Ditch the packaging: Cut the cost of plane travel

Packaging: a retailing trick to make you think a few cheap components deserve a much higher price by virtue of being bundled together for your convenience.

The same goes for package holidays and as my earlier example proved, with a little research you can put together your dream holiday at a substantial discount to a High Street travel agent.

Although Britain's rail links to the Continent are faster and more frequent than ever before, sometimes nothing beats the convenience of a low cost flight.

Some people new to flying or the internet (and those of you more used to flying first class with British Airways) may be a bit wary of flying with a no-frills carrier: 'Is that air fare for real? Is the plane safe? How do they do it?'

The no-frills airlines are cheap because:

1. They tend to fly from out of the way British airports. Have you ever tried to reach 'London' Stansted at 5am on public transport?

2. Many of their destinations are to smaller European cities. A flight they claim is to Stockholm or Paris may be to a provincial airport 50 miles away. For instance, Ryanair flights billed as Venice land at a tin shed in Treviso 40 minutes by bus from La Serenissima. Some of these airports are quicker to navigate and have fewer flights clogging the luggage carousels, plus may be the gateway to fascinating destinations you might otherwise overlook.

We seem to have taxied an awful long way from Amsterdam!

3. They don't offer complimentary in-flight meals, but sell pricey drinks and pre-packaged snacks instead. Be sure to pack your own meals to avoid paying £5+ for a damp sandwich, packet of crisps and a bar of chocolate.

4. Hardly any of them issue tickets. Did you know one year British Airways spent more money printing and posting tickets than fueling its fleet? (The Independent, 23 February 2002). They don't employ many ground staff and expect passengers to check in and print off their boarding cards online.

5. Their tickets are inflexible and it can be expensive to change your plans (even if you are forced to make changes through no fault of your own). For instance, Ryanair will not pay compensation if you miss a connecting flight on their service. So if the Ryanair flight is late getting into Brussels and you miss your booked Ryanair flight to Liverpool, tough.

6. Watch out for all the hidden extras. Most charge over the odds for things you take for granted on other airlines like checking in, having assigned seats and being able to stow baggage in the hold. They will also sting you for using certain cards to buy the flight or for calling their customer service line. That's why they are the best option for weekend breaks when you're only likely to be carrying a small bag on board.

7. You'd be surprised how much ink the likes of easyJet and bmibaby have saved by having their names in lower-case. Seriously, the one thing they don't scrimp on is safety. Their planes, pilots and security team are of the quality you'd expect of any major carrier.

Manchester...

..or the beach? I know where I'd rather be today!

Now for some bad news about that flight to 'Brzyzysyg' you've seen advertised for 1p. You have to accept that you won't be able to book the advertised fare! Why not?

• This fare is for a single trip, not a return journey. Great if you're bumming around Europe, but most of us want to come back to old Blighty and what you betting the flight coming back on Sunday is £100?
• This fare is for a mid-week flight in late January or some other quiet period.
• This fare excludes taxes levied by the state and the airports, which can be £20 or more per flight.
• And finally, if you don't live within walking distance of 'London' Stansted, you'll spend more money getting to the airport than flying out of it!

Still, the fares that are on offer can be extremely cheap, especially if you book during a sale. Ryanair's website offers hints to get that cheap fare. This mainly involves booking midweek flights months in advance. November to February is the ideal time to book that cheap fare, when even full-frills carriers like BA pare back their fares. Spur of the moment, 'gotta fly tomorrow' fares will be dear.

Another tip is to consider the usual traffic to your destination and plan against demand. For instance, fly midweek to holiday resorts and hen party hotspots like Tenerife, Barcelona and Amsterdam. On the other hand, fly on the weekend to a business destination like Brussels or Milan.

Next time: which websites to trawl for those cheapest fares, plus how to reduce your impact on the environment when flying.