride to and from the airports (or between transit airports) might be a significant portion of the total cost (and time). If you ride a budget airline to a far-out airport (such as Stockholm-Skavsta near Nyköping, which is 100 km from Stockholmu), the bus ticket might cost more than the flight. Če javni prevoz ali avtobusi are available, they are usually the cheapest option. Some airports have "premium" trains that go directly from the airport to some central location and cost more than other public transit options. They are usually aimed at business travelers and a bad deal for cost conscious travelers. In the Anglosphere there is also often a surcharge for the airport station and in some cases a relatively short walk can save you this surcharge.

At night, public transportation might be limited, forcing passengers to take a taxi or another more costly ride. If arriving at odd hours in the night, many taxis will levy a late night surcharge, which can sometimes double the taxi fare.

Cena taksiji se med državami zelo razlikuje. Try to share a cab with other passengers. Skupna vožnja lahko tudi razmisli.

Some hotels and hostels offer free airport shuttles to their customers. If you can take advantage of such offers, do.

Alternatives to flying

Poglej tudi: Transportation#Choosing your vehicle

While there are hardly any practicable alternatives to a trans-Atlantic or trans-Pacific flight (unless you seriously consider traveling on a freight ship and even that is usually more expensive than a flight) the shorter the distance, the more alternatives open up.

Train travel can be a good alternative to flying, often cheaper, and for short trips it might even be faster

Ground transportation options include železniška potovanja in potovanje z avtobusom. While airplanes fly much faster than even the visoka hitrost trains run, do note the time needed for getting to and from the airport, waiting to embark and disembark, baggage handling, and the time consumed by the often-onerous security procedures. Most of the time, railways go directly to the city center, and the same is often the case with buses. You can also often enjoy more space and comfort on board of a train, and more of your time is spent traveling and not queuing up, so you can sleep, relax or work longer.

In many cases bus or rail travel is cheaper than a flight covering the same distance, as long as it stays under a roughly 1000-km threshold. However on longer distances the economies of scale tend to work against ground transportation and in favor of flying, but be sure to check prices regardless, as sometimes even a short hop flight may be cheaper than the alternative and sometimes even a long overland trip can be a bargain in terms of price. Even though you might reconsider if the cheapest rail or bus fare involves a 30-hour ride and no bed or couchette. While sleeping in coach class is doable and easier on a train than a plane (reclining seats, more legroom, less noise, etc.), spalni vlaki were invented for a reason.

If your flight is across a body of water, you may want to see if there is a water connection prav tako. Water-based transportation is usually much slower than overground transport or flying, but its has some advantages. For smaller bodies of water, those are the sights and the experience other means simply cannot afford. For larger bodies of water requiring a long crossing, it is often done by means of ferry ships which contain sleeping facilities, so you get your transport and accommodation at one go (and at one price). Generally the largest (and some would argue the best) ferries crisscross the Baltic. They can also be remarkably cheap (cheaper than most standard hotel rooms) if you bring your own food and resist the urge to load up on booze and cigarettes. Glej Trajekti v Baltskem morju.

Other options to consider

Poglej tudi

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