Think the European continent is expensive? Try flying across Europe with these budget airlines and see if it changes your mind.
Last updated: August 19, 2024
What Keeps You from Traveling to Europe
High prices of Europe hold back many travelers from visiting some of the most beautiful places in the world. For budget travelers, Europe can be pretty expensive. Or not exactly if you know how, when, and where to travel.
The first step to your affordable European vacation always starts with choosing the right airline that can literally make or break your trip. With more people traveling today than ever, new companies enter the airline business and keep those high monopoly prices in check. As a result, traveling doesn’t feel like luxury any longer.
In fact, almost every traveler can afford to travel to and across Europe with these nine budget airlines. Cheap flights in Europe are not only real, but also one of the most convenient ways of exploring new cities and countries.
THE 9 BEST BUDGET AIRLINES IN EUROPE TO FLY RIGHT NOW
1. Ryanair
Based at Dublin and London Stansted Airports, Ryanair won the hearts of budget travelers as one of the most affordable airlines in Europe. With its really low fares, only lazy ones still “can’t afford” to travel across Europe.
Yet to take advantage of these great prices, one must follow Ryanair’s instructions to a T. Thus, when flying with this airline, budget travelers need to print out their boarding passes or use mobile passes. Failing to do so results in an additional, pretty hefty fee.
Almost the same penalty is charged when your carry-on doesn’t match the dimensions of the allowed baggage. We learned it the hard way on our way from Vienna to Rome and it really stank.
2. Eurowings
The list of the best budget airlines in Europe can’t be complete without German airlines. Eurowings is ahead of the game. With direct flights to over 160 destinations, this company focuses primarily on traveling across Europe.
Additionally, Eurowings caters to budget travelers aiming for overseas trips and provides them with flights to the U.S., the Caribbean, and Thailand. While I found traveling with Eurowings more comfortable than with Ryanair, their lost luggage reimbursement policy is far from the standards of other budget airlines in Europe.
3. Norwegian Air Shuttle
Just like with American budget airlines, I have my favorite budget companies in Europe as well. Norwegian tops this list. How can you not like the business that can fly you from Los Angeles to Barcelona and back for less than 500 USD? (The right time is also a crucial component of some of these steal deals.)
The largest carrier in Norway and one of the largest budget airlines in Europe, Norwegian flies to more than 150 destinations in Europe, North Africa, Thailand, the Middle East, the Caribbean, and the U.S.
4. EasyJet
Norwegian, however, can’t sit quietly on its laurels for a long time, as the competition among the budget airlines in Europe is huge. So European low-cost carriers have to work hard to keep their customers, especially when having such companies as EasyJet in the same game.
Based at London Luton Airport, EasyJet definitely knows how to satisfy budget travelers and make them choose its services over and over again. On top of affordable fares, the company attracts its loyal customers with more than 1,000 routes across 30 countries.
5. Wizz Air
Wizz Air is a Hungarian low-cost carrier. Smaller than other European budget airlines, it operates across Europe and flies to some destinations in North Africa and the Middle East.
6. Vueling Airlines
As budget traveling gains popularity, more countries in Europe offer their services in this field. Spain recognized the value of affordable travel in the early 2000s and launched its own budget airline known as Vueling. As of today, the company serves almost 20 million passengers. Its current destinations include places across Europe, Africa, and Asia.
7. airBaltic
Not as popular in Western Europe as the other budget carriers we mentioned above, airBaltic with its main office in Riga, Latvia, holds a strong position in the Baltic countries and Scandinavia. Its other routes include flights to Russia and the Middle East.
8. Transavia
We flew with Transavia before we even knew about the existence of the world of budget travel and budget airlines in Europe. When I first came across this company, it offered the cheapest flights from Paris to exotic Marrakech.
While some other budget airlines added the same route to their services, Transavia still offers the most affordable fares at the most convenient times. Moreover, with bases in Amsterdam, Rotterdam and Paris, it serves 88 destinations and over 15 million passengers.
9. Aer Lingus
Do you remember me raving about Norwegian and their low airfares on the flights from Los Angeles to Barcelona? Guess what? Some other budget airlines based in Europe offer even better deals. As low as 273 USD for a round trip from LA to Dublin. Not even from New York where you can jump on a plane and roughly 7 hours later be on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean.
Ok, maybe Aer Lingus would charge more for the exact same flight today as mine was a few years ago. But their prices are certainly competitive. And considering that Dublin Airport has the US Preclearance facility, you are on your way back home in minutes after your airplane touches the ground in LAX.
