Ryanair trumped by zero-fee airline

by Robert Powell on 13 June 2011  |  40 comments
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There's a new kid on the budget airline block, and they don't charge any debit card fees...

Ryanair have carved out something of a niche for themselves over the last few years. They are now undoubtedly the airline that most people love to hate. And I’m afraid to say that I am no different.

Yes, I appreciate that Ryanair is a budget airline and as such I shouldn’t be expecting a five star travel experience. But still, some features of the Irish carriers’ flying cattle trucks are needlessly offensive. The bright yellow, plastic seats and landing jingle proclaiming the arrival of ‘another on time Ryanair flight’ (even if the flight is two hours delayed) are two of my main gripes.

Yet one theme common to all the low-cost airlines is that of excessive surcharges, several of which are levied on us just for booking using our debit card.

But that could all be about to change...

The Monarch has arrived!

Luton-based airline Monarch has stepped up to the budget carrier big boy table by scrapping their 3.5% booking fee for customers paying with a debit card. The carrier will still charge customers who choose to pay by credit card, but this fee has changed from a 5% levy to a flat £10 charge, added to the transaction regardless of the number of travellers.

The change comes after a major restructuring at the airline, shifting the focus away from packaged holidays and onto scheduled flights.

But Monarch’s chairman Fabio Mantegazza still denied that the alterations were an attempt to take on low cost airlines like Ryanair and easyJet. He said that the changes reflected a shift in the air travel sector in general and predicted a halt in the growth of budget airlines operating on the surcharge model.

Nevertheless Monarch’s decision to axe their booking fees will be welcomed by many squeezed travellers fed up with shelling out every time they book a flight by card. But has the change really made Monarch any cheaper than the current main players in the budget airline sector?

Fees

Despite scrapping fees for debit card bookings, Monarch does still have a whole host of other surcharges. Here’s how they compare to Ryanair and easyJet’s fees...

So while generally Monarch fees are cheaper than both Ryanair and easyJet, the difference is only slight.

In fact, amidst Monarch’s recent media-friendly fee slashing antics, the airline has actually slyly upped the surcharges it levies on baggage. On 1 April, Monarch introduced a £50 penalty charge for anyone found to have an oversized or overweight bag at the gate; that’s pricier than both Ryanair and easyJet. In addition, for flights departing after 1 July, Monarch’s pre-booked baggage fees will increase by £1.

And these aren’t the only new fees introduced by airlines this year, read Watch out for these new airline charges to find out about a few others.

Fares

So how does Monarch compare on fare price? Here are the fares (one-way, including taxes and charges but no booking or baggage fees) for a selection of popular routes departing this summer...

As you can see, no single airline emerges as the definite cheapest when it comes to fare rates, so it’s certainly worth checking the prices with a variety of carriers before you book any flight. Comparison sites like Skyscanner are a good way of quickly checking prices across several airlines.

It’s also worth pointing out that while Monarch’s fares are most certainly of the budget range, the selection of destinations on offer by the airline are slightly different to the other budget carriers. Monarch generally flies to ‘sun, sea and sand’ holiday destinations such as Spanish beach resorts and Greek islands rather than cities or other mainland destinations. So if you’re planning a European city break, you’ll probably need to stick to Ryanair or easyJet.

And to get some more tips on saving a few pounds on your summer trip this year read Avoid these six holiday rip-offs!

Your take

What’s your take on Monarch? Which is your preferred budget airline?

Let us know in the comment box below.

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