Les Aérienne Economique

On my recent trip to Norway, I decided to take advantage of the o’ so popular discount airlines. After seeing prices beyond belief, I was lured in and soon realized that the eye-popping low rates quickly climb with taxes and small fees, not to mention a serious baggage restriction. However, all that said, the final price came out to be less than half that of a major airline, so I went for it.

The catch with discount airlines is that they normally leave from small secondary airports and at odd times of the day (not good for business travelers). My flight left Marseille Provence airport at 4:55 p.m. (qualifying as odd), and actually ended up to my advantage, as traffic in the airport was low. The plane was a Boeing 737 which had been fitted with more seats than a major airline, meaning seats do not lean back and leg room is minimal. Still, the flight was overall comfortable. In flight drinks and snacks are very costly, and music and reading material must be self-provided, which is to be expected. Upon landing at Oslo’s secondary airport (Oslo Torp), the real meaning of “cheap” struck me. As I boarded the bus to Oslo, costing me €18, I soon realized that not only was I not in Oslo, but I had landed two hours outside of Oslo. After all was said and done however, I reached my destination and my trip went as planned.

The important fact to remember when traveling economically is that you get what you pay for. With discount transportation, don’t expect much more than arriving at your final destination alive and you won’t be disappointed. My round trip from Marseille to Oslo with Ryan Air, even after the extra bus tickets to and from the airport, saved me over €200, making the trip affordable in the first place. I expect that in my future tight-budgeted travels, Ryan Air, Easy Jet, and other small airlines will be utilized whenever possible.