As with major airlines, low-cost airlines in the UK are also suffering from the decreasing number of business travelers as a result of the financial crisis. However, the demand for low-cost airline travel from holiday travelers has not changed much. Flights to Southern European and Mediterranean resort destinations with mild climates such as Greece, Portugal and Morocco become very crowded during holiday seasons.
The low-cost Irish airline Ryanair, flying between various European destinations, is well-known for its frequent sale of "limited time only 1 pound (approximately 150 yen) one way bargain flights." In reality, additional charges such as booking and luggage fees are added and the actual cost ends up being at least 30 pounds or so one way. Nevertheless, it is still far cheaper than a major airline and people rush to buy these bargain flights.
Like Ryanair, rival EasyJet also only accepts bookings online and the earlier you purchase a ticket, the lower the fare. As both airlines cut back on costs to the extreme, there are no in-flight meal services and all drinks cost money. The flight attendants are little different to a typical shop clerk. The biggest risk with discount flights is that they tend to be delayed and there are no back-up flights to switch to in case of problems. Flights delayed by fourteen hours and passengers having to spend the whole night at the airport are everyday occurrences.
Although Japanese people may wonder if having a holiday is worth it if you have to go through such hassles, the British craving for sunshine boggles the mind (maybe because of the UK's unpredictable climate). The typical British idea of a holiday is to spend two weeks or so leisurely sunbathing on a beach in some country to the south. To achieve this, people start planning their holiday a year in advance and look for cheap ways to travel. Families that enjoy camping domestically are mostly middle class and tend to be very conscious of environmental issues; consequently they choose to stay in the UK rather than travel overseas.
However, it is quite difficult to travel around the UK just using public transport. In many cases, trains are more expensive than airplanes and even environmentally-conscious families tend to use their own cars when travelling.
Written by Nao Fukuoka
