10 Budget Airlines You May Not Know About

Budget airlines have made travel accessible and affordable over the last decade. The major players like Easy Jet and South West are well know (partly due to their reality TV presence) but there are plenty of other budget airlines that can get you almost all the way around the globe.

Here’s are 10 budget airlines you may not know about (but probably should! :

1. Allegiant Air – This American carrier is the best choice for budget flights between Hawaii and mainland US. They also fly to other holiday hotspots within the US such as Palm Springs in California, Telluride in Colorado and Daytona Beach in Florida.
2. Spirit Airlines – Spirit has a bit of a notorious reputation in the United States for really gauging their customers on fees – like charging for a carry-on bag! Check this post for Spirit Airlines baggage fees and you’ll see what I mean. However, if you’re flying from the US to Central America it’s often the cheapest choice by far.
3. Scoot – Scoot is an off-shoot of Singapore Airlines with cheap flights from Singapore to Australia, Japan, Korea and China.. They have an affordable business class option too.
4. Cebu Pacific – If the Philippines are part of your South East Asian itinerary you should definitely check out Cebu Pacific. They have some incredibly cheap domestic flights which is handy due to the number of islands in this country. Cebu also has flights to get you to the Philippines from neighbouring countries like Taiwan, Vietnam and Hong Kong without breaking the bank.
5. Spring Airlines – Spring Airlines is China’s budget airline alternative. China is a huge country so if you need to cover ground quickly air travel is essential.
6. IndiGo – India has a few budget airlines but IndiGo often comes out the cheapest. They have flights around India as well as to Nepal, Thailand, Singapore, Oman and Dubai.
7. Fly Dubai – This is the go to carrier for flights in and around the Middle East. Based in Dubai, Fly Dubai can get you as far as Eastern Europe, Russia, India and Sudan. They also have a business class service.
8. Pegasus – Pegasus hubs out of Istanbul and flies across the Middle East and Europe with selected routes into Russia and Central Asia. Pegasus is a great option is you want to fly from Dubai into Europe using budget airlines. Some of their flights use Istanbul’s main airport Ataturk and some use the smaller Sabiha Gokcen airport 50kms from the city.
9. Wizz Air – Wizz Air is a major player in the European budget airlines business with bases across Eastern Europe. Wizz is the best airline to use if you’re looking to get from London into Eastern Europe. The have also ventured into the Middle East as far as Dubai and Tel Aviv
10. Vueling – Vueling is a Spanish-based budget airline with flights across Europe as well as into North Africa – Morocco, Algeria, Senegal and the Gambia.