Free Airline Flights - Myth or Reality?
There is a perception that you can get "free flights" on budget carriers, or by using frequent flyer air miles or credit card companion tickets. As we see in this article, this is a slight misnomer - the passenger will always end up paying one way or another... |
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Myth 1: Free Flights on Budget Airlines
These days EU rules mean that airlines must show the all-in price in their advertising and on their websites. In the past some airlines were aggressively marketing flights as "free" only for the consumer to be hit by a number of additional charges, such as:
• fuel
surcharges (known as "YQ")
• charging
for checked luggage
• charging
for "priority boarding"
• charging
for seat allocation
• charging
extra for "premium" seats such as exit rows
• government
taxes and airport charges
• fees
for paying by credit/debit cards
Many have had the experience of selecting a £2 flight only to click through and find the actual end cost was £59.68!
We should mention that Ryanair does offer some very cheap flights which include all taxes and charges. You must play the game by bringing hand luggage only, print your own boarding pass and pay by a prepaid Mastercard. These flight prices are effectively "loss leaders" for Ryanair to fill up planes. They raise prices significantly in the 2 weeks before departure where they can make their money.
Myth 2: Free Flights with Frequent Flyer Miles
What about "free" flights using frequent flyer miles via loyalty programs? The first consideration even if you have enough miles or points is that you will have to pay taxes and charges on the redemption bookings. In Europe these can be very high - it's actually worth checking the price of the flight itself to see if it is cheaper than the redemption charges! Fees in other parts of the world are lower - but as oil prices remain high the YQ charges can be significant.
Obviously the other consideration is that the miles / points themselves need to be "purchased". This can be done by:
• flying
on your carrier - "BIS" miles (bottom-in-seat) on revenue tickets
•
spending on affiliated credit cards
•
purchasing miles directly from your
frequent flyer program
• transferring
miles/points from different programs (eg AMEX Rewards to airline miles)
•
credit card sign up bonuses - this is
the only way to get "free" miles, annual card fee aside
Myth 3: Free Companion Flights with Loyalty Credit Cards
Some credit cards have an option to get a "free" companion ticket in the premium classes. Sounds good but you usually need to purchase a fully flexible ticket which can be very expensive. It may be wise to check the price of 2 discounted business or first class tickets - this is often cheaper!
British Airways' American Express credit cards offer holders a free companion redemption ticket. You do need to spend £10-20K annually (depending on the card type) and you must pay for additional taxes and charges on the ticket.
All in all, nothing is really free when it comes to airline flights. However there are some exceptional deals and techniques out there which can keep down the cost of flying. By applying sound airfare strategies over the long run, you will save more and more money each time you book a flight. In turn, these savings can be put towards future flight purchases.
Air Travel Articles > Budget Airline Flying > Free Flights