Reply to Explain the discount airline process. It doesn’t seem cheaper when you end up paying for carryons and checked bags?

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Reply to "Explain the discount airline process. It doesn’t seem cheaper when you end up paying for carryons and checked bags?"

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I’ve had friends recommend Play Airlines for Paris and London. Rates are like $87/pp. when I add in carry on’s and checked bags for our family of five, we end up over $3k.

What’s the way to work the discounts with airlines like this? Not to bring much? [/quote]

It still works out cheaper, but honestly, these airlines aren’t really for you if you’re traveling as a family with carry-ons and checked bags. At least you’re not going to see the insane savings that they advertise.

I’ve done many transatlantic flights on WOW, Norse Atlantic, and French Bee, and the way to realize the savings is (1) to travel alone (or at least, not care at all where you’re seated/whether you’re seated with traveling companions - so not ideal for families with young children), (2) definitely no checked luggage, (3) ideally no carry-on (I have a roomy weekender bag that counts as a free personal item), but you could pay the $150 extra RT for it if you needed to and still come out ahead. I pay the base fare and that’s literally it.

That said, I generally do transatlantic trips on low-cost carriers as long weekends, travel alone or with one other person (no kids), pack lightly in general (the max I ever bring on a long trip is a carry-on), and don’t care where I sit. So I’m the ideal demographic to extract value from these kinds of airlines.

Also, if you are considering Play for a peak summer family trip, consider that these airlines typically don’t have inter-airline agreements where they can rebook you on a different airline if their flight is delayed or canceled, and typically don’t offer the same flight every day like a full-service carrier. This can be a problem if you have a layover and the first flight is delayed, or if the flight gets canceled for some reason. So if the final price difference works out to a few hundred dollars per ticket vs. a full-service airline, it might be better for you to spend the extra and go with that. [/quote]

Also, Play already dropped their Dulles flight for 2025, and has said they will be further cutting US airports over the course of 2025. Significant chance a BWI summer booking could be cancelled in the next month or two.

https://crankyflier.com/2024/10/24/play-airlines-plans-to-play-in-the-sand-instead-of-the-states/[/quote

Thanks PP! Good to know![/quote]

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